The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi brought the best and worst in people whether on the side of victims or perpetrators. The victory by the Rwanda Patriotic Front over the genocidal forces created two migratory movements but in difficult directions; as one group entered the country, a larger one was moving out. The defeated forces herded the civilian population ahead of them as they fled into exile, especially to Eastern Zaire, current Democratic Republic of Rwanda (DRC). The civilians would play multiple roles: they were human shields in case the RPF pursued them into Eastern DRC, a bargaining chip, but most importantly they were the goose that laid the golden egg. The emergency situation in DRC would cause a proliferation of NGOs and food aid which could be sold on the open market to finance future military operations. At about the same time, many Rwandans who had been living in exile all their lives, returned to their motherland, many to find their family members wiped out apart from their young children who had miraculously survived. Many adopted their young relatives and raised them while looking after their property until they came of age. But there were also some bad apples that took advantage and grabbed all the property leaving the children with nothing or simply disowning them. A landmark ruling in the Supreme Court recently showed just to what extent greed can take over. A young man who was only two during the Genocide has been saved by DNA testing to prove he was the son of a Genocide victim in order to recover property that had been grabbed by a relative who disowned him. Back in the refugee camps in the Congo, many children were disinherited by relatives who had refused to flee. And because most were young, they had nowhere to begin looking. That is one chapter the government should not leave unfinished; the 1994 orphans now turned young adults need justice as most will not be so lucky as to be saved by DNA. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
