1994 genocide against the Tutsi: UK hides dagger behind smile

Twenty-seven years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwandans continue to battle the Genocide revisionism and denial propagated by the Genocide perpetrators and their sympathisers. But it is perplexing to see a country like the United Kingdom – and the United States of America – continuing to espouse the same Genocide revisionism agenda, the aim being to rewrite the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi, for political reasons.

The August 19 interview by the new UK envoy to Rwanda, Omar Daair, with reporters in Kigali, again showed how this island nation in north-western Europe hides its dagger behind a smile when relating with Rwanda. The new envoy’s response, when asked why his government continues to refuse to use the right terminology when referring to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi is a reminder that the UK is not ready to rightly label the horrors witnessed in 1994.

“I understand that it is not the position of the government with regard to the terminology and a lot of people take the issue seriously. It is not designated to dilute this issue. It is not any way meant to be Genocide denial which we reject,” was Daair's response to puzzled reporters. His declaration sounded hollow because the UK representative at the UN during the UN General Assembly (GA12000) of January 26, 2018, which unanimously voted for the adoption of April 7th of every year as a Day of Reflection on the Genocide against the Tutsi had explained the reasons behind the UK government’s stance.

During that vote, the British and American representatives expressed reservation about the use of the phrase “Genocide against the Tutsi”, because they argued that the latter failed to capture “the magnitude” of the violence against “other groups”. They claimed that it left “an incomplete picture of this dark part of history”. The UK representative, at the time, noted that “many Hutu and others were also killed during the Genocide, including those murdered for their opposition to the atrocities that were being committed.”

Abundant evidence points to the fact that the mass-killings of the Tutsi were part of a plan to systematically exterminate them. Different international reports, and the UN Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) all confirmed these facts. The UK stance also goes against the very definition of a “Genocide” as specified by the 1948 Geneva Genocide Convention of which the Kingdom is a signatory.

The Rwandan government does not deny that during the Genocide, the Hutu were also killed. But this was not part of plan to eliminate them. The UK and US position also goes against the very definition of a “Genocide”. As a matter of fact, Article II of this Convention defines the Genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. As far as I know, there was no plan to target the Hutu.

The UN  General Assembly Resolution’s aim was to deal with the ambiguity which assisted many Genocide fugitives to continue to evade justice and highlighted the importance to fight impunity. Regrettably, it is the same British government which continues to foster the culture of impunity by refusing to extradite to Rwanda, for trial  five Genocide suspects who have been living in the UK for more than two decades. The five are Celestin Mutabaruka, Dr Vincent Bajinya, Charles Munyaneza, Celestin Ugirashebuja and Emmanuel Nteziryayo.

Today, the call for justice by Genocide survivors is even louder. Representatives of Ibuka, an umbrella for organisations of Genocide survivors, and the Genocide Survivors’ Students Association (GAERG) have advised the UK to imitate countries like The Netherlands, and Canada to ensure that justice is done. Egide Gatari, the president of GAERG, said that: “As survivors, the only thing that we request for, is justice. Hearing that a country like the UK has functional laws and a reputable human rights record continues to protect those who participated in the killings can be interpreted as not giving value to the innocent people that were brutally killed and those that survived.”

It is very difficult not to associate the UK government refusal to use the correct terminology regarding the Genocide against the Tutsi, and its refusal to extradite or try the five top Genocide suspects. There is a growing fear that some of these criminals are growing older and may die soon before they are brought to court.

All that Rwanda wants is that due process is followed and that justice is done. Justice delayed is justice denied.  Worse still, by refusing to acknowledge as well as use the right terminology on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the UK is firing up denial and revisionism - the last stage of a Genocide.