Psychosocial costs of war in Rwanda

The extraordinary events of 1994 in Rwanda touched the world, and the extent and brutality of the atrocities committed scarred it (Anderson, 1998). There are no simple explanations or solutions for such human tragedy. Societies are shattered by war, and societal interventions are required to heal the physical and psychological wounds. The final outcome of such interventions is, however, difficult to predict. Psychiatric involvement in Rwanda's suffering has been small and examination of the literature reveals a paucity of data. Most of the data that are available are qualitative, as that is the only way of understanding what happened. Everyone involved in Rwanda in 1994 was changed by their experiences. Rwanda was a catastrophe.