ABSTRACT
Like many other African civil wars in recent decades, the civil war in Rwanda had its roots both in precolonial history and in misguided or maliciously guided colonial policies. The tiny country of Rwanda (some 10,000 square miles) is naturally a kind of Eden. Situated about a mile high on the equator, it is both well watered and beautiful. The altitude keeps it relatively cool and also keeps at bay certain pests dangerous to humans and animals-specifically, the malaria-carrying mosquito and the cattle-killing tsetse fly.
