GLOBAL GOVERNANCE - RWANDA AND BURUNDI June 96
In Rwanda, a new government is in place, but the old genocidal regime, which was forced to flee the country last year, is re-arming within border refugee camps. Fifty thousand prisoners are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity in Rwandan jails, but after the genocide there aren't enough judges and lawyers to try them.
Rwanda and Burundi are small, neighboring countries in Central Africa, inhabited mainly by two ethnic groups: Hutu and Tutsi. Both countries are desperately poor.
Among Hutu and Tutsi, there are extremist leaders who are telling people that their problems can only be solved by violence against the other side.
In Rwanda, a new government is in place, but the old genocidal regime, which was forced to flee the country last year, is re-arming within border refugee camps. Fifty thousand prisoners are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity in Rwandan jails, but after the genocide there aren't enough judges and lawyers to try them.
In Burundi, ethnically motivated killings by armed gangs and even some sections of the Tutsi-dominated army become more frequent every day, echoing recent history. The government is weak, and no one is being convicted.
Meanwhile the international community is playing its part in re- enacting the past: aid budgets are being cut and not nearly enough is being done to prevent another catastrophe. Some countries, including Zaire, France and China, are even accused of breaking a UN arms embargo by supplying the former genocidal government of Rwanda with weapons.
There are two keys to solving the area's problems: justice, and economic opportunity.
Anyone considering violence or murder has to know that they will face firm and fair justice. In both countries, an effective, impartial police force must be created, and the judicial system must have the staff and resources to try those accused of violence.
Meanwhile, those who are tempted to join the killers on either side must be given hope that their lives can change for the better without them resorting to arms. A massive injection of resources is needed to promote sustainable development in the two countries.
Neither justice nor economic opportunity are possible without international help. There are daily warnings that without a greater commitment from other governments, genocide could begin again in Central Africa. But our governments have other things on their minds. They will only give priority to preventing a new genocide if we, the voters, tell them to.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Please write to one of your representatives in your national parliament. Ask him or her to urge your government to:
* Strongly support the International Tribunal which has been set up to prosecute the leaders of the Rwandan genocide, and the new International Commission of Inquiry into previous massacres in Burundi. These two bodies can play a key role in ensuring that crimes against humanity do not go unpunished. Support from governments can include funding and offering legal and other staff on loan.
* (Especially in rich industrialized countries) Sharply increase aid to help Rwanda and Burundi build a functioning and democratic government administration (including a well-trained, impartial police and judiciary) and launch development projects that bring the ethnic groups together to overcome their poverty.
* Press for full enforcement of the UN arms embargo on the former government of Rwanda, and for wider deployment of UN forces to halt the supply of arms to extremists in both countries.
Remember, you won't be the only one writing. People all over the world will be sending the same message at the same time. You CAN make a difference.
SAMPLE LETTER YOU CAN WRITE
Sample letter to Member of Congress (or Parliament)
Dear ____________ ,
I am writing to you because I am deeply worried about what is happening in Rwanda and Burundi. As you know, these two countries
have suffered greatly over the past two years, and there are warning signs today that without immediate international help they could collapse again into chaos.
Rwanda and Burundi have weak governments and collapsing economies.
Rwanda has 50,000 prisoners in jail, charged with crimes against humanity, which it cannot try, because its justice system is paralyzed. The government in Burundi cannot prevent the massacres which continue daily. And despite a UN embargo, arms are getting through to the very people responsible for last year's genocide.
The international community must act swiftly. I would urge you to press the government, either in parliament or in a letter to the appropriate minister, to give immediate help to Rwanda and Burundi. Specifically, the government should:
* Strongly support - with money or personnel - the International Tribunal set up to try the killers of Rwanda, and the International Commission of Inquiry into the Burundi massacres.
* Sharply increase financial aid to help Rwanda and Burundi improve their economies, and put in place an impartial police force and judiciary.
* Press for full and immediate enforcement of the UN arms embargo on the former genocidal government of Rwanda, and for deployment
of UN forces on all supply routes to the refugee camps to halt the supply of arms to killers.
I am sure you agree that this situation is urgent. Please let me know what action you will take on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
BACKGROUND
Rwanda and Burundi share much in common in history, language, people and culture. Both were part of the Belgian Empire during the first half of this century, and the Belgians concentrated on educating and empowering the minority Tutsis, who form 20% of the population, over the majority Hutus. As a result, the Tutsis effectively became a privileged class in both countries, and were resented for it.
RWANDA
Hutus took power in Rwanda after independence in 1959, and it was the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana (a Hutu who was accused
of pursuing repressive policies towards the Tutsis) when his plane was shot down in 1994 which sparked off the genocide. Urged on by leading government officials, Hutus turned on Tutsis and massacred over half a million people in three months. The genocide halted when the government was defeated by the rebel forces of the mainly Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front, and fled to refugee camps across the border. It is estimated that up to 40% of Rwanda's population was either murdered, or fled. The Rwandan Patriotic Front established a government containing both Hutus and Tutsis, though there are now fears that hard-line Tutsis are gaining influence.
Today, in the wake of the genocide, Rwanda faces several serious problems:
* The refugee crisis
Up to 3.5 million Rwandans, most of them Hutus, are refugees in Zaire, Tanzania, Burundi and other countries. Among them are the forces of the defeated government Q those responsible for last year's genocide. Today, they are re-arming their soldiers and announcing their intention to re-invade Rwanda. Recently, Zaire began expelling refugees (but not the soldiers), claiming it could no longer support them. Rwanda is in no position to provide for the returnees.
* The need for justice
Justice is an essential pre-requisite of peace in Rwanda. Past crimes need to be dealt with, and future crimes deterred by an effective and impartial judicial system. But though there are more than 50,000 prisoners living in inhuman conditions in Rwandan jails awaiting trial for genocide, not one has been convicted. Many Rwandan lawyers were murdered last year, and those remaining do not have the resources to work. The legal system is paralyzed, and the overcrowded jails grow fuller by the day.
* Economic collapse
Rwanda is a poor country, with few natural resources. The genocide and civil war have paralyzed the economy, and caused severe problems with administration and communications. The result is worsening poverty. Rwanda urgently needs international aid to improve its economy, but though UN member states have pledged $660 million of aid for Rwanda and Burundi, only a tiny proportion has yet been released, and the region's main donors Q the USA and the European Union Q have been reducing aid to Rwanda and Burundi in recent years.
BURUNDI
In Burundi, Tutsis largely held power after independence, and continued to do so until the election of the first democratically- elected President, a Hutu, in 1993. His murder by elements of the Tutsi-dominated army gave rise to the revenge killing, by Hutus, of around 250,000 Tutsis. The next President, also a Hutu, was killed in the same plane as the President of Rwanda in 1994. His replacement is still in power, but runs a weakened government in a shaken country.
The situation in Burundi remains, in the words of the Organisation of African Unity, "extremely tense and volatile." The problems are:
* A fragile government
Burundi's government is a coalition of parties, trying to run a fractured economy and a paralyzed administration. Within the government itself there is a constant struggle for dominance between Hutus and Tutsis. At the end of 1994, all parties agreed on a 'Convention of Government' Q an emergency constitution, which
is under great strain.
* A climate of violence
Ethnically motivated massacres are increasing in Burundi. It is doubtful if the Hutu President can control the mainly Tutsi army, and thirty to forty people a day are killed by soldiers, Hutu rebels and Tutsi militia bands. Most Hutus have fled the capital, Bujumbura, in fear. The judicial system, as in Rwanda, is paralyzed by political stalemate. Burundi needs not only international help to investigate the killings, but also help from other countries to train and deploy an impartial police force and a reliable judiciary.
* Economic and social collapse
Burundi's economy is very similar to Rwanda's, and is paralyzed by the continuing turmoil and violence. The country needs development programs to improve its infrastructure and create jobs. It also needs to invest in projects that bridge the ethnic divide. At the moment, radio stations run by exiles in Zaire are blaring out messages of ethnic hatred to both Rwanda and Burundi. As with Rwanda, development projects need to be designed to bring Hutus and Tutsis together in common efforts and to heal their wounds.
FINDING SOLUTIONS
The best way to solve both the long- and the short-term problems of Rwanda and Burundi is to create an effective state in each country, able to reconcile ethnic differences and pursue sustainable economic development. Three issues must be tackled immediately, to lay the ground for the future:
* Justice
With the justice systems of each country depleted and paralyzed, international help is urgently needed. For Rwanda, an International Tribunal has been set up to investigate the 1994 genocide, and to try those accused of crimes against humanity. Only when justice is seen to be done by the people of Rwanda can the scars begin to heal. In Burundi, the UN is organizing an International Commission of Inquiry into the killing of the President in 1993 and the massacres that followed. The Commission and the Tribunal lack adequate funds and staff, and will need governments around the world to donate not only money, but lawyers and investigators Q as some countries are already doing Q to enable them to carry out their work as swiftly as possible.
* Development
More than anything else, the governments of Rwanda and Burundi need aid Q to rebuild their economies and set development projects in motion. But aid from overseas is drying up. The major donors to both countries Q France, Belgium, Germany, the USA and the European Union Q have been reducing the amount they send to Rwanda and Burundi. In 1994, the UN's 'round table' of donor countries pledged $660 million in aid for Rwanda. The bulk of this has not been released. The UN has also begun making preparations for a Regional Conference on Peace and Stability in Central Africa, to look at solutions to the problems of long-term development in the region. This conference needs strong international support.
* Arms
After the genocidal Hutu government of Rwanda lost the civil war to the Rwanda Patriotic Front who set up the new government, most of those responsible for the massacres fled to refugee camps in Zaire. Evidence from Human Rights Watch shows that not only are they re-grouping their forces Q there are thought to be 50,000 members of the former Rwandan army in Zaire Q but foreign sources, including China, France and Zaire, are accused of breaking a UN arms embargo by selling them weapons, or allowing weapons to be sold to them. Weapons are also getting through to extremists in Burundi. This flow of arms must be cut off immediately, and those governments colluding in it must be stopped. In addition, UN forces should be stationed at airports and other supply routes, and at the refugee camps, with powers to confiscate any arms shipments.
Rwanda and Burundi face many challenges, and there is much to be done to prevent further disaster. But there is also much that can be done, by governments around the world, to prevent history from repeating itself in Central Africa. What is needed is for other governments to make the prevention of genocide in Rwanda and Burundi a top priority, and to give this task the resources and attention it deserves.