On The Myth Of Collective Responsibility In Rwandan Genocide
By Mamadou Kouyate
August 5, 2009
“The idea, it was said, was to involve as many people as possible in the killings, to spread the blame and the responsibility. That might explain why more than one million Hutus fled the country when the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front invaded and stopped the genocide”.
The above is a quote from “Trying to come to terms with mass slaughter, Report from Rwanda, Genocide Museum” by Jim Handman, published in CBC News on July 30, 2009.
Jim Handman is Executive Producer with the CBC show Quirks & Quarks. He is teaching journalism this summer at the National University of Rwanda. Given so many inaccuracies in his report one may wonder whether this is responsible journalism or simply another RPF lie propaganda.
Jim Handman's personal belief in the Rwandan genocide “collective responsibility” sharply contrasts with the views expressed in a research paper “The Psychocultural Roots of Genocide: Legitimacy and Crisis in Rwanda” by Professor David Norman Smith, published in the American Psychologist, July 1998, Vol. 53, No. 7, 743-753.
Here are some excerpts from the article:
It remains disconcertingly true that many people, including many ordinary Rwandans, joined willingly in the slaughter. How many? According to Jefremovas (1995, p. 28), estimates vary widely, from as few as 10,000 to as many as 75,000–150,000.
However, one should also keep in mind that Jefremovas (1995, p. 28) is so far the source of the higher estimate. Prunier (1995, p. 342) falls in the middle, estimating 80,000–100,000 génocidaires, whereas Ndilikilikesha (March 5, 1998) feels that 10,000 is closer to the truth:
“How many participated? No more than 20 people per commune; meaning about 20 × 140 = 2,800. Add to this say 1,000 bureaucrats in Kigali and the prefectures, 3,000 Interahamwe [death squad members], and maybe 2,000 members of the army. In total, you come up with less than 10,000 active participants.”
Considering several millions of Rwandan Hutus who perished in the so-called RPF reprisal killings in Rwanda (1994-2000) and in DRC (1996-Present), and several thousands of Hutus that are in Rwandan prisons, one may wonder how many "genocidaires" are still on the run.
For more than two decades the RPF regime has enjoyed impunity and has been busy tracking down Rwandan refugees worldwide.
In its most recent report on DRC, the Enough Project stated that donors must increase pressure on the Rwandan government to state publicly and precisely which members of the FDLR are wanted for genocide.
Additionally, in its latest report on DRC, the International Crisis Group also challenged the RPF regime to provide, in a timely manner, an exhaustive list of the so-called genocidaires that are within the FDLR ranks.
Furthermore, in his recent letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Russ Feingold, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, said that “the international community should urge Kigali to open direct negotiations with non-genocidaire combatants of the FDLR to encourage their repatriation”.
In the same letter, Senator Russ Feingold also backed calls for an end to ongoing military operations to forcefully disarm the rebels – some of who are accused of taking part in the Tutsis massacres in Rwanda.
Beyond all expectations, Paul Kagame instead dismissed calls for FDLR negotiations and vowed for more joint military operations in eastern DRC while Allan Doss, advocated for the prosecution of the so-called FDLR sponsors.
For how long Paul Kagame and his western allies will continue to play such an old game aimed at distracting the international community from the root cause of the current crisis in DRC?
Time will tell.
Sooner or later the RPF leadership will face justice for so many innocent civilians they have killed in Rwanda and in DRC.
Related Materials:
Ending the World's Deadliest War in Eastern Congo
Congo: A Comprehensive Strategy to Disarm the FDLR
Rwanda: Pressure for FDLR-Government Talks Mounting
Rwanda: Paul Kagame is implicated in war crimes and crimes against humanity
COMBAT MEDIC: An Australian’s eyewitness account of the Kibeho Massacre
Rwanda: Alarming resurgence of killings
Rwanda: Ending the silence
Rwanda: The hidden violence: "disappearances" and killings continue
Goma/Bukavu: Testimony of a direct eye witness, January 1997
DRC: Murder of Hutu women and children around Mbandaka
Mbandaka Terminus: The Path of Rwandan Refugee Mass Graves in Congo
Refugees From Congo Give Vivid Accounts of Killings
USA: Article prompts memories of Rwanda struggle
The Real Authors of the Congo Crimes: Nkunda has been arrested but who will arrest Kagame?
Paul Kagame, the Mastermind of the Genocide of Interior Tutsis
Rwanda: Paul Kagame Sacrificed The Tutsis
Rwanda, the key to peace in Democratic Republic of Congo
The Legacy of The Crematoriums of Rwanda
posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 3:58 PM
1 Comments:
It is a matter of time and Kagame and his Junta will be just there for trial. It does not matter that the Junta is receiving so much aid from UK and US. Remember that Savimbi used to receive much more from the same country - so many years ago - and, it is an open secret that he was sacrificied by the same people.
I believe that foreigners might be mistaken about what happens in Rwanda but ultimately, it is Rwandans, who live the pains of discrimination that will say, 'enough is enough'.
Netters, tell me, why is it that it is basically the Tutsis leading almost every instituions and ministry? Is it because the Hutu are less qualified? What about the Twa??? Dont they need the same empowerment? Can such inqualities be sustained in a nation-state?
When will the Hutu who lost their beloved ones under the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by RPF have a chance to tell their story? Is it only the Tutsi that will tell their story?? Up to when? Is it a crime only if it is the Tutsi who are killed? Can a country that has institutionalized injustice survive as a nation-state?
For how long will Kagame own all the Public institutions in person? Is he the author of life and the nation? Can we have a nation-state where public institutions are pocketed the way it is in Rwanda and that nation survive violence?
Is it only the Hutu to apologize for the killings as though 'all Hutus are killers? What about those Tutsi who killed the Hutu? When will they apologize?
GUYS, it is time for us to go beyond ethnic sentiments and go to the roots of the problem in Rwanda under Kagame.
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