ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a case study of compassion exhibited by civilians who are engulfed in the tumult of war. In 1994 a wave of mass killings swept through the small country of Rwanda—Hutu extremists orchestrating a campaign of extermination against Tutsis. Under the control of these extremists, government forces joined two large militias groups—the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi—in torrents of genocidal violence. But an unknown number of Hutu civilians resisted demands by the state military and local militias to deliver Tutsis over for the slaughter. These Hutus secretly offered Tutsis safe haven, material assistance and emotional comfort. In some cases sympathetic Hutus directly confronted the militia groups, imploring them to stop killing Tutsis. This chapter explores the motivations of the Hutu rescuers, with special emphasis on the role models that influenced their sense of self in relation to others. In this study each Hutu interviewed purported to act out of compassion for Tutsis while knowingly placing themselves in mortal danger.
