International Day of Reflection: Rwanda Genocide

“On this day, we honour those who were murdered, we reflect on the suffering and we recognize the resilience of those who have survived. As we join in solidarity with the people of Rwanda, we must take a hard look at today’s world and ensure that we heed the lessons of 27 years ago.”- António Guterres. Have you ever watched the movie Hotel Rwanda? For those of us who have not I strongly suggest that you view this powerful movie. The movie chronicled the genocide in Rwanda which left almost 1 million of its citizen dead in less than three months. Many of us in this part of the world did not know exactly what was happening in Rwanda. Rwanda is a densely populated, land-locked country in east-central Africa. Its neighbours are Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda is known for its beautiful scenery. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. The online source Holocaust Museum states the term genocide did not exist before 1944. In 1944, Polish Jewish lawyer, Raphael Lemkin coined the term in a book documenting Nazi policies of systematically destroying national and ethnic groups, including the mass murder of European Jews. The Origin of the Rwanda Genocide According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) about 85% of Rwandans are Hutus but the Tutsi minority has long dominated the country. In 1959, the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and tens of thousands of Tutsis fled to neighbouring countries, including Uganda. A group of Tutsi exiles formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which invaded Rwanda in 1990 and fighting continued until a 1993 peace deal was agreed. On the night of 6 April 1994 a plane carrying then President Juvenal Habyarimana, and his counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi both Hutus was shot down, killing everyone on board. Hutu extremists blamed the RPF and immediately started a well-organised campaign of slaughter. The RPF said the plane had been shot down by Hutus to provide an excuse for the genocide. Lists of government opponents were handed out to militias who went and killed them, along with all of their families. Neighbours killed neighbours and some husbands even killed their Tutsi wives, saying they would be killed if they refused. At the time, ID cards had people's ethnic group on them, so militias set up roadblocks where Tutsis were slaughtered, often with machetes which most Rwandans kept around the house. Thousands of Tutsi women were taken away and kept as sex slaves. Weapons and hit-lists were handed out to local groups, who knew exactly where to find their targets. The Hutu extremists set up a radio station, RTLM, and newspapers which circulated hate propaganda, urging people to "weed out the cockroaches" meaning kill the Tutsis. The names of prominent people to be killed were read out on radio. Even priests and nuns have been convicted of killing people, including some who sought shelter in churches. Rwanda gained independence from Belgium in 1962. The Germans had control of Rwanda prior to 1914. Many scholars argue that Belgium's attitude regarding favouring the Tutsi over the Hutu was the precursor for the genocide of 1994. Not much was done by the international community to end the genocide. Belgium and France intervened along with the United Nations. The French government was accused of not doing enough. However, the United Nations did not have a mandate to end the genocide. Healing and Restoration International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda At the international level, the Security Council on 8 November 1994 set up the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to "prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and neighbouring States, between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994." The Tribunal was located in Arusha, Tanzania, and had offices in Kigali, Rwanda. Its Appeals Chamber was located in The Hague, Netherlands. The Tribunal indicted 93 individuals whom it considered responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda in 1994. Those indicted included high-ranking military and government officials, politicians, businessmen, as well as religious, militia, and media leaders. The court convicted the Prime Minister during the genocide Jean Kambanda, to life in prison. The ICTR ended its term on 31 December 2015. The current President Kagame has been hailed for transforming the tiny, devastated country he took over through policies which encouraged rapid economic growth. He has also tried to turn Rwanda into a technological hub. As the world commemorates the International Day of Reflection we must focus attention on new areas which are on the brink of genocide. Two areas are of grave concern; Ethiopia as they try to erase the Tigray region and its ethnic minority as well as China as they try to erase the Muslim minority of the Uyghurs. In the words of Elie Wiesel, there may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©