Editor,

Allow me to respond on Sunny Ntayombya’s article, "International law was ambushed in Iraq, killed in Kosovo and buried in Crimea”, published in The New Times issue of March 19.

It looks like the writer forgot that the situations in Kosovo back in the day and the Crimea today are fundamentally different, as the Serbs spearheaded genocide and mass murder of Kosovo Albanians in large numbers.

The violation of international law came out of a shuttered region reeling war and ethnic cleansing, not by a national movement or imperialistic attitude.

Yet the Iraq and Crimea situations were driven by imperialism and geopolitical insanity by both the Americans and Russians. Both clearly undermine  international law.

I believe the Crimea will not belong to Russia forever, as East and West Germany could not stay departed even after 40 years of closure and counterproductive mentalities.

Luigi Falorni, Rwanda

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Crimea never had a referendum to become an independent state. The referendum was about choosing whether to go back to Russia (it was part of Russia until Nikita gave it to Ukraine) or stay in Ukraine with increased autonomy which, by the way, they theoretically had.

Mr. Ntayombya, as a student journalist trying to join the profession (or already in the profession...apparently), I’d expect that he gets his facts straight.

Paul, Rwanda