On
Rwanda
Genocide, UN
Silent on Its
Own Role, So
ICP Asks,
Duhozanye
Answers
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
9 -- When the
UN invited two
Rwanda
genocide
survivors to
speak on April
9,
commemorating
19 years after
UN
peacekeepers
left in the
face of mass
murder, one
expected the
“lessons
learned” to
also be about
the UN.
But
the formal
presentation
asked Daphrose
Mukarutamu,
founder of the
Duhozanye
organization,
and her fellow
survivor only
about
reconciliation
in the
country. The
UN Women
panelist,
Nahla Valji,
spoke about
the gacaca
courts.
But in
terms of
“Never Again,”
what of the
UN's own
performance,
its
abandonment of
the victim,
even helping
the genocidaires
to escape into
Eastern Congo?
As we
have noted,
current chief
of UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
in 1994 as
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
of France
advocated for
and
facilitated
this rescue of
genocidaires,
through “Operation
Turquiose.”
Ladsous
refused
to answer
Inner City
Press
questions
about his
role, then
refused to
answer ANY
questions from
Inner City
Press,
including
about rapes by
the Congolese
Army, his
partners. Video here.
On
Tuesday night,
the UN did not
ask about
these issues
either. So
Inner City
Press did.
YouTube
video here.
Daphrose
Mukarutamu
replied with
dignity that
members of
Duhozanye have
testified in
Arusha against
those who
committed the
genocide, and
the government
is trying to
track more
down.
But
what of, for
example,
Callitxe
Mbarushimana,
who while
working for
UNDP in 1994
used UN
vehicles and
radios to kill
at least three
dozen Tutsis,
including
Florence
Ngirumpatse,
the director
of personnel
at UNDP's
office in
Kigali?
The UN
let him keep
working for
them, in
Angola where
he was not
even language
qualified,
until he was
outed in 2001
working for
the UN in
Kosovo. Even
then, he was
paid an
additional
$35,000.
After
Inner City
Press'
question, and
Daphrose
Mukarutamu's
answer, a
participant
hissed to
Inner City
Press, do you
think that
question
elevated the
discussion?
It had
to be asked.
It should have
been in the
introduction.
It should have
been in
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
canned
statement over
the weekend.
And it will
continued to
be asked.
Duhozanye
is
composed of,
and cares for,
genocide
survivors, now
focusing on
those who are
aging without
family members
to take care
of them. They
want to start
a retirement
community. The
event was
strangely
lacking in
contact
information
for them. But
we suggest an
Internet
search:
Duhozanye. And
check out, as
well, Callitxe
Mbarushimana
and the
history of
Herve Ladsous,
while you're
at it. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
the
UN Department
of Public
Information,
the evening's
host, does
some good
programs, and
surely will do
more. But they
should have
included some
mention of the
UN's own role.
And,
just within UN
Headquarters
itself, they
should be more
forthright
about how and
why they
raided the
office of
Inner City
Press without
consent or
even notice on
March 18, and
how photographs
they took were
leaked to
BuzzFeed.com
on March 21.
The Rwandan
mission is
aware of what
DPI did, even
referred to it
on UNTV
earlier this
month. Accountability,
high and low.
Or impunity?
Watch this
site.
, 
