Rwanda Rises from the Ashes

By: William Sutherland
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:24:15
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Despite the carnage and bloodshed during the 1994 Hutu-led genocidal frenzy, Rwanda, is now a peaceful country of 8 million that has made remarkable strides. In doing so, the country has overcome great odds and become a model of good governance, democracy, reconciliation, and hope.

The horrible events, though “well-planned, over a long period”[1] and waiting to be implemented as state-run radio urged, began on April 6, 1994 when the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu and Burundi’s President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down just outside of Kigali. With all onboard killed, a genocidal fury unwitnessed in human history was unleashed.

The Hutu-controlled army and its affiliate interahamwe militia immediately erected roadblocks and barriers and went on a “rampage of death, torture, looting and destruction” targeting Tutsis and moderate Hutus with orders “They are the enemy. Kill!” [2]

Within 36 hours of Habyarimana’s death, “most of the ‘priority targets’: politicians (including the country’s moderate Hutu Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyamana and 10 Belgian peacekeepers protecting him), journalists, and civil-rights activists” [3] had been murdered.

The rampage went on for three months while the United Nations and international community did little to stop it as they “first ignored the situation, then dithered, delayed, and argued over the appropriate thing to call it and then what the appropriate response should be.”[4] During this time the “militia carried out their gruesome task with a variety of weapons – AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, [machetes and clubs]. The scale and brutality [were] horrifying: rape, torture, mutilation, unspeakably cruel murder; mothers forced to watch their children die before being killed themselves; children forced to kill their families”[5] in which neighbor and friend literally turned on neighbor and friend.

“I remember looking up and seeing these men with machetes and clubs, bloody machetes and clubs, and knowing that just a few hours before, they had probably killed somebody, probably not far from where I was,” recounted Jacqueline Murekatete, a Tutsi survivor who had lost both parents and all six siblings when she was 9.[6]

"I was always hungry and thirsty and survived many narrow escapes. …it was hard to make sense of it. I was all alone," added Beatha Uwazaninka, who at 14 had lost her entire family [and] slept in sugar cane fields and homes of people already killed [when not hiding] in sewer drains and... latrines.”[7]

“We used to go to church with them and they taught us together that committing murder is a sin and God punishes those who kill. We thought that no one would dare come to attack us at the church [in Nyarubuye] because the church is a holy place. [When the killers arrived] our men were ready to fight, even though they didn't have any weapons, so they died standing. You would not think that they were all going to get killed because they were very many… My neighbor Gitera [Rwamuhuzi] was there. Imagine someone leaving their home, knowing the possible victim's name and their children's names. They all killed their neighbors' wives and children. All the people they were cutting fell on me because I was near the door. I had too much hair but it all was washed with blood. My body had been drenched in blood and it was getting dry on me so [the] killers thought… I was dead. I lay down on one side with only one eye open. I could hear a man come toward me and I guess he saw me breathe. He hit me on my head saying: ‘Isn't this thing still alive?’ At some point God helped me and made me unconscious because if I wasn't, there is a possibility that I would have committed suicide. Afterwards, when the cold wind blew, I woke up. But I did not realize that there were bodies around me. I did not remember what had happened,” stated Flora Mukampore who lost 17 family members and witnessed her neighbor participating in the killing.[8]

“…Because the RPF [Tutsi-controlled Rwandan Patriotic Front] were blamed for the death of President Habyarimana, we thought… if they had managed to kill the head of state, how were ordinary people supposed to survive? On the morning of April 15, 1994 each one of us woke up knowing what to do and where to go because we had made a plan the previous night. In the morning we woke up and started walking towards the church. After selecting the people who could use guns and grenades, they armed them and said we should surround the church. They said one group would go south and another group would go to the north. There were so many of us we were treading on each others' heels. People who had grenades detonated them. The Tutsis started screaming for help.

As they were screaming, those who had guns started to shoot inside. They screamed saying that ‘we are dying, help us,’ but the soldiers continued shooting. I entered and when I met a man I hit him with a club and he died. You would say why not two, three or four but I couldn't kill two or three because those that entered outnumbered those inside. Some people did not even find someone to kill because there were more killers than victims. When we moved in, it was as if we were competing over the killing. We entered and each one of us began killing their own. I saw people whose hands had been amputated, those with no legs, and others with no heads. I saw everything. Especially seeing people rolling around and screaming in agony, with no arms, no legs. People died in very bad conditions. It was as if we were taken over by Satan… We were not ourselves,” Flora Mukampore’s neighbor Gitera described the Nyarubuye church massacre.[9]

By the time the RPF had announced victory on July 18, 1994, bringing an end to the genocide, more than 800,000 people had died (10% of the population, leaving over 100,000 children orphaned), with the exact figure unknown since “the only actual body counts were made in Kigali, where aid agencies coordinated the collection and mass burial of 60,000… and in Western Uganda, where the authorities estimated that about 40,000 bodies had floated across Lake Victoria… The Tutsi population had been reduced from about 930,000 to no more than 130,000 in the space of 100 days.”[10] Even more disturbingly, a 1995 UNICEF survey of Rwandans reported that 99.9% had witnessed violence, 90.9% believed they would die, 87.5% saw dead bodies or body parts, 79.6% experienced a death in the family, 69.5% witnessed killings or injuries (57.7% with a machete), 61.5% were threatened with death, and 31.4% witnessed rape or sexual assault.[11]

Since the end of this nightmare, Rwanda has made significant strides, a story of hope for all of Africa. Out of the blood and ashes of anarchy and ruins (“the country’s infrastructure had been left in ruins – no water or electricity in the towns, houses everywhere looted, with doors and window frames removed and even light-switches [pried] from the walls”[12]), the RPF assisted by the United Nations has transformed the country into a model state.

Judicial entities, including the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha and Gacaca courts (consisting of 19 judges per court and at least 100 witnesses, including victims, who speak for or against suspects) modeled after South Africa’s “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” have been established to try the perpetrators of genocide known as genocidaires. While the worst offenders (“those who allegedly organized, instigated, led or played a particularly zealous part”[13]), are being tried by the ICTR and Rwanda’s formal judicial system, subject to the death penalty in the latter venue, others “suspected of carrying out (or being an accomplice to) killing, serious assault or property crimes during the genocide,”[14] the vast majority of the once 115,000+ suspects are subject to lighter sentences, which may include “time-served,” and community service based on the completeness and truthfulness of their confessions. The Gacaca courts were created to reduce the backlog of suspects, some of whom have currently served a dozen years because of the lack of adequate facilities and trained personnel in the country’s formal judicial system. Had the Gacaca courts not been established, it is estimated that it would take up to 100 years or longer to try every suspect. Yet as these suspects await their day in a Gacaca court, they willingly participate in community activities and show little inclination to escape.

In addition, a new coat of arms, national anthem, and blue, yellow, and green flag (with blue symbolizing peace and tranquility, yellow wealth as Rwanda strives for economic success, and green agriculture, productivity, and prosperity) with a sun in the right-hand corner (representing “new hope”) were introduced on December 31, 2001, and a new constitution establishing a democratic unified state that enshrined human rights and protections was signed in June 2003. It was followed by transparent, fair and free presidential and parliamentary elections, in which transitional President Paul Kagame won by an overwhelming 95% of the vote, clearly indicative of the healing that had taken place over 9 short years, a remarkable feat considering that “a large segment of the population either directly or indirectly perpetrated genocidal acts, thereby complicating initiatives at reconciliation as well as processes for securing justice.”[15]

At the same time, most of the refugees who had fled the genocide (about 30% of the country’s population) have since returned. They are slowly being resettled in newly built villages (e.g. much of Parc National de l’Alcagera has been converted into housing) while “safety and security [have been re-established] in a remarkably short space of time.”[16] Even Rwanda’s soccer team, the “Amavubi” or “wasps” qualified for the 2004 African Nations Cup finals before being eliminated by a 2-1 loss to Tunisia, the eventual champion in the Group A qualifying round.

Although a monument, the “Gisozi,” has been built, consisting of “a large, white building surrounded by gardens, perched on a hill overlooking Kigali” where “some 250,000 victims… are buried [with] more expected,” a granite wall where their names are engraved and “an exhibition of photographs, films, documents and testimonies featur[ing] life before, during and after the genocide” [17] to ensure that Rwandans and the world “never forget” as well as to provide dignity to the victims and a means of “therapy,” for survivors and their families, the RPF government’s intent was not “revenge and reprisal.” Instead it was healing and reconciliation so that genocide never happens again. As a result, despite the lingering unease of some, Rwanda has become “a society with a place for everyone, regardless of tribe. There are no more Tutsis, no more Hutus, only Rwandans.”[18]

Finally, even though Rwanda still faces poverty, fiscal problems and security threats from interahamwe hiding in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo with hopes of regaining power, the country’s past 12 years “have been amazing… based on a huge amount of energy, courage, goodwill, [political integrity epitomized by President Kagame’s philosophy – “Good governance practices are not a favor but rather an obligation of leaders][19], and sheer hard work [while] progress has been dramatic. Rwanda today is a vibrant and forward-looking country [that] deserves respect. [And] if Rwanda can emerge from hell and make such progress then there is hope for the 20% of Africa’s people suffering injury, displacement and impoverishment as a result of bitter history, poor leadership and endless conflict” and most importantly “real” hope that the African continent can achieve a future free of “strife and genocidal killing.” [20]

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[1] Rwanda. Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. Bucks, UK. 2004. 17.

[2] Rwanda. Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. Bucks, UK. 2004. 17.

[3] John Reader. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. Vintage Books. (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York: 1998) 677.

[4] Charlayne Hunter-Gault. New News Out of Africa: Uncovering Africa’s Renaissance.” (Oxford University Press. New York: 2006) 117.

[5] John Reader. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. Vintage Books. (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York: 1998) 677.

[6] Remembering The Past. Online NewsHour. PBS. 9 April 2004. 8 July 2006. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/jan-june04/genocide_04-09-04.html

[7] Veronique Mistiaen. Offering dignity to Rwanda genocide victims Survivor confronts the horror to honor the dead and living. San Francisco Chronicle. 9 April 2004. 8 July 2006. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/09/MNGIP6246T1.DTL

[8] Living among the dead. BBC.com. 2 April 2004. 8 July 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/3582139.stm

[9] ’Taken over by Satan.’ BBC.com. 2 April 2004. 8 July 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/3582011.stm

[10] John Reader. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. Vintage Books. (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York: 1998) 676.

[11] Rwanda. (Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. Bucks, UK. 2004) 18.

[12] John Reader. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. Vintage Books. (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York: 1998) 678.

[13] Rwanda. (Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. Bucks, UK. 2004) 20.

[14] Rwanda. (Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. Bucks, UK. 2004) 20.

[15] Life After Death: Rebuilding Genocide Survivors' Lives: Challenges and Opportunities – An International Conference of Survivors, Kigali, Rwanda (November 25-30, 2001). preventgenocideinternational. 8 July 2006. http://www.preventgenocide.org/action/after/rwanbrpr.htm

[16] “Facts about Rwanda – History.” East Africa. (Lonely Planet Publications PTY LTD. UK. 2003) 549.

[17] Veronique Mistiaen. Offering dignity to Rwanda genocide victims Survivor confronts the horror to honor the dead and living. San Francisco Chronicle. 9 April 2004. 8 July 2006. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/09/MNGIP6246T1.DTL

[18] “Facts about Rwanda – History.” East Africa. (Lonely Planet Publications PTY LTD. UK. 2003) 549.

[19] Felly Kimenyi. Rwanda: Good Governance Not a Favour – Kagame. allAfrica.com. 5 July 2006. 9 July 2006. http://allafrica.com/stories/200607060200.html

[20] Rwanda. Bradt Travel Guides Ltd. Bucks, UK. 2004. 24.

William Sutherland is a published poet and writer. He is the author of three books, "Poetry, Prayers & Haiku" (1999), "Russian Spring" (2003) and "Aaliyah Remembered: Her Life & The Person behind the Mystique" (2005) and has been published in poetry anthologies around the world. He has been featured in "Who's Who in New Poets" (1996), "The International Who's Who in Poetry" (2004), and is a member of the "International Poetry Hall of Fame." He is also a contributor to Wikipedia, the number one online encyclopedia.

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