A recent brutal attack on a cow allegedly belonging to a Genocide survivor in Kamonyi District has left many people in shock with particularly young people expressing consternation at the ferociousness of the attack. That the attack took place at a time Rwanda is observing a weeklong official mourning period in honour of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi added to the viciousness of the crime and served to remind us all that genocide ideology is still a threat that must be confronted by all. The Rwanda Investigation Bureau has since launched an investigation into the cowardly attack and it is our hope that the perpetrator is brought to justice sooner rather than later. While attacks on Genocide survivors and/or their property has significantly subsided in recent years compared to the immediate aftermath of the Genocide, the fact that these cases continue to rear their ugly heads 28 years later raises legitimate concerns. Rwanda has had more than its fair share of barbarism in its tragic history and, regardless of the true intentions behind the Kamonyi attack, those responsible must be tracked down, arrested and held to account. Like Genocide denial and revisionism, the continuing manifestation of acts of genocide ideology continue to pose a threat to the unity of Rwandans and indeed the progress that the country has hitherto made, and must not be tolerated. And the fact that we’ve have young people among the genocide ideologues and denialists, some of whom were not yet born or were too young during the Genocide against the Tutsi, is a disturbing sign that this destructive ideology is being passed on to the younger generations. This is why the youth must be at the forefront of fighting these genocidal tendencies, whether in Rwanda or abroad. However, you cannot fight something that you don’t fully understand, which is why young people need to develop a keen interest in and learn about their country’s history, including the root causes and implications of the Genocide against the Tutsi, if they are successfully push back against the deadly ideology and anything linked to it. And, considering that a great amount of effort has gone into building a united and inclusive country and raising patriotic and responsible citizens over the last few decades, there is no doubt that the young people and young adults of today are in a good position to preserve and consolidate the gains made and prevail over genocide ideology and its ideologues. But they need to remain vigilant and engaged – alongside their older compatriots.
