- Three decades later, the Rwanda genocide elicits several unanswered questions about the events leading up to, during, and after the killings.
- Who was responsible for shooting down President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane?
- Nine years after the closure of the ICTR tribunal, high-profile fugitives remain at large, and many survivors continue to seek justice.
It is that time of the year again, April 7, when the world marks a somber remembrance of the Rwanda genocide. This year, as we observe the 30th anniversary of the genocide that ripped through the heart of this small East African country, the world is yet to come to terms with some hard questions.
In just 100 days, from April to July 1994, an estimated 800,000 people were brutally massacred, targeted primarily for being Tutsi or moderate Hutu.
Despite the passage of three decades, the Rwanda genocide remains a subject of intense scrutiny and reflection, not only for the sheer brutality and scale of atrocities but also for the complex web of unanswered questions that linger around the events leading up to, during, and after the genocide.
Prelude to the Rwanda Genocide
The roots of the genocide can be traced to colonial times when the Belgian colonial administration cemented and exacerbated ethnic divisions between the Hutu and Tutsi by implementing a system of identity cards and favoring Tutsis for administrative positions due to their perceived racial superiority. This seed of decision grew into outright hatred and violence over the decades, culminating in the 1994 genocide.
On the night of April 6, 1994, a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down, killing everyone on board. This event is often cited as the immediate trigger for the genocide. Yet, 30 years on, the question of who was responsible for shooting down the plane remains hotly debated among scholars, survivors, and international observers. This unresolved issue continues to fuel speculation and conspiracy theories, complicating the process of reconciliation and healing.
The International Response
Another agonizing and unanswered question is about the role of the international community during the genocide. The United Nations, despite having peacekeepers on the ground, failed to prevent or stop the genocide. The lack of action from powerful countries with the intelligence and capability to intervene raises profound moral and ethical questions too. Why did the world watch in silence?
Documents and testimonies from that time suggest a combination of geopolitical indifference, bureaucratic inertia, and a failure to appreciate the scale and speed of the killings. Yet, the full extent of these failures and their motivations remain subjects of inquiry and debate.
Justice and Accountability
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established in November 1994 to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice.
This tribunal was a landmark in international law, representing one of the first times an international court delivered verdicts against individuals for the crime of genocide.
Over its operational period, the ICTR tribunal indicted 93 individuals for their roles in the genocide, including high-ranking government officials, military officers, businesspeople, and media workers. These individuals were charged with a range of offenses, including genocide, complicity in genocide, incitement to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The ICTR tribunal completed its work in 2015, handing over its remaining functions to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), which was established to perform several essential functions in tracking fugitives and conducting appeals proceedings.
Some of the key individuals who were sentenced include Jean Kambanda, who was the prime minister of Rwanda during the genocide. Kabanda was the first head of government to plead guilty to genocide and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998.
Georges Rutaganda, the vice president of the Interahamwe militia, was found guilty of genocide, murder, and extermination and slapped with a life sentence in 1999.
Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, who was the minister for family and women’s affairs, became the first woman to be convicted by the ICTR tribunal for her role in the genocide, including genocide and rape as a crime against humanity. She was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011, which was later reduced to 47 years in 2015.
However, the ICTR tribunal’s work was not without controversies and criticisms. Some observers have argued that it was too slow and too expensive. Others have criticized it for not doing enough to prosecute crimes committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the military force led by President Paul Kagame that eventually ended the genocide.
Additionally, there were concerns about the tribunal’s location in Arusha, Tanzania, which is far from where the crimes took place, potentially limiting the Rwandan population’s engagement and understanding with the tribunal’s work.
The ICTR tribunal has nonetheless left a legacy. It was the first international tribunal to deliver verdicts for the crime of genocide, establishing legal precedents in the prosecution of such crimes. It also contributed to the development of international law, particularly in its treatment of rape as a form of genocide.
Overall, the ICTR sentenced 61 individuals to various terms of imprisonment, acquitted 14, and referred some cases to national jurisdictions for trial.
As the world marks 30 years since the Rwanda genocide, however, high-profile fugitives remain at large, and many survivors continue to seek closure.
Furthermore, questions about the fairness and effectiveness of the justice processes persist, including debates over the use of the death penalty in Rwanda, the extradition and trial of suspects in third countries, and the challenges of reconciling retributive and restorative justice mechanisms.
The Role of the Media during Rwanda Genocide
The media played a notorious role in the Rwanda genocide, with radio stations and newspapers inciting violence and directing killers to Tutsi hiding places. The extent to which these media outlets were coordinated and the involvement of government officials in their operations are questions that are still being unpacked.
Take Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) for instance. RTML, also known as Radio Machete, was known for its casual and engaging style that made its message of hate accessible and appealing to a broad audience.
RTML’s broadcasts helped mobilize the Hutu population against the Tutsi, with presenters often broadcasting names, addresses, and descriptions of Tutsis, in turn marking them for attacks and assassinations.
A newspaper outlet, Kangura, published articles that portrayed Tutsi as a threat to the Hutu majority, calling for their exclusion from social and political life and, eventually, for their extermination.
One of Kangura’s most notorious publications was the “Hutu Ten Commandments,” which appeared in December 1990, calling for the segregation and persecution of Tutsis, especially Tutsi women and moderate Hutus who sympathized with or married Tutsis.
The publishers and broadcasters behind RTLM and Kangura, Ferdinand Nahimama, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, and Hassan Ngeze, were tried at the ICTR tribunal and handed various sentences.
Additionally, the international media’s coverage of the genocide, when it finally came, was criticized for its delayed response and the framing of the conflict, which many argue contributed to the international community’s lack of action.
Reconciliation and memory
So far, Rwanda has made considerable strides in reconciliation and rebuilding in the aftermath of the genocide. Initiatives such as the Gacaca courts and the annual commemoration of the genocide have played a big role in this journey. However, the journey towards healing is ongoing.
Unanswered questions about individual and collective responsibility, the extent of forgiveness, and the process of memorializing the genocide without re-traumatizing survivors remain challenging.
Beyond the immediate horror of the killings, the genocide had profound social, psychological, and economic impacts on Rwanda, some of which are only now being fully understood. The effects on the mental health of survivors, the challenges of reintegrating perpetrators into communities, and the socioeconomic consequences of a decimated population are complex matters that Rwanda grapples with 30 years on.
The long-term effects of the genocide on subsequent generations, who carry the trauma and memories of their parents and grandparents, present another layer of unanswered questions about healing and resilience.
Read also: Where is Joseph Kony, the Rebel who sought to destabilise Uganda
