As the world marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, and of the Prevention of this Crime, activists say that the global community seems to have not learnt from past mistakes when the Genocide against the Tutsi unfolded. Observed every year on December 9, the day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 to signify the international community’s commitment to “never again” and encourage state parties to prevent and punish the crime of genocide. Speaking to The New Times, Eugene Murangwa, a former Rwandan international football player, survivor of the Genocide against the Tutsi, and founder of Ishami Foundation, an organisation that aims at using the lessons from Rwanda to teach the world about the dangers of identity-based prejudices, said the global community is ‘a terrible student’ of the past. “Time and time again, we have seen the same mistakes repeated by those who are supposed to be the leaders of the international community. It is disappointing,” he noted. He zeroed in on the hate speech and killings that are currently being reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) against the Tutsi, saying ‘it is extremely worrying and upsetting’ and a clear example of the world’s indifference when it comes to the suffering of particular communities. “It is a total betrayal by all those people and institutions that have spent the last 28 years telling us how sorry they are. The situation in DR Congo made me believe that former French President François Mitterrand had a point when he said, ‘in such countries, Genocide is not too important’,” he added. Commenting on a recent statement by the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on the hate speech, incitement, and attacks on Kinyarwanda-speaking people (Tutsi) in DR Congo, Murangwa said it is an important step, but ‘still not good enough if it’s just a statement of words.’ Yolande Mukagasana, a local Genocide activist, told The New Times that what's happening in DR Congo currently shows that the international community will never be able to prevent genocides if it has particular interests in countries where such is taking place. “The problem of DR Congo is caused by the international community, which should instead have solved it. In 1885, it was the international community that sat in Berlin in a meeting to partition Africa. No Rwandan or Congolese was there. What is sad is that our people like the Congolese do not understand the problem, and if they don’t, no one will,” she said. Joseph Nkurunziza, Founder of Never Again Rwanda, a local NGO that promotes peace, said there is a need to invest in prevention and taking early warning signs of genocide seriously. “In most cases, before a genocide occurs, there are always signs inclusive of propaganda, hate speech and dehumanisation. If any slight violence or conflict is acted upon it could prevent genocides from occurring,” he noted. “Furthermore, emphasis should be placed on education, most especially critical thinking, in order for youth and society at large to be able to resist manipulation since in most cases, high-ranking officials manipulate youth and the population to commit genocide crimes,” he added.
