Rwandans and friends of Rwanda, on Thursday, converged at various venues both in the country and in cities around the world, where they commemorated for the 17th time, the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

At the UN headquarters, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, paid tribute to the victims and in his statement, emphasized that the only way to honour the victims is to ensure that such tragedies never occur again.

This is rather a welcome gesture from the World’s top diplomat, given the fact that the institution he heads has been roundly condemned for abandoning the Rwandan people at their hour of need.

The way the UN walked out on Rwandans is well documented. However, what the Rwandan people need and have been asking for is justice.

The United Nations instituted, rather hurriedly, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which has seen some of the key perpetrators of the Genocide tried and sentenced.
To the people of this country, however, the ICTR has not done enough.

The fact is that 17 years down the road, they have failed to apprehend some of the most notorious genocidaires, including Felicien Kabuga while some cases have dragged on without end.

One way, Ban’s call to Never Again, can be upheld is by ensuring that all suspects are brought to book.  The culture of impunity undermines efforts to prevent such kind of atrocities.

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