International
Whitewashing genocidaires will not work
The offsprings of genocide fugitives were radicalized and continue to spread the
same deadly genocidal ideology blamed for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in
Rwanda, when more than one million people were murdered within 100 days.
This is the case of Peter Mutabaruka, son of Célestin Mutabaruka. He runs a platform called ‘Amahoriwacu’, through which
he tarnishes the Rwandan government’s image with allegations of human rights violations
in a bid to whitewash his father’s genocide crimes.
Worse still, Mutabaruka’s son is investing
more effort in spreading the double genocide theory.
During the 29th Commemoration, he made
a viral video clip where he was filmed claiming that Rwanda’s ruling party, RPF–Inkotanyi,
which halted the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has committed ‘Hutu
massacres’ in Rwanda and neighboring countries.
By referring to RPF as killers, Mutabaruka is
whitewashing his father and other genocidaires who have the Tutsi’s blood on their hands.
The United Nations recognizes one genocide in
Rwanda, the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
On December 23, 2003, the United Nations
General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate April 7 as the
International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in
Rwanda.
Peter Mutabaruka is pushing hard to sanitize
his father’s hands, but mass murderers are wicked whether tried or not.
His 67-year-old father who is currently living in Ashford, UK, was working as the director general of the Crete Zaire-Nil (CZN) project
in 1994. It was a state forestry project headquartered in the former Musebeya
Commune, now Nyamagabe district.
He is linked to the killings of Tutsi
refugees at Gatare in April, 1994. In May, he led Interahamwe militia to the
hills of Bisesero where some Tutsi were seeking refuge. About 40,000 Tutsi were
massacred there.
In 1994, during the Genocide, he was the
president of UNISODEC, a political party affiliated to the ruling MRND party of
President Juvénal Habyarimana.
As a member of the Pentecostal Church
(ADEPR), he was very known for discriminating the Tutsi. Genocide survivors
from Gatare revealed that Célestin Mutabaruka established three roadblocks in
the neighborhood of CZN project to prevent the Tutsi from fleeing.
To encourage the acceleration of killings, he
used to reward Rwf 20,000, meat and beer to everyone who managed the
roadblocks, as incentives.
Some 72 Tutsi who sought refuge in a
Presbyterian church near the CZN project offices were killed on orders of Mutabaruka
and Viateur Higiro, the former mayor of Musebeya.
After the genocide, Mutabaruka fled to then
Zaire, now DRC, and later to the UK where he founded Fountain Church.
Kigali released his arrest warrant and asked the
UK to extradite him.
But British courts rejected the request on allegations that he was, and still is, an active politician in opposition to the Government of Rwanda, and will, for that reason, not be accorded a fair trial in Rwanda.
Genocide fugitives have been shielded by hiding behind political activism to evade justice for their genocide crimes. The UK doubting Rwanda's justice is also seen as merely discrediting the Rwandan government and its institutions yet the two countries have cooperation agreements in various areas.