The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean Damascène Bizimana, has said that several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that emerged before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have been linked to partially or directly fueling the atrocities. Unlike what is typically expected of NGOs, he said, some were not founded for noble causes but were instead created to support the killing of targeted groups. Even worse, some active Genocide deniers, historically linked to those groups, continue to plant their harmful agenda today, using social media and other platforms to spread false information. Operating under the guise of civil society organizations, they intentionally distort history, inflict fresh emotional wounds on Genocide survivors, and hinder the ongoing efforts toward national unity and reconciliation. Bizimana highlighted this on Tuesday, June 10, when the Rwanda Peace Partnership (RPP), a consortium of three peacebuilding organizations: Interpeace, Aegis Trust, and Never Again Rwanda (NAR), marked the 31st commemoration to honor the memory of the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Belgium funds genocide denial organizations, says Minister Bizimana According to Bizimana some of these civil society groups later became political parties, emerging during the rise of divisive politics in the 1950s. For example, in 1956, the Mouvement Social Muhutu (MSM) was founded in Kabgayi (now Muhanga District) by Grégoire Kayibanda. The movement aimed to mobilize youth and elites around the belief that the root cause of injustice in Rwanda was the Tutsi, not the colonial powers, said the minister. “Some Rwandans had already started advocating for Rwanda’s independence, but the colonialists were not prepared to grant it. Instead, they shifted their support to the Hutu, who were not necessarily demanding independence, but rather seeking an end to injustice indeed caused by the colonialists,” he noted. “Instead, the colonialists helped spread the idea that the Tutsi were the only enemy and foreigners who had migrated from Ethiopia. This marked the beginning of their dehumanization. The Tutsi were blamed for every problem in the country, and this narrative was taught to young people as they grew up, eventually leading to their participation in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” he added. ALSO READ: No Genocide happens without a plan, preparation, state involvement – Rwandan envoy Bizimana said that the second organisation was the Association pour la Promotion Sociale de la Masse (APROSOMA), founded in 1957 by Joseph Gitera in Save, Butare (now Southern Province). Like the MSM, APROSOMA did not bring any positive change; instead, it worsened the situation by promoting division, he said. One of its most harmful contributions was the publication of the so-called 10 Hutu Commandments, which undermined peaceful coexistence between the Tutsi and Hutu. From that point on, Tutsi were given dehumanizing names such as “snakes”, “cockroaches” and other hateful terms, portraying them as enemies and people who did not belong. “These organizations later transformed into political parties in 1959, Bizimana explained. MSM became PARMEHUTU just three years after its formation, continuing to spread divisive and harmful ideologies. These political parties also went on to create civil society organizations that echoed the same rhetoric. For example, PARMEHUTU founded the cultural troupe Abanyuramatwi, which turned hateful teachings into songs to spread the message widely, through schools, radio, and households.” Bizimana pointed out that these political parties went on to establish media outlets to reinforce their divisive ideologies. For instance, Ijwi rya Rubanda Rugufi was created by APROSOMA, while Jya Mbere Muhutu was founded by PARMEHUTU. These newspapers were used as platforms to spread hate speech, division, and insults against the Tutsi, spreading the harmful agenda just like their parent political parties. “Shockingly, these publications were often distributed during mass gatherings in churches, where the educated would collect them and take them home to indoctrinate others. By the time of the 1994 Genocide, many Tutsi had already fled the country. Those in exile who wished to return were denied their right to Rwandan nationality,” he said. ALSO READ: Kangura's 8th Hutu commandment re-examined As noted, leading up to the 1994 Genocide, numerous civil society organizations were formed by elites to hate speech. One such example is Réseaux de Solidarité Nationale, founded in 1993. The organization was established with four main principles: truth, secrecy, heroism, and country. In its first publication, the group declared: Réseaux de Solidarité Nationale is born. It is timely because Hutus are asleep. Hutus are currently detained in their homes and are being mercilessly killed...” “They intentionally published false information to spread misleading narratives and hatred, the minister said. This was a strategy used by the perpetrators to manipulate and mobilize one group into participating in the killings. By naming the other side as a threat, they aimed to convince one side that their only option for survival was to act first; 'to kill in order not to be killed.' In doing so, they framed the violence as a form of self-defence, encouraging preemptive action under the illusion of protection and rescue,” he said. However, other NGOs emerged with a positive purpose, such as Kinyarwanda, ADR, AVEPE. Most of these organizations focused on documenting the government's wrongdoings. Their reports provided the RPF-Inkotanyi with factual evidence that, despite the government's participation in the Arusha Peace Talks, it was simultaneously preparing for a genocidal ideology. “This evidence helped the RPF-Inkotanyi to pressure the United Nations, eventually leading to the deployment of UNAMIR to assess the imminent threat. The mission aimed to prevent the killings that were looming. Unfortunately, it was not successful, and the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi occurred.”
