Embassy Commemorates 28 Local Staff Killed During

UNCLAS KIGALI 000408

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TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL SOCI AFSN KDEM RW
SUBJECT: Embassy Commemorates 28 Local Staff Killed During
1994 Genocide


1. Summary: On April 20 Embassy held a memorial service in
honor of 28 locally engaged staff killed during the 1994
genocide. The fifth annual commemoration brought together
American and local staff with the widows and orphans of the
victims. In his remarks, Ambassador acknowledged that the
international community failed to respond and that the U.S.
failed to label the killings as "genocide." He noted that
while we cannot undo the past we can move forward with hope
and the recognition that reconciliation is a long and
difficult, but necessary, process. A representative of the
Genocide Survivors Association described the many
consequences of the genocide and called on the international
community to support the government in assisting survivors
and helping arrest those who planned the genocide. Catholic
and Muslim religious leaders offered prayers of comfort to
the families. A widow of a former USAID employee and a
guardian of a genocide orphan offered poignant personal
testimony. End summary.

Burying the Past
--------------


2. Two religious leaders offered spiritual guidance to the
families of the victims. Mufti Sheikh Habimana Swaleh of
the Muslim Association of Rwanda noted that each and every
individual is guilty, including those who were not directly
involved but stood by and failed to take action. He warned
that genocide ideology will continue as long as Rwandans do
not bury the past. He urged those responsible for the
atrocities to bury the past by accepting responsibility for
their actions, repenting, and asking for forgiveness. He
urged survivors not to be "slaves of sadness," and all
Rwandans to work together to unite the country so that
genocide will never happen again.


3. Father Incimatata Oreste said killing another human
being was not only genocide; it was tantamount to killing
God himself since we were all created in his image. He
urged Rwandans to take time for self-reflection, put aside
anger and hatred, forgive each other even if their grief is
great, and understand that even an evil person can change.

Surviving the Genocide
--------------


4. The widow of a former USAID local staff member provided
a moving testimony of the atrocities she witnessed and
suffered during the genocide, the chaos in the immediate
aftermath of the shooting down of the former president's
plane, her odyssey of survival, and her husband's death.
During gacaca, she was told her husband may have been killed
by someone in another village but she still does not know
the details of his death. A guardian of a genocide orphan
gently reminded Rwandans of the need to take care of the
family members of victims and to have hope that one day
Rwanda can become one family.

Time for Remembering and Healing
--------------


5. FSN Committee Chair Charles Mugabo described the
commemoration as a time for remembering and honoring fallen
colleagues and their families, a day when Mission employees,
friends, and survivors can share their stories, support each
other, and find healing. He said that two other groups
should also be remembered - the perpetrators, most of whom
have never been brought to justice, and the international
bystanders who chose to stand by and do nothing. He noted
that Rwanda is working hard to address the legacy of its
past and showing that there is hope in the face of tragedy.


6. During the previous week, teams of FSNs visited the
families who are taking care of genocide orphans to show
their support and solidarity. Last year, in remembrance of
their former colleagues, U.S. Mission employees created a
Genocide Orphans Fund to provide for the educational needs
and related expenses for the children of the 28 FSNs who
were killed. U.S. Mission staff have thus far contributed
USD 2,500 to the Fund. The FSN Committee resolved to pay
regular visits to victims' families to help rebuild their
lives emotionally and financially, and asked the Embassy to
follow up on the status of U.S. citizenship for the 24
genocide orphans. (Note: During last year's FSN
commemoration service when the question was first raised,
the then Charge d'Affaires said he would look into it but
did not make any promises. End note.)

Looking Ahead
--------------


7. Ambassador remarked that the ceremony, and especially

the testimony of survivors, helps us understand the tragedy
of the genocide and gives personal meaning to it. He
acknowledged that the international community failed to
respond and that the U.S. failed to label it "genocide."
While we cannot undo the past, he said, we can move forward
without fear and with hope. The testimony of survivors
serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit
in overcoming even the most difficult challenges.


8. He said that he has been impressed by the progress
Rwanda has made thus far on reconstruction and
reconciliation, which is hard and long but necessary. He
lauded the initiative of U.S. Mission staff in establishing
the Genocide Orphans Fund and encouraged all to contribute
to the effort. He urged all to grieve, learn from the
lessons, and work together to build a country that does
honor to the memory of the FSNs who were killed.

Genocide Survivors
--------------


9. Kalisa Evariste, member of Parliament and representative
of Ibuka ("remember"),a nationwide association of genocide
survivors, observed that although the genocide occurred 12
years ago, the wounds are still there. He described the
1994 genocide as "the cruelest in the history of mankind,"
killing one million people in just 100 days. It was
announced, planned, and executed while the entire
international community watched. Even the UN Security
Council had been warned by General Dallaire that a genocide
would take place in Rwanda. Despite this widespread
knowledge and the UN's declaration of "Never Again" after
the Holocaust, nobody intervened to stop it. Even the UN
forces left Rwanda, he said. Had the U.S. been willing to
intervene, the genocide -- a "shame for all of humanity" --
would not have happened. He pointed out, however, that the
U.S., unlike other developed countries, at least
acknowledged that it did not assist in stopping the
genocide. He thanked the U.S. for its good relations with
the GOR and for its support.


10. Evariste pointed out that the genocide left numerous
consequences, which the government, with its limited
resources, is struggling to face -- a large portion of the
population who must be tried for genocide crimes, survivors
who still do not know where their loved ones were killed and
have not uncovered their bodies for proper burial, children
who lost their parents and now head households and who
continue to suffer, women who were raped and tortured
sexually, and widows who were infected with HIV/AIDS during
the genocide and have no place to live.


11. On behalf of Ibuka, Evariste called on the
international community, particularly the U.S., to show
compassion to genocide survivors by supporting the
government in addressing these many problems confronting
Rwanda and helping to arrest those still in hiding who
planned the genocide. Reminding the international community
that it did nothing to stop the genocide, he suggested that
it can pay respect to the survivors by assisting them now.
He also noted that there are opportunists who are profiting
from the production and sale of films about the genocide
while survivors continue to suffer, and he asked that they
stop producing those self-enriching films.

Comment
--------------


12. The commemoration was a poignant reminder that 12 years
after the genocide that ravaged the country and permeated
the entire population, Rwanda has not recovered from the
deep emotional trauma and loss it suffered collectively and
individually. The personal testimony of those who survived
the tragedy brought home to U.S. Mission staff, especially
those who were not here during that time, the immediacy and
the lingering impact of the genocide in the life of every
Rwandan. Twelve years have passed, but the memories
continue to indelibly haunt those who survived as well as
those who committed the atrocities. For both, the genocide
is as real now as it was then, and their wounds far from
healed.

Arietti