By NKB
Les Nouvelles de Kigali à Bruxelles
April 26, 2009
Has there been any genocide of Hutus in Rwanda? Some people say yes and proudly affirm that it might have been perpetrated by the RPF troops. Such a learnedly planned genocide against Hutus of Rwanda might still be going in stoemelincks.
Strangely, those who accuse the RPF regime in power since July 1994 of continuing genocide against Hutus do not correctly name it as do members and representatives of various sections of Ibuka who insist that from now on we say “genocide committed on Tutsis” in Rwanda instead of Rwandan genocide or genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus as it already is known worldwide.
Proponents of the « genocide of Tutsis » terminology do not support the “Rwandan genocide” terminology. They assert that this terminology does not precisely mention who were the victims of the genocide that took place in Rwanda between April and July 1994.
Although the “Rwandan genocide” has been dismissed by some people, this terminology nevertheless has become a must for others who in recent years consider it to be the best way to describe what really happened in Rwanda in 1994.
Indeed, it is the entire Rwanda as a nation- and why not all "Bantu" people in the African Great Lakes Region – who was targeted following the RPF's armed attack from Uganda in October 1990, the destabilization of the Habyarimana regime and the assassination Habyarimana on April 6, 1994.
The “Rwandan genocide” was planned by the RPF leadership and their Anglo-Saxon sponsors to oust France in the African Great Lakes region with the ultimate goal aimed at looting the mineral resources of DR Congo!
The above theories have the advantage of simplicity and/or simplification of the Rwandan tragedy not to mention that they contain some inconsistencies and contradictions.
The RPF might have indeed planned the genocide against both the Tutsis and Hutus and put forward division and death as a path to power.
Clearly, as RPF was gaining ground over the up-rooted FARs, RPF soldiers massacred innocent civilians Hutus and Tutsis alike who were reluctant to quickly embrace the RPF ideology in order to gain full power in Rwanda and help establish the Anglo-Saxon hegemony in the region!
In the same vein, to install its unyielding domination on the Congo’s mineral ressources, it was also essential for the RPF to plan and execute the genocide against millions of Congolese (not Tutsis but Bantus)!
Wait a minute, is it possible that RPF organized a genocide that had to partially be subcontracted to its opponents in order to gain and hold on power?
Incredible but true!
To precipitate Rwanda into the unprecedented but planned apocalypse, first the RPF shot down the aircraft carrying the Head of State of Rwanda, then the same RPF threatened the international commnity of retaliation should they intervene, and finally RPF prevented its troops from intervening early on to stop the killings until genocide was fully be consumed nationwide!
The “Rwandan genocide” terminology is more interesting than the “genocide of Hutus” terminology because the later terminology has never been recognized by international institutions, and most importantly, with the later terminology it is quite difficult to prove the RPF’s conspiracy and prior planning in order to tirelessly exterminate the Hutus of Rwanda.
Within these past 15 years, considering the untold efficiency of the “grinding machine” installed in Kigali, with such a conspiracy, I bet there would be no Hutus left in Rwanda!
It is true that the power of horror in Rwanda will do everything in its sights to strengthen its power. It will particularly rely on stifling any political resistance and challenge, disinformation and distortion of the truth about the Rwandan tragedy not to mention attempts to cover up its many war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Fortunately, the RPF regime in Rwanda should not assume that its hold on power would go handy with the disenfranchisement and/or the extermination of Hutus in Rwanda. The RPF regime won’t certainly commit such a fatal mistake.
Given that the Rwandan authorities are still bringing millions of Rwandans before the Gacaca courts this is a tangible proof that the RPF did not systematically eliminate them over these past 15 years. Furthermore, there is no proof that the RPF might intend to do so slowly through “one sided” justice.
However, there is no doubt that the RPF regime has legally managed to not only find a simpler way to liquidate its huge judicial backlogs but also to control the Rwandan population by a very effective instrument of inquisition, repression, and mobilization.
It is the power that is at stake and if the RPF can keep it using the Hutus, it will surely keep them!
"Given that the Rwandan authorities are still bringing millions of Rwandans before the Gacaca courts this is a tangible proof that the RPF did not systematically eliminate them over these past 15 years".
ReplyDelete"In the same vein, since there still are Tutsis in Rwanda, that means that the Interahamwe did not systematically exterminate them in 1994".
In my opinion, these two statements are both correct as long as in both case scenarios "the intent to destroy, in whole or in part" is not disputable.
The crime of "genocide" defined in internationl law
(http://www.preventgenocide.org/genocide/officialtext.htm)
The international legal definition of the crime of genocide is found in Articles II and III of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.
Article II describes two elements of the crime of genocide:
1) the mental element, meaning the "intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such", and
2) the physical element which includes five acts described in sections a, b, c, d and e.
A crime must include both elements to be called "genocide."
Article III described five punishable forms of the crime of genocide: genocide; conspiracy, incitement, attempt and complicity.