Reflections: Guantánamo? That is child’s play!

As we continue to mourn our dead of 1994, let us for ever keep in mind the fact that all the génocidaires, whatever their nationalities, must be hunted down relentlessly and brought to face the full force of the law. The international community must know that the onus weighs heavily upon them to immediately halt their fence-sitting and face up to their task. All (individual, community or country) must be made to understand the price of abusing anyone. For being abused with impunity for a century now, the people of Rwanda, in one voice, have said “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” First it was the German colonialists who, in their deceptive ruses in the name of assisting King Musinga to expand his monarchy, made forays into the northern fringes of Rwanda and killed Banyarwanda. Yet the latter were loyal to the king, only unwilling to pledge loyalty to anyone else. Next it was the Belgian colonialists, wary of the unity of a people who were organised in a cohesive hierarchy that was unattainable in their own society. They set into motion a divide-and-rule machination, using ‘civilisation’ and religion, which by 1959 had achieved their goal of shredding Banyarwanda into an amalgamated collection of indigenous, resident and foreigner races. As Banyrwanda tore themselves apart, the French set in. To cement that state of a torn society, the French played on the greed and naivety of some Banyarwanda to turn them into monstrous barbarians. That is how the barbaric monsters, perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, egged on and actively assisted by their equally barbaric French génocidaires, set out to wipe out a section of their fellow Banyarwanda. Everybody knows the barbarism of these Rwandans, but not everyone wants to appreciate the barbarism of these French. As we remember our dead of 1994, let us remember the savage (don’t think of animals, they are humane in comparison) horror inflicted by the French. Let us consider just one case, in only one area: the case of Concessa. (Bear with me, our beloved Concessa, I won’t reveal your other name. And it is with tears streaming down my cheeks that I recount your ordeal.) Concessa was 18 years old during ‘Opération Turquoise’. At the onslaught of the genocide, Concessa was covered by bodies and was thought dead when Interahamwe attacked them where they had taken up refuge. She and her baby were the sole survivors of that massacre. Hiding during the day and walking through banana plantations and bushes at night, she hobbled on hoping to reach Cyangugu. However, at the Kadashya roadblock she was intercepted and taken to a tea factory where there were six other women awaiting execution. When Interahamwe were making a fire to burn them, they heard the cries of fellow Interahamwe who had found a group of Batutsi in hiding. The women, now naked, used the chance to escape towards Kamembe. On the way, unfortunately, they were intercepted and all but Concessa were executed. Concessa was spared and even given some food by lying that the father of her baby was a gendarme called Jean Baptiste. She managed to reach the Nyarushishi camp for the displaced, where they were assured that French soldiers would come to protect them. When the French soldiers arrived that afternoon, they went around identifying everybody and taking their photos. After three days, they had identified the girls and, in the evening, they herded them into their different tents for, the girls hoped, food and water. Concessa, in one tent, was forced down by four men, who tore off her scanty clothes like a pack of hyenas, while others watched mirthfully, swivelling alcoholic drinks and smoking. Then the four proceeded to subject her to phallic assaults everywhere on her body. One man entered her mouth, another her carnal point, another her anus and yet another all over her body, or wherever he could make an ‘entrance’. When the foursome were done, another quartet followed suit, subjecting her to a similar round of torment, and going for an ‘encore’ when all the groups were done, until four in the morning. Meanwhile, those waiting their turn were taking photos while others poured alcohol, and crushed their cigarette stubs, on her body. …….. Excuse me, I am going to throw up. ingina2@yahoo.co.uk