Is this the cure for genocide?

Just days before Rwanda commemorates the Genocide that tore the country apart, the world community has been warned about the dangerous bond between racism, extreme ethnicity, reckless leadership and conflict, and how it can ultimately lead to genocide.On April 7, Rwanda, which lost more than a million of its citizens during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, will commence a week-long series of events to commemorate the Genocide. The 18th Genocide anniversary will be held under the theme, “Let’s learn from our history to shape a bright future”.At the national level, a function will be held at the Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali, but commemorative events will be held across the country, at the village level.As is always the case, survivors’ interest groups are, however, expected to hold a three-month vigil – covering the span of one of the most brutal massacres in recorded history.Last week’s warning comes under the banner of “Never Again’ as the world marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, focusing on racism and conflict. But the lessons of history are yet to be fully grasped as the world still struggles with issues of racism, across borders, within the same community and even in sports. “Racism and racial discrimination have been used as weapons to engender fear and hatred. In extreme cases, ruthless leaders instigate prejudice to incite genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message marking the day.Early action A cure for the vices and indeed, even genocide itself, which is the ultimate crime against humanity, is addressing any grievances that arise in a fair and firm manner.March 21 was designated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to commemorate the tragic events that occurred on the same day in 1960, in the South African township of Sharpeville when dozens of peaceful protesters were gunned down by police as they demonstrated against apartheid. Legal experts in the fields of racism and minority issues issued their own statement, stressing the need for greater attention to prevention and early action in response to the first warning signs of tensions caused by racism and discrimination that may lead to violence and conflict situation with serious violations of human rights. “All relevant actors should pay attention to early warning signs, including the marginalisation and social exclusion of specific groups of individuals; discriminatory legislation and policies; the persistence of racial prejudice and negative stereotypes; hate speech by public officials and the media; and violent attacks and harassment targeting ethnic groups,” says Kenyan lawyer Mutuma Ruteere. He is also the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.Jointly with Rita Izsák, a UN Independent Expert on minority issues, he drew attention to the important role of non-State actors, including civil society, the media, national human rights institutions, and political parties, who can serve as “watchdogs” for discriminatory government policies and play an important role in the promotion of tolerance, mutual understanding and respect for diversity. Blind eyeIn addition to a new website, this year’s drive to eliminate racism has also moved to the world of social networking, where the UN has established a Facebook campaign with pages in English, French and Spanish and is encouraging followers to tweet their support against the scourge of intolerance. But the vow of “Never Again” has lost all meaning. Between April and June 1994, at least one million people were killed, in the space of 100 days, during the Genocide against the Tutsi. The UN as well as western powers, in particular, were guilty of turning a blind eye to the Rwanda’s situation, even as the head of a small continent of UN peacekeepers, Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, frantically pleaded for reinforcements as the intention to annihilate the Tutsi came to bear. Instead, the world body voted to withdraw the few men and officers it maintained in Kigali, leaving desperate Tutsis at the mercy of the marauding Interahamwe and government forces. On July 4, 1994, the Rwanda Patriotic Front captured the capital Kigali, ending the killings and embarked on the difficult work of reconstructing both the country and the lives of its people.But the scale and speed of the slaughter left Rwanda, the UN and the world community reeling.A year later, in July 1995, in one of the last acts of the 42-month Bosnia war, the Bosnian Serb force, which for two years had besieged the Srebrenica enclave of 40,000 Muslims, attacked. It was an easy, bold and brutal conquest that again shamed the international community. It earned Srebrenica its grim place in history. In just 10 days, almost 8,000 of them were rounded up and shot in an operation that required extraordinary levels of planning and logistics. It was the worst single crime of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s and the worst massacre in Europe since the Nazi era.Inclusion, dialogue, human rights As a result, the UN set up two war crimes courts, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia. Both established as a juridical fact that the massacres were acts of genocide, the gravest crime there is – and the hardest to prove.“Racism undermines peace, security, justice and social progress,” Mr. Ban added. “It is a violation of human rights that tears at individuals and rips apart the social fabric.”The Secretary-General further noted that the UN was contributing to the global fight against racism by fostering inclusion, dialogue and respect for human rights. “Where societies have been shattered by conflict, the United Nations strives to promote peace processes and peace-building that foster inclusion, dialogue, reconciliation and human rights,” he stated. A survey has revealed that 55 per cent of violent conflicts between 2007 and 2009 had violations of minority rights or ethnic tensions at their core. The relationship between racism and conflict was “a deep-rooted, well-established one,” says the survey.It chillingly adds; “Leaving the dangerous societal problems of prejudice and racism to simmer on the back burner creates a real risk of explosive conflicts erupting, years or decades later.” Indeed, racism and prejudice can provide, propel, and perpetuate the narratives that create and sustain conflict – whether in the developed or developing world.” Whether the world has learned from past mistakes that culminated in unimaginable tragedies remains to be seen, with pressure groups often blaming the world community of failing to act decisively against regimes that visit brutality upon their own people.