World must not tolerate genocide ideology, says Sahrawi leader

The President of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, also known as Western Sahara, has said the world must take a firm stand against genocide ideology and the crime of genocide anywhere in the world. President Brahim Ghali was speaking from Kigali on Tuesday, as he paid tribute to over 250,000 victims of the Genocide against Tutsi buried at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi. More than a million Rwandans died in the Genocide that lasted 100 days, making it the fastest genocide ever. “We have visited this memorial and have witnessed the brutal criminal acts which were carried out against the people of Rwanda. We have seen the suffering of children, women and men,” he said after touring the museum. Many high-profile perpetrators remain at large, some freely on the streets of Western capitals, while some members of the militia that played a key part in the killings (Interahamwe) remain active under the DR Congo-based FDLR outfit. Ghali, who was one of the over 30 African Heads of State and Government attending the just-concluded 27th African Union Summit in Kigali, called on all people from all ethnic backgrounds to draw a lesson from Rwanda’s bitter experience to avoid going down the same road. “The message to the world is that we have to learn from experience and stand up against any possible genocide,” he added. He went on to praise the leadership and people of Rwanda for turning around the country’s fortunes in just two decades, singling out reconciliation and development efforts. In the guestbook at the memorial, Ghali wrote: “This memorial is a reminder for the history and suffering of a whole nation and a proof on the will to raise again and build a more unified people for a brighter future for all.” Meanwhile, Cameroonian minister for foreign affairs, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, also visited the Kigali Genocide memorial where he, too, laid a wreath in honour of Genocide victims. Mbella’s message in the guest book questioned the character of the people who committed the Genocide against the Tutsi. “It is inconceivable and unimaginable that human beings managed to put in place cruel machinery for destruction and the killing and elimination of their fellow (human beings),” Mbella wrote. “Peace to all the victims in the love of God.” The Genocide was planned and implemented across Rwanda by government before the killings were stopped by the then Rwanda Patriotic Army under the leadership of current President Paul Kagame. Serge Rwigamba, the head of guides at the Kigali Genocide memorial, explained to the guests the genesis of divisionism in Rwanda that led up to the Genocide, dating back to the time Belgian colonialists introduced ethnic identities and used it to sow divisions among a previously united society. He also cited the role of the media during the planning and execution of the Genocide. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

News

World must not tolerate genocide ideology, says Sahrawi leader