Rwanda: UN, Talk The Talk And Walk The Walk
The United Nations, as it is known to do every April, is admitting it’s failure to act with any great resolve during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
To quote the UN Resident Coordinator to Rwanda, Lamin Manneh, “it gives me comfort to note that after the initial mistakes and errors of judgment the UN made in the run up to, and during the Genocide, it has been a faithful partner for Rwanda’s remarkable recovery and reconstruction”.
Unfortunately, those words, while kind, are not totally factual. While certain UN bodies have played a positive role such as UNICEF, other UN organs have continued to play a negative role in not only Rwanda, but also the Great Lakes region.
For example, the previous UN Group of Experts led by Steve Hege wrote a grossly flawed report that led to unwarranted aid cuts.
A few years back, another group of so-called experts wrote a Mapping Report on the DR Congo, which had the temerity to accuse Rwanda of having engaged in genocide in the Congo. As a nation that had undergone the horrors of 1994, our outrage was to be expected.
This unfortunate double-speak must end. The UN cannot, on one hand, say that they are a ‘faithful partner’, while on the other, proving to be nothing of the sort. Time for mere rhetoric is over. Talk the talk and walk the walk.
Source: All Africa
April 12, 2013 No Comments
Minister of Youth and ICT urges Rwanda youth to draw lessons from dark past
The Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, has urged the youth to use their skills and strengths to fight anything that might lead to the genocide anywhere in the world.
He was speaking at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) on Wednesday as part of activities to mark the 19th Genocide commemoration week.
Nsengimana told the students and staff at the university that “Genocide brought shame to the Rwandan community,” and appealed to them to “draw lessons from that dark past so as to contribute to rebuilding the country”.
Citing the German philosopher and revolutionary socialist Karl Marx, Nsengimana said: “Shame is a revolutionary sentiment”.
“Express that [feeling of shame] and assume it and then, drawing from that, say ‘enough is enough’. Ask yourself what you can do about what happened and take action”, Minister Nsengimana said.
“You cannot change history. What happened, happened, you can’t change it. But, there is something you can do: stand up against genocide and everything that might lead to it”.
He told the students that they are the ones who will determine the future of their country and asked them to make sure they steer it to a better destination.
Nsengimana also urged the youth to actively participate in all Genocide commemoration activities and asked them to bring in new innovations.
Source: All Africa
April 12, 2013 No Comments