“Is Darfur Genocide?” (8/20/08)
By: Sam Dealy
Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir is standing by his claim that his government is not guilty of genocide. In fact, the United States is one of the few nations that has claimed genocide to have taken place; the United Nations admits that while, “international offenses such as the crimes against humanity and war crimes that have been committed in Darfur may be no less serious and heinous than genocide,” genocide itself has not been committed. However, investigations are still underway. Regardless of the terminology, the president has been charged. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Luis Moreno- Ocampo, has vowed to make records open to the public, but after five weeks, had failed to do so. Meanwhile, the Sudanese government has promised to “crush” the ICC. Because the process has stretched on for so long, people are wondering if Ocampo has greatly diminished his chances of bring justice to Sudan.
It was interesting to consider the fact the Darfur is not technically considered a genocide, although that is what the it is commonly portrayed as. However, labeling is not my biggest concern; I don’t believe that people should get caught up in words, but should look at the big picture. If a major contributor to this situation could be taken out of the equation, it shouldn’t matter what the situation is called, whether that is genocide or else. It was also a frightening thought that a huge population is counting on one man to save them, and that that man may not be doing everything in his power to help them.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/sam-dealey/2008/08/20/is-darfur-genocide-its-not-yet-clear.html
First Conviction
This week I learned that although the term “genocide” was coined in 1944, no one was convicted of the crime until 1998.
Jean-Paul Akayesu, mayor of the Rwandan town, Taba was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity by the UN founded court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Akayesu reluctantly started his political career as mayor of Taba in 1991. For the majority of his time in office Akayesu was considered good at his job; the town treated him with admiration. Disaster struck on April 7,1994 which was the start of the Rwandan genocide. For the first week and a half Akayesu kept his village out of harm’s way, but then on April 14th Akayesu had a meeting with other mayors and government officials, including those who were directly responsible for the genocide. After that meeting, Akayesu apparently decided that in order to climb in his career, he had to support the genocide and convince his village to do the same. Witnesses claim to have seen Akayesu encouraging his villagers to participate in acts against humanity. Akayesu eventually fled to Zaire for a short period then moved on to Zambia. In October of 1995 Akayesu was arrested and later became the first person ever convicted of genocide.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007157
Children of Genocide
by Elizabeth Monaghan
Jonathan Torgovnik, Intended Consequences: Rwandan Children Born of Rape (Aperture, 2009)
This article describes the aftermath of the rapes that occurred during the Rwandan genocide. The first mother interviewed declares that she does not love her child; in fact, every time she looks at her all she can remember is how her child’s father raped her. Several of the rape victims debated about or tried to kill their new born because they couldn’t stand the thought of raising the child of the man that raped them. An estimated 20,000 children were born due to rape during the genocide in Rwanda, all of which are treated inhumanely. These children are considered nearly as bad as their fathers were and are denied a proper education and are under constant harassment. Although several mothers of these children do love them, they often contracted HIV from their rapist, which means that after they are gone, their children will be left to fend for themselves.
I had never considered anything past the women getting raped during the genocide. I felt for these women and was horrified by what they had to experience, but somehow I never thought about the fact that a child would result. These poor children did nothing to deserve the persecution that they have to endure, and will endure the rest of their lives. In a twisted way it makes sense how these women can have such a hard time even liking their child, let alone loving them, but that does not make it any easier to accept.
http://www.brooklynrail.org/2009/04/express/children-of-genocide
Idelphonse Nizeyimana, Suspected Queen-Killer, Arrested
By: Godfrey Olukya and Rukmini Callimachi
One of the most wanted men in relation to Rwanda’s genocide was finally arrested just last week. Nizeyimana is responsible for thousands of deaths throughout the length of the genocide and took pity on no one. This man ordered the killings of women and children, priests, those in hospitals, the elderly and possibly the most disturbing, Queen Rosalie Gicanda, a Tutsi. According to Rakiya Omaar, an expert on matters concerning genocide, killing the Queen was meant as a warning to all Tutsi’s that no one would be spared. Nizeyimana everntally fled to the Congo where he eventually tried to negotiate his arrest with the U.N., but was unable to form an agreement when he declared he wanted his family to receive the bounty. Nizeyimana was then discovered and arrested under several counts relating to genocide; however the conviction shouldn’t be too difficult considering Nizeyimana has been boasting about the “work” he did during the genocide, while hiding out in the Congo. Although this has been a huge accomplishment for Rwanda, there are still several people guilty of assisting the genocide whom are still roaming free.
I am so excited for the people of Rwanda; this has been a massive success and show of justice for the people. It is unreal that a single man could destroy so many hundreds of lives and be responsible for so many deaths. The more I read the more I can’t help but wonder, how did the world let this torture continue for so long? And even though the genocide is over, the idea and several supports are still quietly hoping to continue operate; Nizeyimana was a member of a militia called Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda while he was hiding in the Congo. It’s disgusting that this man has no remorse for his actions. I am sure that justice will be brought to those in Rwanda once Nizeyimana goes on trial; there are far too many witnesses, stories and accounts for what this man has done for them not to.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/06/idelphonse-nizeyimana-rwa_n_310820.html
Ex-Rwanda Governor Sentenced to Life for Genocide
By: Sukhdev Chhatbar
Durning the genocide in Rwanda, Tharcisse Renzaho was the governor of Kigali, the capital. Because Renzaho was in charge of all the police in the city, he is directly responsible for many of their actions in the genocide. The courts believe that Renzaho not only encouraged murders but set up roadblocks around the city so that any Tutsi’s tryng to escape could be captured and killed, and was also convicted of participating in the act of moving and concealing bodies. Renzaho was also present before and after over 100 Tusti’s were demolished at Holy Family church during the genocide. Althogh Renzaho had the power to cease the killings, he did nothing but encourage the soldiers. Thus far, there have been 39 cases have been shown in front of The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and 6 have been acquitted.
I’m glad that this man has been caught, but I wonder if any of the actual killers have been investigated. Tharcisse Renzaho deserves to be sentenced to life in prison, but he did not act alone. If I had family members killed in that town during the genocide I would hope that every one of those soldiers and police men were brought to justice, and hopefully Renzaho will decide to release names of those who helped him.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/14/tharcisse-renzaho-exrwand_n_231238.html
Rwandan prof says 1994 killings were not genocide
By: Martin Mbugua
Leopold Munyakazi, linguistics professor, claims that the killings in Rwanda are not a matter of genocide. He claims that the fighting was about political power, not a hatred of ethnic groups. Munyakazi says that in the 1920s Rwandans were given identification cards stating whether they were Tutsi, Hutu or Twa. Each of these titles represented social classes, Tutsi’s being the highest class, Hutu being middle, and Twa being the lowest and poorest social class. He explains that many Tutsi’s were forced to flee the country in 1959 when political power changed and the 1994 situation was simply a long awaited rebellion. Munyakazi continues to explain that he has been threatened because of his view on the situation in Rwanda and feels little support from the American government. His wife has been able to join him in the United States, but his children are still spread out in both France and Rwanda.
At first I assumed that this man was just an outsider who never held much of a stake in the Rwanda situation, so it was easy for him to claim that what happened was not genocide. However, the article reveals that Munyakazi was persecuted in his own country; he even spent 5 years in jail without ever being officially charged with any crime. His home was also destroyed and he is currently unable to return home because he is on a “wanted” list by the government. Seeing that Munyakazi has suffered because of the violence surprised me; he is extremely convinced that genocide has not occurred. However, even if this was a political battle as he claims and the rest of the world simply doesn’t understand the inner-workings of Rwanda, it doesn’t excuse the death of the thousands of innocent victims.
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2007/oct/scholars102506.html
Children of Rwanda’s Genocide
This article explains that although the fighting has stopped in Rwanda, the memories are still present. Not only did the genocide kill nearly 1/10 of the population, but it damaged the economy hugely. It states that 95% of the population rely on cash crops, most of which were destroyed during the massacres; the GDP of Rwanda was cut in half due to the genocide. Clearly the affects are still being felt in the country. Also, nearly 700,000 children (18%) still live in “different conditions” than they did before the killings commenced. With several thousand children orphaned, the family dynamic has completely been altered in Rwanda. Children have been forced to take care of themselves with no adult supervision or support. If these children cannot find a place to take them in, they are subjected to the slums and must find a way to provide for themselves. The article also reveals that not only were half a million people killed, but 2 million were forced to flee the country in order to save their lives. A study was performed that showed 96% of all the children interviewed had witnessed the murderous violence and 80% lost no less than one family member throughout the 100 day massacre.
Although the government has made efforts to help the children now, there is no mention of long term plans. How are these children supposed to survive by themselves? Many of them cannot get an education, which will obviously result in an extremely difficult path for the rest of their lives. Not only are the children being physically denied, what about their mental health? Having witnessed gruesome murders and losing loved ones, they need more than just financial support. These children need love and support throughout their lives. When I consider the fact that trained, mature, soldiers come back from wars and need counseling or end up committing suicide I can’t help but wonder how innocent children are meant to cope without any type of support system.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/index-rwanda-children.html
“Rape as a Weapon”
By: Survivors Fund
Rape as a Weapon describes the several ways in which women were tortured throughout the Rwandan genocide. Not only were women and girls forced to endure torture and rape, they also had to live with the aftermath that was created. The women and girls of Rwanda were subjected to several kinds of rape, including gang, being penetrated by sharp objects and sexual mutation. No Tutsi was spared, no matter if she just gave birth or was in any stage of a pregnancy. Many attackers even told their victims that they were only being kept alive because their depression would be more painful than death. Rape was not considered an element of genocide until 1998 when the former mayor of Taba, Jean-Paul Akayesu was convicted for rape and genocide, among other crimes. However, this conviction still did not satisfy many of the victims, and for good reason. Akayesu is now in prison receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS, while the victims whom he infected are living in poverty unable to find any sort of relief. In addition to living with this disease, many of these women are permanently scarred (if they survived) from the indecent abortions that they resorted to once they realized they were carrying the child of their rapist. If these women did survive all of these hurdles and gave birth, they often resented that child and referred to them as the “children of bad memories.” And if all of the torture these innocent women must endure was not enough, they must also deal with the social shame of carrying HIV.
I never considered that rape was an element of genocide, but after reading this article it makes complete sense. Rape was described as a “deliberate strategy to destroy the fundamental fabric of interpersonal relations in the community and to shatter the sense of security and identity of the victims,” which is exactly what genocide entails. These men attacked women in every level of their lives: emotional, physical, social and mental. The scars that they made will last not only for the lifetime of these women, but also throughout the lives of the innocent children created by this heartbreak.
http://www.survivors-fund.org.uk/index.php
Who are the Janjaweed?
By: By Brendan I. Koerner
The Janjaweed were the government funded militia who conducted a considerable amount of the killings during the Sudanese genocide. Janjaweed translates into “a man with a gun on a horse,” which makes sense considering the Janjaweed are notorious for stealing cattle from non-Arab farms on horse or camel- back. The article explains that the Janjaweed identify as being Arab nomads have had continuous discrepancies with the settled “African” farmers. In 2003 the Janjaweed, specifically the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, began their aggressive raid. They attacked the Sudanese government after claiming mistreatment of fellow Arabs and began attacking villages. The government then began offering a $116 monthly wage for Arab men who owned horses and their services in joining a Janjaweed legion (although they deny any connection with the Janjaweed). The men are also made aware that their salary is funded by the loot stolen from their raids, which gives them more reason to be ruthless during the attacks; they are even encouraged to rape the non-Arabs whom they cross paths with during the robberies.
It will never stop surprising me how greedy people can be. For men to be willing to give up all morality to make money is unthinkable to me. How can these men agree to steal from these people who have never directly offended them? And worse than steal, to encourage racism, rape and murder. For a government to betray its citizens confuses me just as much. How were so many of these officials willing to commit these heinous crimes against their own people?
The Ecology of Genocide: the Darfur Crisis has Environmental Roots
By: Earth Action Network
The affects of genocide do not only reach those who are directly involved. The Darfuris who were forced to leave and relocate in Chad, plus the settled villagers have pushed the land to its limits. The three main resource, water, wood and grass, have been nearly completely depleted, particularly in East Chad where the refugees have been made to settle. The land could hardly provide enough water for its inhabitants, let alone an extra few thousand refugees. For example, an area that was meant to hold only 5,000 inhabitants was suddenly forced to supply resources for an extra 30,000 people which obviously took a toll of the land. Refugees had to search nearly 18 miles just to find dead wood; deforestation is now a major issue in many regions of Chad. Unfortunately, the refugees now much also face discrimination by the Chadians who, understandably, feel as if their homes are being invaded and their lively hood used. However, what is not acceptable is the way in which some Chadians are dealing with this. The burden has been placed on the women to find water and wood, which has resulted in rapes and beatings from Chadian men. If the refugees are unable to return home, they soon may be faced by further conflicts with the Chadians, on top of recovering from their previous genocide attacks.
I hope that some sort of peace plan can be made so that the refugees, especially the women, no longer have to face discrimination and attacks. Considering everything that these people have been forced to endure, having to fight to survive, yet again, would be too much to take. However, it is understandable that the Chadian people are upset by the invasion. With so little resources to begin with, it would be difficult to find a way to share what little they have. The two governments need to discuss a way to begin safely moving people back into their homes and somehow reimbursing the Chadian villages for the sacrifices that they have had to make. The last thing that should happen is for more conflict to break out because of this tragedy.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+ecology+of+genocide:+the+Darfur+crisis+has+environmental…-a0165577787
