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Census underway

The Rwandan authorities have embarked on a national census to establish exactly how many people died in the 1994 genocide, news organisations reported. The census, which began on Monday, is due to last 10 days. A government-appointed team of 1,600 investigators will tour the country to draw up a definitive list, according to a BBC report. At least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus are believed to have perished in the massacres. The census will begin from October 1990 when the-then rebel Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) began its fight against the government of president Juvenal Habyarimana. The BBC noted that genocide survivors criticise the current government for using the genocide as a political tool while neglecting their needs, and the census is an attempt to address some of the criticism.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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