There has recently been renewed momentum to track down and bring to justice key suspects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi still holed up in most western countries, chief among them being Félicien Kabuga. The ‘chief financier’ of the Genocide, who was arrested in France earlier this year, last week became the first Rwandan to appear before the Hague branch of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, where he pleaded not guilty. At least five other fugitives were arrested in Belgium and the Netherlands over the last few months, while some prominent figures in the denial and revisionist circuit have also been arrested on serious charges, including terrorism, in recent years. When the genocidal regime fell as the Rwanda Patriotic Front-backed forces marched on the capital Kigali and stopped the killings, key suspects fled the country, many of them eventually lying their way to western countries. Many have since turned into avid deniers of the same atrocities they orchestrated, often blaming the victims and the heroes that stopped the slaughter for the Genocide. Desperate to mislead the world with alternative facts and outlandish conspiracy theories, the perpetrators and their sympathisers have wasted no effort and opportunity to distort the truth and try to re-write history. However, members of Rwandan Diaspora have increasingly taken it upon themselves to push back against these dangerous ideologists and apologists by laying bare the historical facts. This has helped raise awareness about the Genocide against the Tutsi, with several countries joining in commemorations in line with the United Nations’ resolution designating April 7 as the Day of International Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It is that context that the Rwandan community in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada last week inaugurated a monument in memory of the more than one million Genocide victims. This is an important contribution that does not only honour the victims but will also help keep their memory alive and educate young and future generations – foreigners and Rwandan Diasporans alike – about the Genocide. We congratulate everyone involved with the Hamilton project and encourage other Rwandan communities abroad to do the same in their respective countries and localities – for preserving our history is a collective responsibility.
