When sovereignty is excuse for inaction

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Rwandans commemorated the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994 as thy have done every year for the last 32 years. It is a very important moment in the life of Rwandans. ALSO READ: Genocide Commemoration: When Rwanda’s widows broke their silence Yet, for some outside Rwanda, this is a moment they would rather forget or that the events of the 100 days in 1994 recede into the fog of distant memory, or are erased altogether. Some claim that it is unhealthy to keep unpleasant, horrific memories. Others deny that they ever happened. ALSO READ: A preventable genocide, a denied responsibility: What ‘Corridors of Power’ reveals about Rwanda For Rwandans, though, the savagery and horror of mass slaughter of human beings are still raw and fresh in their collective memory. But so too, their survival, the rise from the abyss, and rebuilding their lives and nation. Commemoration is therefore about honouring this spirit that has seen the country survive its worst test, rise up from near destruction, rebuild and begin to prosper. ALSO READ: Genocide against the Tutsi: A moral test everyone failed It is also about preserving the truth and preventing distortion, denial or erasure of history. President Paul Kagame stressed the value of keeping memory at this year’s Kwibuka. Speaking about survivors’ testimonies, he said, “These testimonies are not ordinary stories, they are rooted in real history and lived experience,” and added, ”...there are those who have often distorted this history of ours for different reasons. They have a real challenge on their hands if they expect people to change history and tell it differently.” ALSO READ: A genocide decades in the making, not a spontaneous tragedy Commemoration is more than looking to the past. It is about the present and the future, the rebirth of the nation, recognising the unity and solidarity of Rwandans and their stand against division. Kwibuka humanises us all and provides the strength for rebuilding and remaining united. In President Kagame’s words at Kwibuka 32, “We draw on the strength of survivors who provide the reservoir of humanity that feeds our nation’s soul.” It is also recognition of every Rwandan’s role in the country’s rebirth. And so, the country recognises the bravery of the soldiers of the RPA who stopped the slaughter and kept the country one, kept their sanity and did not break down and descend to the level of the murderers. They, and other Rwandans, demonstrated the ability to rise above basic instincts and act with a higher moral purpose. It also recognises the bravery of those who were being hunted, their resistance, and remaining human in the face murderous fiends as the story of the woman who, upon being asked to choose how she would like to be killed, simply looked at them and spat in their faces, amply illustrates. These exemplify the spirit of standing up to evil, asserting the right to life and territory, and affirming that no one has the right to deny these. The courage and selflessness of other Rwandans, mostly ordinary people, who saved lives of those being hunted, often at the risk of their own, cannot be forgotten. They were not hunted. They had a safer choice: to do nothing or to look the other way. But they chose the risky one to shelter, feed or provide safe passage to others in mortal danger. It is 32 years since the genocide against the Tutsi was committed. The world should have learnt lessons from the horrors of that period and Rwandans’ resolve to rebuild their nation. But it seems little has changed. The danger of genocide in the region still lurks. The threat to Rwanda’s security remains present. The world’s reaction to these dangers remains the same today as it was in 1994: indifference, inaction, excuses to explain away obvious threats, and outright denial. This is the reality today in DR Congo where the threat to Rwanda is present and real. The DR Congo harbours Rwandan genocidaires (FDLR) which it has integrated into the national army. This threat remains unresolved. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to the resolution of the threat of genocide and regional stability is the principle of sovereignty, which in international law refers to a state’s authority over its territory and freedom from external interference. The principle is much abused in this region, or at best applied selectively. In 1994, President Kagame said in his Kwibuka 32 speech, the big powers that had the means to jam or disrupt broadcasts of the hate radio, RTLM, that fanned hate, spread genocide ideology and directed the killers, refused to do so on the grounds that it would be a violation of Rwanda’s sovereignty. Today, the same excuse is used to shield the Congolese government from its responsibility in relations with its neighbours. When pressed to disengage FDLR fighters from its forces, neutralise the group or repatriating them to Rwanda, it and its apologists cite sovereignty. But when Rwanda puts up measures to defend itself against the menace from across the border, that becomes violation of the sovereignty of DR Congo. The sovereignty of Rwanda does not seem to matter. In this way, sovereignty is used to promote impunity, shield FDLR from being held to account for their atrocities, and to justify inaction by the countries that have the power to act or enforce decisions. African states, too, cannot escape blame for this selective use of the principle of respect for sovereignty. In President Kagame’s view, that should not be an excuse for inaction. He said at Kwibuka 32, “...the call for African sovereignty, legitimate and necessary as it is, must also mean that African institutions act decisively when Africans are at risk. Bad actors must not be allowed to hide behind the principle of sovereignty to evade responsibility for abuses or deny citizens their rights” The reality in much of DR Congo is that the Congolese government cannot claim sovereignty over big chunks of its territory. They are controlled by armed groups or foreign actors. External actors have taken advantage of the sovereignty void in the territory and established their own control. Some of them, especially those in the humanitarian industry, use this situation to present DR Congo as a victim state that requires humanitarian assistance and other support. They have effectively replaced the state. Then there is the United Nations. It has a massive peacekeeping operation that works as the region’s police, intelligence organisation, and even military. The UN also has experts, the so-called Group of Experts, that make regular reports that make the Congolese government the victim and effectively remove agency and responsibility from it. The fiction of Congolese sovereignty, especially in the east of the country, has been made evident by the presence of successive regional forces that were meant to bolster government authority in the area. They have not. Instead, they have contributed to further erosion of the state’s claim to sovereignty over the area. This has largely been due to the Congolese government’s incompetence and conflicting mandates of the various forces, often driven by other interests different from those of the government. In view of all this, remembrance and renewal of resolve to defend truth and the nation, and to never permit the recurrence of genocide remain a crucial national duty for Rwandans.

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When sovereignty is excuse for inaction