“Never Again” – The Genocide

In April 2004, the tiny African nation of Rwanda remembered the 10th anniversary of the genocide that claimed over one million lives - not to relive the horror or fuel hate and revenge, but to cry out as one, "never again".

Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days... but the genocide did not kill a million people. They killed one, then another, then another ... day after day, hour after hour, minute by minute. Every minute of the day, someone, somewhere was being murdered, screaming for mercy but receiving none. And the killing went on and on, 10,000 each day, 400 each hour, seven each minute." Excerpt from the publication Genocide, published by Aegis Trust for the Kigali Memorial Centre.

The Rwandan genocide was as brutal as it was premeditated and expertly executed. From early 1990 to February 1994, Hutus rehearsed the apocalypse that was to come to fellow Tutsis. A whistle would blow signalling when to start killing and when to end, with organisers taking a body count.

Government-backed propaganda to "demonise" the minority Tutsis fuelled hatred and fear in readiness for the spark that would light the fuse of "the final solution", the assassinations of the presidents of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana and neighbouring Burundi Cyrien Ntaryamira.

The death list had been prepared in advance. Genocide was instant. Roadblocks sprang up right across the city with militia armed one purpose; to identify and kill Tutsis. Simultaneously house-to-house searches began with the names on the death list the first to be visited and slaughtered in their own homes.

The murderers used machetes, clubs, guns and any blunt tool they could find to inflict as much pain on their victim as possible. No Tutsi was exempt.

The genocidaires often mutilated their victims before killing them. Victims had their tendons cut so they could not run away; they were tied and beaten. They were made to wait helplessly to be clubbed, or cut by machete.

Women were beaten, raped, humiliated, abused and ultimately murdered, often in site of their own families. Children watched in horror as their parents were tortured, beaten and killed in front of their eyes, before their own small bodies were sliced, smashed, abused, pulverised and discarded. The elderly; the pride of Rwandan society, were despised and mercilessly murdered in cold blood.

On occasions, victims were thrown alive down deep latrines and rocks were thrown in one at a time until their screams subsided into silence.

On other occasions, large numbers of victims were thrown down pit latrines. Victims trampled each other to death. The piles were often 10 bodies deep.

Communications specialist for Compassion Rwanda, Briton Kamugisha said: "The Rwandan genocide did not only kill but it also left long suffering situations and many things unresolved. Over 15 per cent of children in Rwanda are orphans of genocide, while 2 per cent are HIV/AIDS orphans which has its links with genocide. Here we have to recall that rape and defilement was among the instruments that were used in genocide. The local women association of genocide survivors states that, 250,000 women were raped during the genocide, and approximately 30,000 pregnancies occurred as a result. An estimated 2000 to 5000 children were born as the result of rape/sexual violence during the 1994 genocide."

Briton said since the end of the 1994 genocide, incidences involving child abuse were a common thing. Compassion Rwanda has been working through churches to help the children heal, including providing trauma counselling and health care. "As we have seen that those kids have got different and complicated backgrounds of genocide, trauma ... some being the HIV/AIDS orphans and some being street kids ... it's difficult to deal with, but Jesus has done a lot through Compassion ... Children are introduced to Christianity and many have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour which is a big achievement, " Briton said.

Rwanda has taken many deliberate and strategic steps to prevent such a tragedy from recurring, including the establishment of several genocide memorial sites. These sites all have education programs to ensure that coming generations understand the mistakes of their forebears.

Rwanda is also committed to reconciliation. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established in Arusha, Tanzania, in November 1995 to bring to account those responsible for masterminding the genocide. To date, 81 people have been charged, 17 of the accused have been convicted, and one person acquitted.

The bulk of the indictments have been left to Rwanda's national legal system. In 1996, Rwanda passed a law specifically to punish the crimes of genocide. Rwandan courts have tried 7331 people, of whom 6500 were convicted.

However the sheer number of the accused means the traditional court system would take another 100 years to hear the backlogged cases. In order to resolve the impasse, the government has resorted to the traditional "Gacaca" system (justice on the grass) where lower courts are established in regional centres.

100 days of Horror the world forgot.

For 100 days the streets of the capital city of Kigali ran red with rivers of blood, but no one came to help. There was no international intervention in Rwanda, no expeditionary forces, no coalition of the willing. There was no international aid for Rwanda. For the most part, the world chose to ignore the conflict. News reports, referred to the genocide as “tribal warfare” And instead of causing international outrage, the genocide was written off as another “third world” incident and not worthy of attention. The Rwandan people (excerpt from Hotel Rwanda – the official website)

Sources:
Wasted Lives, published and produced by Kigali Memorial Centre in association with Aegis Trust, 2004
Genocide, published and produced by Kigali Memorial Centre in association with Aegis Trust, 2004

Story:
Rachel Allsopp, Compassion Australia

Header Image: © Jim Wackett. Used with permission.

To see which Churches and Ministries are involved click here.
To find out more about what is happening during the 100 Days of Hope click here.
To register your interest in Hope Rwanda: 100 Days of Hope click here.