Genocide denial on the rise, says CNLG

Denial of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi is on the rise, Christine Tuyisenge, National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) vice chairperson has said. She made the remarks while presenting the commission’s 2013/14 report to a joint parliamentary session yesterday. Tuyisenge called for global partnership in fighting the ideology. “Genocide denial has changed faces overtime due to various reasons. It still undermines unity and reconciliation efforts,” Tuyisenge said. The report indicates that even though the commission had put in place solid mechanisms to fight Genocide ideology and denial, the battle was being undermined by negative forces which contest the fact that Rwanda lost over a million people in 1994. “More efforts will be put in engaging the international community toward fighting Genocide denial,” read the report in part. Recent claims in a BBC report put the number of Tutsi victims to as low as 200,000. This was asserted by two controversial American researchers who were interviewed in the documentary; ‘Rwanda’s Untold Story’. “The exact number of Genocide victims stands at 1,071,000. This figure will be spread so that we remove all doubts as well as silence Genocide deniers, even though various deniers have different motives beyond just figures,” Tuyisenge told the lawmakers. The Executive Secretary of CNLG, Jean de Dieu Mucyo, told The New Times that the government will ensure that efforts against Genocide denial won’t be in vain. “Genocide is in three phases; preparation, execution and denial. The government and its allies will fight Genocide denial until the battle is won,” he said. Mucyo said Genocide denial and ideology could be inspired by local and foreign perpetrators who do not want to be held accountable. “We have set up a commission to probe and counterattack Genocide deniers, and also follow up on all discussions and multimedia productions on the 1994 Genocide,” Mucyo added. Referring to the BBC documentary, MP Edouard Bamporiki, said CNLG should have an upper hand in reporting on the Genocide. The same view was echoed by Sen. Jean-Damascène Bizimana. “You should support local researchers to come up with concrete Genocide facts so that there is no more denial from forces inspired by international researchers who know almost nothing about the country’s history,” Bizimana said. Meanwhile, Tuyisenge said research, documentation and archiving of Genocide facts was being hindered by budgetary constraints. Deputy president of the Senate Jeanne d’Arc Gakuba suggested that there be unconventional approach to fight Genocide ideology. “We should build a local network that will support the commission’s efforts to fight Genocide ideology. “There are many Genocide survivors who have not been approached to share their experiences. We should encourage research and documentation efforts so that we have solid information,” Gakuba said. But MP Fortunee Nyiramadirida said insufficient funds should not be reason for not according the required attention to priorities such as archiving, renovation and rehabilitation of Genocide memorial sites. “The available funds should be enough to finance priority policies, like facilitating research and paying school fees for Genocide survivors,” Nyiramadirida said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Genocide denial on the rise, says CNLG