Edwin Musoni
28 March 2007
Kigali — The government is considering taking the UN to an international court over the latter's failure to stop the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, it has emerged. Speaking at Parliamentary Buildings yesterday, Youth, Culture and Sports Minister, Joseph Habineza, said that Kigali is currently consulting with its ambassador to the UN (Joseph Nsengimana) 'on (legal) issues to be looked at while filing a lawsuit against the UN'. He was responding to a question from Deputy Polycape Gatete on why no action has been taken against the UN, which he accused of standing by while a million Rwandans perished during the 100 days of slaughter.
"The Government has been reluctant on suing the UN for not having stopped the Genocide; it is good they apologised but we should count them responsible for the deaths of thousands," Gatete said, adding that the government should give an explanation to MPs to that effect.
Meanwhile, Habineza said that the entire international community is expected to join Rwandans to commemorate the thirteenth Rwanda Genocide anniversary come next month. The minister was briefing MPs about preparations for the upcoming commemoration of Genocide yesterday, Joseph Habineza said that arrangements were underway at all Rwandan Embassies to mark the mourning week. "Also Rwandans living in countries where we don't have embassies and the rest of the world will join us in commemorating the Genocide," Habineza said at the Parliamentary Buildings, Kimihurura.
In April 2007, the UN declared April 7 as the 'International Day of reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.'
Habineza also told legislators that plans to send government officials abroad to hold dialogues about the 1994 Rwanda Genocide are underway.
"The African Union has already requested us to send them someone who will present a paper on Rwanda Genocide; we have also received a number of requests from the Rwandan Diaspora," he explained.
Last year, the Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at the American University Washington College of Law last year developed the Rwanda Commemoration Project to encourage schools, universities, NGOs, and community groups to hold events to commemorate the Genocide which claimed over a million lives in record 100 days. The UN system is blamed for standing by as an estimated one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus perished in the Genocide.
Deputy Polycape Gatete wondered why the government has not sued the UN for not stopping the Genocide yet it had capacity to do so. MPs also demanded that the government bans all kinds of ceremonies during the Genocide commemoration week that are not in line with mourning activities.
"I request that these ceremonies be banned immediately as is a week of remembrance for our beloved ones" Deputy Jacqueline Muhongaire furiously said.
In response, Habineza said that he has already banned all ceremonies including baptism. "Recently, I had an issue with the Catholic Church that wanted to carryout baptism on April 7; but I stopped them after giving them a thorough explanation;
I don't expect to be giving explanations to stop ceremonies every April," Habineza said.
The Christian calendar indicates that this year's Easter Sunday will fall on April 7, the very day the commemoration week will start.
Survivors' livelihood
Deputy Juliana Kantengwa also introduced a new motion about the bad the condition of survivors.
She was backed by Deputies Emmanuel Mugabowidekwe and Gatete backed. "What is the plan for (Genocide-related) child-headed households? Is there a budget for them? Does the Ministry have a unit in charge of these children?" questioned Mugabowidekwe, who owns an orphanage for children orphaned by the Genocide.
Deputy Gatete said there are 19,400 child-headed households, adding, "these children live in 6,000 families, and most of them share houses. Statistics also indicate that there are over 14,000 widows of Genocide."
"In the past period we have had cases of 162 genocide survivors being killed; 121 have been injured by people who intend to kill them, and over 1,000 Genocide survivors have lost their properties," said Gatete
About Frw 56 billion is required for the construction of survivors' shelter. And the Fund for Assistance of Genocide Survivors (FARG) says that it only managed to raise Frw 10 billion for that purpose. However MPs vowed to ensure that the deficit is realised from the budget.
Meanwhile, Speaker Alfred Mukezamfura urged the Executive to speed up the process of establishing the Constitutional anti-Genocide Commission and to devise stringent measures to protect survivors.
He said that MPs would hold a vigil in remembrance of the victims of the Genocide.
The national celebrations on the first day of the mourning week will be held in Murambi, Gatsibo District in Eastern Province, where 200 bodies will be reburied. The closing ceremony is scheduled at Rebero, Kicukiro District in Kigali City.
The theme for this year's Genocide memorial week is: 'Let us remember the Genocide, taking care of the survivors and fighting for justice'.
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