National Reconciliation a Top Priority for Rwanda

UNCLAS KIGALI 000382 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C AND DRL SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM KJUS RW SUBJECT: National Reconciliation a Top Priority for Rwanda ¶1. Summary: During an April 20 meeting with Ambassador, National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) Executive Secretary Fatuma Ndangiza described NURC's primary role as promoting national reconciliation through civic education. Since 1999, NURC has conducted surveys, including a nationwide survey on gacaca and reconciliation, promoted income-generating activities linked to reconciliation, facilitated development of history textbooks, and conducted workshops and "solidarity camps." Ndangiza pointed out that gacaca, unlike Rwanda's classical court system, provides space for "reconciliatory justice." Gacaca gives perpetrators an opportunity to confess and to come to terms with their crimes, she said, and brings together all the parties in their shared goal of seeking the truth. Ndangiza, who previously served in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, also commented that child prostitution is not as significant a problem in Rwanda as the large number of households headed by children due to parents killed in the Genocide. End summary. Culture of Inclusion -------------- ¶2. In an April 20 courtesy call by Ambassador on NURC Executive Secretary Fatuma Ndangiza, Ndangiza described NURC's history and mission, its successes, and biggest challenges. The Commission was established by parliament in March 1999 in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. The 1992- 1993 Arusha peace negotiations had identified the need for a mechanism to promote stability and "a culture of inclusion" in Rwandan society. NURC was thus established to provide a forum for discussing the critical question of unity and reconciliation in view of Rwanda's long history of discrimination based on ethnic divisions. ¶3. According to Ndangiza, the Commission's primary role is to educate Rwandans on peaceful co-existence and national unity, to combat exclusion, and to promote equality. Unlike other similar national commissions, such as those in South Africa or Sierra Leone, whose primary goal is the search for the truth, NURC's core mission is to show Rwandans how much they have in common and to educate them on how to promote their similarities rather than their differences for positive change. The big challenge, she said, is achieving reconciliation among perpetrators of the Genocide, its survivors, and victims' families, and building trust among all Rwandans. Nationwide Genocide Survey -------------- ¶4. In 2002, NURC conducted a nationwide survey representing all segments of Rwandan society to elicit views on the genocide and reconciliation, and in particular their views on what divided Rwandans and whether reconciliation is possible. Among the factors cited as contributing to the genocide were bad governance and leadership, a culture of impunity, and a weak judiciary. Ndandiza asserted that prior to the genocide and prior to RPF rule, people committed crimes without any consequences, and in most cases the judiciary was "manipulated by the executive." Poverty and the high rate of illiteracy also contributed to widespread ethnic discrimination and enabled the planners of the genocide, most of whom were educated, to manipulate the illiterate poor masses into executing their plan. Emphasis on Civic Education -------------- ¶5. Ndangiza noted that NURC aims to educate the masses to question authorities as a preventive measure against recurrence of genocide. NURC educates the populace at the community level on their civic rights and obligations, conflict management, and peacebuilding through workshops and "solidarity camps" modeled on "ingando," small, traditional, community-based focus groups used since pre-colonial times for civic education and reflection. During one-month "solidarity camps," participants from various sectors of Rwandan society learn about their history, reconciliation, democracy and human rights, reflect on the causes of the genocide, and learn to manage conflict. There are solidarity camps for youth, for university students, for workers in the informal sector, and for genocidaires. In addition, there are solidarity camps specifically focused on addressing the immediate infrastructure needs of the community, such as construction and repair of houses. These participatory camps reflect NURC's view that Rwanda's problems need to be resolved by Rwandans, not by outsiders. Confessions of Genocidaires -------------- ¶6. In 2003, President Kagame made the decision to provisionally release detained genocidaires who had confessed their crimes. As a result, between 2003 and 2005, about 50,000 genocidaires were released from prison. When asked by the Ambassador whether most of them were genuinely remorseful or whether they had confessed just to be released, Ndangiza commented that confessions among young people (ages 14-18) tended to be genuine while confessions among adults were more mixed, with some truly remorseful and others merely seeking reduction of their sentences. Nevertheless, she said, confession in and of itself is a positive step. She noted that in 1998 and 1999 (prior to gacaca) it was very difficult for genocidaires to accept their role in the genocide, as they continued to believe that they had performed their civic duty. Gacaca provided the space for "reconciliatory justice." Unlike the classical court system, gacaca provided the opportunity for perpetrators to confess and come to terms with what they had done. Tool of Reconciliatory Justice -------------- ¶7. Ambassador acknowledged the challenging task of reconciliation. He observed that gacaca is aimed at two admirable but different goals -- rendering justice and promoting reconciliation -- and that going from the theoretical to reality and achieving both goals might be difficult. Ndangiza acknowledged that it's a challenge, and pointed out that reconciliation needs to be understood from a broad perspective. She pointed out that it's very important to Rwanda that everyone sit together and seek the truth. She noted that prior to gacaca there was a tendency to globalize the guilt of genocidaires. Gacaca provided an opportunity to establish individual guilt or innocence and brought together perpetrators, victims and other witnesses in the common goal of seeking the truth. In that sense, she said, gacaca has been contributing to reconciliation. ¶8. Asked whether most Rwandans perceive gacaca as fair and respect the panels of judges, Ndangiza cited the 2002 nationwide opinion survey conducted by NURC shortly after the pilot phase of gacaca began in June. The survey indicated that 90 percent of the population believed gacaca was working despite concerns in some areas. Victims expressed doubts as to whether the process would elicit the actual truth. Victims and perpetrators alike expressed concerns over face-to-face confrontation and fears of possible intimidation. Some believed that leaders would not participate in the process. The majority of respondents perceived most gacaca judges as fair, although they believed that some of them might have participated in the genocide themselves. ¶9. The 2002 survey reflected divergent views on reconciliation. Most perpetrators were interested in reconciliation, while most victims were interested in finding the truth because they believed that without truth there could be no reconciliation. Some believed that the type of preaching in gacaca - its emphasis on forgiveness over justice or truth - might confuse Rwanda's many churchgoers. Others expressed concerns that people in the countryside might not participate. ¶10. Ndangiza noted, however, that Rwandans were excited about the gacaca process once it started. She noted a key correlation between the level of community participation and local leadership, with generally higher community participation in areas where the leaders themselves participated and mobilized the population, and less participation in areas where leaders were less involved in the process. Reconciliation Initiatives -------------- ¶11. One of NURC's strategies is to promote income- generating activities linked to reconciliation between perpetrators and survivors and victims' families. NURC has facilitated the return of some perpetrators to their home communities to ask for forgiveness and work for the community, such as rebuilding houses for victims' families. ¶12. Ndangiza noted that some perpetrators have confessed to their crimes outside of gacaca through community associations (most of them located in eastern and southern Rwanda),which provide a supportive environment with no intimidation where perpetrators are more willing to tell the truth and victims more willing to openly share their story. In Butare alone, there are over 60 such associations where survivors, perpetrators, and victims' families come together for income-generating activities. Ndangiza noted that returnees from the 1959 exodus of mostly Tutsi refugees have served as facilitators in these associations. In areas of massive concentrated genocide, such as Gisenyi and Ruhengeri, there have been fewer such initiatives. ¶13. Ndangiza said that when she was in the Bugesera area near the Burundi border, she was told that most of the local leaders had participated in the genocide and that they had panicked and fled the country when gacaca started. The local leadership in that area is weak, she said, and not interested in educating the population about gacaca. She noted that they are still teaching the people the "wrong" history, distorting the facts and, in some cases, even creating a climate of mistrust. She believed that might change if there is good leadership to promote reconciliation and to educate the populace on gacaca. NURC, with support from UNHCR, is planning an intensive sensitization program on the role of reconciliation, starting with the local leadership. It is also developing leadership training and additional programs for youth to address high unemployment among youth, one of the factors that contributed to the genocide. ¶14. Subsequent to its 2002 survey on gacaca and reconciliation, NURC conducted surveys on democratization and decentralization, and this year another survey on gacaca (scheduled for release in June),as well surveys on the draft land law and democratization. RPF Involvement in the Genocide -------------- ¶15. Ambassador noted that one of the criticisms of gacaca is that it addresses only the crimes of the genocidaires and not those allegedly committed by the RPF, and asked what has been done to address this seeming disparity. Ndangiza responded that many of the cases of RPF soldiers who allegedly committed atrocities during the civil war are still in military courts, and that there are avenues of justice for them. She added that NURC recognizes this as a legitimate concern and is planning to organize a debate on it once the gacaca trials are under way so that people will understand those killings as different from the genocide killings and will not be confused. (Note: While RPF elements were, in fact, responsible for some of the retaliatory killings in 1994, it was on a relatively limited scale compared to those committed by Hutu extremists. Individual RPF soldiers have been tried and convicted for their crimes in the military court system. End note.) Challenges and Next Steps -------------- ¶16. As with most government agencies in Rwanda, staffing is a challenge for NURC. With the recent government retrenchment, NURC now has a reduced staff of only 35, but works closely with civic organizations and has 720 part-time volunteers at the grassroots level. Another challenge, in the immediate term, is sensitizing the community at the local level to the root causes and consequences of the genocide and the critical role of national reconciliation. NURC is mobilizing churches and civil society in this effort. ¶17. In addition, a team of researchers hired by NURC for a 15-month project is researching Rwandan history to develop a fact-based history book that focuses on the positive aspects of Rwanda's history, such as its economic and cultural history. Another group from the University of California is working with the National University in Butare and the Ministry of Education in developing an interactive methodology for teaching history. Ndangiza expressed the hope that in 2007 people would discuss Rwanda's history with these two new history books. Child Prostitution -------------- ¶18. Although the issue does not fall within her current portfolio, Ndangiza previously served in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, and Ambassador took the opportunity to ask about the extent of child prostitution in Rwanda. Ndangiza commented that it is not a very significant problem and that the GOR does not have any statistics. Churches and NGOs have undertaken efforts to rehabilitate prostitutes. The bigger problem, she said, is the large number of households headed by children, a by- product of poverty and the genocide that left many children with only one or no parents. She suggested, however, that research on the root causes of child prostitution could be useful. Comment -------------- ¶19. Gacaca, although readily acknowledged by the GOR as imperfect, is facilitating the difficult reconciliation process by bringing together all parties at the community level and providing Rwanda with its only forum for open discussion of the genocide. The GOR's recognition that the issue of crimes by RPF elements must be addressed and its plans to hold a debate on a contentious issue that has drawn pointed criticism are positive signs. Post recognizes that Ndangiza's criticism of local leaders teaching the "wrong" history and the pre-1994, pre-RPF government as ineffective is the GOR party line, but finds it credible nonetheless. Post will closely watch and report opposition views. The immediate challenge of gacaca will be adjudicating the thousands of genocide-related cases beginning this year and holding accountable those responsible for the genocide; the longer-term, overarching, perhaps more difficult, goal is achieving national reconciliation. While NURC recognizes and acknowledges the difficulty of achieving these potentially conflicting goals, its current focus on civic education at the grassroots level is producing tangible results. Arietti