Rwanda to start mourning week for genocide anniversary

[deleted-05292014 331]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26917419

Rwanda will start a week of official mourning to mark the 20th anniversary of the country's genocide on Monday.

President Paul Kagame is to light a torch which will burn for 100 days - the length of time the genocide lasted.

A diplomatic row has prompted France's justice minister to pull out of the commemorative events, but Paris says its ambassador will be present.

At least 800,000 people - mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus - died at the hands of Hutu extremists in 1994.

Most of the victims of the genocide were attacked with machetes during 100 days of slaughter that began on 6 April 1994, shortly after Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down over the Rwandan capital.

Some Christian leaders were implicated in the violence.

The week of mourning begins with a wreath-laying ceremony at the national genocide memorial followed by the lighting of a flame at the Amahoro Stadium in the capital, Kigali.

The torch has been carried across the country for the past three months, visiting 30 districts and passing from village to village.

International leaders including former British PM Tony Blair, South African President Thabo Mbeki and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are due to attend the ceremony.

On Sunday, hundreds of people attended a Mass at Sainte-Famille Catholic church in Kigali to remember those who died in the church itself and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, France has denied that it is boycotting the event.

"The ambassador will be present at the ceremony presided over by Paul Kagame," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said.

"There was never any question of a boycott of the ceremonies. Saturday's decision only concerned the justice minister's participation."

Christiane Taubira had cancelled her plans to attend the events in Kigali following an accusation by Mr Kagame that France, as an ally of Mr Habyarimana's government at the time, had participated in the mass killings.

In an interview with the French-language weekly news magazine Jeune Afrique, Mr Kagame denounced the "direct role of Belgium and France in the political preparation for the genocide".

The French foreign ministry said the comments went against reconciliation efforts between the two countries.

Rwanda responded by accusing the French government of overreacting.

France has previously acknowledged that serious errors were made during the genocide in Rwanda.

A Rwandan commission in 2008 said France was aware of preparations for the genocide and helped train ethnic Hutu militias who participated in killings.

Paris said its forces had helped protect civilians as part of a UN-mandated intervention in Rwanda. But Mr Kagame said French troops had protected the militias carrying out the killings.

In recent years there has been a thaw in relations between the two countries, with a visit by Mr Kagame to Paris in 2011 and the establishment by France of a genocide investigation unit.

Last month, a Paris court sentenced former Rwandan spy chief Pascal Simbikangwa to 25 years in jail for his role in the genocide - the first such conviction in France.

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So many people and countries are to blame for Rwanda.

- Originally Belgium for creating the fake "racial" distinctions and separating people into two different groups Hutu and Tutsi under their failed White supremacy based imperialism.

- France for direct involvement in training militias and subsequently allowing many war criminals, murderers, Hutu leaders escape during their intervention

- U.N Secretary General Kofi Anan who rejected a U.N Generals request on the ground to intervene before the genocide started and during it.

- Ambassador Madeline Albright and really the Clinton administration who strategically did not use the word Genocide even though they knew that that was going on to avoid a U.N mandate of security council members obligated to intervene anywhere in the world where genocide is taking place.

- The entire UN Security council member nations who refused to intervene and in fact voted to reduced UN Troops on the ground.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Sad, just sad...

[Danno 1,228]

The Rwanda story is horrid enough in it;s own rite, in fact it was a rare peek into common warfare before the modern era.

The thing I find interesting with these stories and documentaries is the blame game.

When Europeans commit such atrocities we blame them.... when Rwandans commit atrocities they are treated as children hardly accountable for their own actions and so we must look toward the more adult folks who should have stepped in to "share" the blame.

This used to be called "The White mans Burden," apparently that mindset lives on.

[Peikko 1,575]

The Rwanda story is horrid enough in it;s own rite, in fact it was a rare peek into common warfare before the modern era.

The thing I find interesting with these stories and documentaries is the blame game.

When Europeans commit such atrocities we blame them.... when Rwandans commit atrocities they are treated as children hardly accountable for their own actions and so we must look toward the more adult folks who should have stepped in to "share" the blame.

This used to be called "The White mans Burden," apparently that mindset lives on.

Seriously, if you do not understand the issues you should just not post.

[Danno 1,228]

Seriously, if you do not understand the issues you should just not post.

Is that your copy-n-paste retort when you can't speak effectively on a topic?

I raised the point that when we see such genocide in other places no one spends so much effort blaming other countries.

At least not to the degree we see here.

Just read the story posted and consider how much ink is given to blame those with the machetes and how much is given to the UN and Europe.

Notice not one neighbor of Rwanda or the Pan African bodies was even mentioned.

[Peikko 1,575]

Is that your copy-n-paste retort when you can't speak effectively on a topic?

I raised the point that when we see such genocide in other places no one spends so much effort blaming other countries.

At least not to the degree we see here.

Just read the story posted and consider how much ink is given to blame those with the machetes and how much is given to the UN and Europe.

Notice not one neighbor of Rwanda or the Pan African bodies was even mentioned.

When you have something worthwhile to contribute, I am sure we'll all be more than interested. Your persistant whining about why the white man always gets blamed is just pathetic.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Is that your copy-n-paste retort when you can't speak effectively on a topic?

You should get yourself one of those seeing that you can't seem to speak effectively to any topic at all. Just get yourself a blurb and post it. It would probably make you look better than your attempts at discussing that which you clearly do not even begin to grasp. But hey, what do I know? I just wasted a minute talking to you.

[Danno 1,228]

When you have something worthwhile to contribute, I am sure we'll all be more than interested. Your persistant whining about why the white man always gets blamed is just pathetic.

Posts accusing me of not posting worthwhile comments is a little odd.

[Danno 1,228]

You should get yourself one of those seeing that you can't seem to speak effectively to any topic at all. Just get yourself a blurb and post it. It would probably make you look better than your attempts at discussing that which you clearly do not even begin to grasp. But hey, what do I know? I just wasted a minute talking to you.

DO me a fav.... if you can't post a rebuttal of the facts at least post a little humor, this dry stuff is both uninformative and kinda boring.

You can do better BD.... at least you used to.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Danno

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

DO me a fav.... if you can't post a rebuttal of the facts at least post a little humor, this dry stuff is both uninformative and kinda boring.

You can do better BD.... at least you used to.

What facts? This is now the second thread where you talk about facts that you supposedly offered and yet, there are none to be found.

[Danno 1,228]

What facts? This is now the second thread where you talk about facts that you supposedly offered and yet, there are none to be found.

Ahh, the Facts are within the story posted here.

After the Jews were killed, we did not spend half the time blaming the Brits, france or the USA.

After the Ukraine's got starved out we did not by-pass Stalin and Blame Poland for not sending help.

When The American indians were either bought out or pushed out.....where is the third party being accused?

But for some reason when we get to Rwanda..... it's a "we are the world" blame game.

[mota bhai 2,675]

At least 800,000 people - mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus - died at the hands of Hutu extremists in 1994.

Most of the victims of the genocide were attacked with machetes during 100 days of slaughter that began on 6 April 1994, shortly after Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down over the Rwandan capital.

died at the hands of Hutu extremists

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Yes. Somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 humans were brutally slaughtered each and every day for 100 days. And the rest of the world did - NOTHING.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Yes. Somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 humans were brutally slaughtered each and every day for 100 days. And the rest of the world did - NOTHING.

Bill clinton the first black president did nothing,

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Bill clinton the first black president did nothing,

That's right. He did nothing. Same as everybody else. Nothing.