Letter: All Is Not Well in Rwanda
By William G. O’Neill
The New York Times
May 11, 2010
To the Editor:
Re “Rwanda’s Mix: Order, Tension, Repressiveness” (front page, May 1):
Rwanda in the several decades preceding the 1994 genocide was considered a star economic performer by the World Bank and other major donors. With growth rates well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa, little corruption, good roads and a reliable power supply, Rwanda dazzled those looking for a “model” African development narrative.
So we should be very wary of mistaking the surface glitter of Rwanda today — the tall buildings, clean streets and Internet cafes — as signs that all is well. Ethnic divisions and political authoritarianism have not disappeared from Rwanda, nor has a tendency to use violence to resolve differences dissipated.
Until the country can have an open, honest discussion of the 1994 genocide and its aftermath, while building a society that respects human rights and freedoms, the risk of large-scale violence remains all too real.
William G. O’Neill
Brooklyn, May 4, 2010
The writer, a lawyer who led the United Nations Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda in 1997, is director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, Social Science Research Council.
posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 11:47 PM
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