Since the independence of Burundi in 1962, there have been two cases of genocide: the massacres of Hutus in 1972 by the Tutsi-dominated government, and the massacres of Tutsis in 1993 by the Hutu population. . These two events in Burundi received varying levels of attention from the international community and Western media due to lack of interest from foreign governments, political distraction, and refusal to recognize the seriousness of these atrocities in Burundi . Interestingly, genocidal events that sometimes occurred without these distractions received more foreign attention than those ignored due to these factors. For this reason, much of the Western world ignores the Burundian genocide and similar events. The state-sponsored massacres of Hutus by the Tutsi-majority Burundian army in 1972 were one of the most significant post-Holocaust genocides and, as such, received appropriate international attention due to the lack of distractions policies in Western countries. The genocide erupted as a Hutu-led rebellion in which Hutu insurgents massacred Tutsis and Hutu resisters in the lakeside towns of Rumonge and Nyanza-Lac. At least 1,200 people were killed in this initial incident, the Tutsi-dominated government responded by declaring martial law and proceeded systematically to massacre Hutus (Totten 325). After hundreds of thousands of Hutus were massacred by the Burundian government, the neighboring nation of Zaire aided the Hutus in a counter-offensive against the Tutsi-controlled army. After their efforts were successful, the genocide was quickly brought to international attention within days. The United Nations invested $25,000 from the World Disaster Relief Account fund...... middle of paper ...... attractions received more foreign attention than those ignored due to the aforementioned factors. For this reason, much of the Western world ignores the atrocities of the Burundian genocides of 1972 and 1993. Public Policy Program Digital Archives National Security Archives, SA01629. Included in 'Southern Africa in the Cold War, after 1974', edited by Sue Onslow and Anna-Mart Van Wyk. Gedda, George. “The Burundi genocide ignored.” Associated Press [Washington] 3 8 1996, n. page. Internet. November 4, 2013. “Rwandan Crisis”. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. October 29, 2013. Totten, Samuel. Century of genocide: critical essays and eyewitness accounts. 2004. 325. Print.