View previous stories
	Rwanda Remembers by Kwibuka, Aegis Trust, agencies   7 Apr 2014   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges continued vigilance to prevent future atrocities, marking 20th anniversary of Rwandan genocide.   Commemorating “one of the darkest chapters in human history,” United Nations officials paid tribute this morning to the 800,000 men, women and children – overwhelmingly Tutsi, moderate Hutu and Twa – that were systematically killed 20 years ago in Rwanda, and urged the international community to work together and remain vigilant to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.   “The blood spilled for 100 days. Twenty years later, the tears still flow,” said Ban Ki-Moon, in an address during a commemoration ceremony in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, at which the UN chief expressed his solidarity with all Rwandans as they continue their “journey of healing.”   The event took place in Kigali’s National Stadium Amahoro (“peace”) where, in 1994, thousands of Rwandans found refuge, barely escaping the murder and rape that stalked the country. Mr. Ban has been to Rwanda several times as UN Secretary-General, and has met survivors, listened to their stories and visited the Gisozi Memorial.   Regretting the international community’s silence at the time, he declared that much more could and should have been done, adding that peacekeeping troops were withdrawn when they were most needed.   “The world has yet to fully overcome its divisions, its indifference, its moral blind spots,” deplored Mr. Ban, citing the atrocities that occurred in Srebrenica in 1995, and the current conflicts in Syria and the Central African Republic.   The Secretary-General underlined that “there is a truth to the human condition that is as alarming today as it was 20 years ago; the fragility of our civility. The bonds that hold us together can swiftly disappear.”   “At the same time, there is progress that gives hope,” he continued, noting that under the “responsibility to protect” principle “States can no longer claim that atrocity crimes are only a domestic matter.” Citing the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) as an example, Mr. Ban added that the expansion of international criminal justice has made “leaders and warlords alike face the growing likelihood of prosecution for their crimes.”   In preventing such crimes from happening in the future, he highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant: “Since genocide takes planning, human rights violations must be seen as early warning signals of conflict and mass atrocities.”   “We must not be left to utter the words ‘never again’, again and again,” he said.   “When you see people at risk of atrocity crimes, do not wait for instructions from afar.   Speak up, even if it may offend. Act. Our first duty must always be to protect people – to protect human beings in need and distress,” Mr. Ban stressed, a message that he has shared with all UN representatives around the world, including in South Sudan where “many thousands of people are alive today thanks to this open gates approach.”   “No country, no matter how tolerant on the surface, is immune from targeting the so-called other. No corner of the world, no matter how advanced, is free from opportunists who manipulate identity for political gain.”   The Secretary-General went on to pay tribute to the people of Rwanda, for “showing the world another essential truth: the power of the human spirit.”   “The resilience of the survivors almost defies belief,” he said at the Kigali event, echoing a different statement released earlier in which he admired the Rwandans ability to “unite and show that reconciliation is possible even after a monumental tragedy.”   “I encourage Rwanda to continue deepening democracy and protecting human rights so that Rwanda’s future is one of freedom, dignity, security and opportunity for all,” he concluded, urging “the wider Great Lakes region to expand upon your efforts to strengthen prevention and cooperation towards regional stability and harmony.”   The President of the UN General Assembly, John Ashe, encouraged all “Member States, civil society and other stakeholders to honour the memory of those who were needlessly and mercilessly killed solely because of their ethnic identity,” adding that “we must continue to support those who survived this tragedy and still suffer from its effects.”   Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasized the importance of bringing perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice. “Impunity adds insult to the grave injury, physical and emotional, suffered by the victims,” she said, noting that “shortly after the genocide, the new Government of Rwanda itself prioritised justice and accountability, not least by asking the Security Council to establish an international tribunal. They recognised that justice and accountability are indispensable for long-term stability.”   Bongani Majola, Registrar of the ICTR, said that most of the Tribunal’s work has been accomplished, with only five appeals involving 11 accused remaining. The Tribunal expects to close on the 30th of September of 2015.   The ICTR will also spend the remainder of its time finishing up some administrative work such as the preparation of the ICTR archive that is to be delivered to the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT).   The residual mechanism, as the MICT is informally known, was created in 2010 by the Security Council to take over the residual functions of the ICTR and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former-Yugoslavia (ICTY), such as long-term sentence enforcement and witness protection.   The Tribunal originally indicted 93 suspects, though only 76 were tried (seven indictments were withdrawn, and 10 were referred to national jurisdictions), with 62 convictions and 14 acquittals.   Mr. Majola noted that the ICTR encountered many challenges in the course of its 20 years of existence, citing the lack of enforcement mechanisms such as a police force and the lack of authority over any territory whatsoever as the biggest difficulties.   “Getting the accused persons and witnesses was particularly difficult because they were scattered all over the world, in many countries, and some were in hiding,” stated Mr. Majola, adding that a lot depended on the good will of national authorities in tracking, detaining and handing the accused over to the Tribunal. Out of the 62 people convicted, three couldn’t be found and/or arrested and their cases will be handed over to the residual mechanism.   Despite all these challenges, Mr. Majola stressed, the ICTR had major achievements, the main one being that it was able to execute its mandate successfully. “We were able to prosecute the leadership, and many of them were punished and sentenced to long term imprisonment.   Those include Prime Minister Jean Kambanda who led the interim government during the genocide, and who is now serving a life sentence.” Among the leadership brought to justice, Mr. Majola also cited the directors the radio and television service in Rwanda at the time because of the “propaganda they were broadcasting saying that the Tutsis needed to be eliminated.”   Noting that the genocide had eliminated Rwanda’s police and judiciary authorities, Mr. Majola highlighted that “if the tribunal hadn’t been established, many of these people would not have been brought to justice because after the genocide Rwanda didn’t have the judicial capacity, nor did it have the capacity to go and look for them in all corners of the world which the Tribunal was able to do, and to bring them back, and to try them, and to punish them.”   Mr. Majola said the Tribunal’s greatest accomplishment may be that it created a precedent on international criminal justice and created an international jurisprudence: “The ICTR and the ICTY have actually given confidence that it is possible to have criminal justice at an international level,” he said insisting that both institutions “also have contributed to the message that impunity is not going to be tolerated.”   April 2013   Rwandans and friends of Rwanda all over the world will today mark the 19th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with a focus on self reliance, writes Frank Kanyesigye (allAfrica).   The observance that falls on April 7 begins with a commemoration week that involves several activities among others, visiting and laying wreaths at memorial sites, according decent burial to exhumed Genocide remains, giving testimonies, public lectures, and candle lighting vigils.   The activities officially last a week, but the commemoration continues up to July 4, marking 100 days of Genocide.   This year"s memorial is held under the theme "Let"s remember the Genocide against the Tutsi as we strive for self-reliance."   Unlike the previous event, where people could converge at Amahoro National Stadium as early as 7a.m for the Genocide observance main function, this time the commemoration will marked at village level.   Speaking to Sunday Times yesterday, Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission against Genocide (CNLG) said the commemoration week kicks off early in the morning with meetings at every village.   "People are urged to tune on the national TV and radio to follow the events expected to take place at around 11 am at Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre where President Paul Kagame and other senior government officials will lay wreaths on the mass grave that contains over 250,000 remains of Genocide victims, as well as light a Flame of Hope that will last for a 100 days," he explained.   Mucyo added that at around noon, a one minute of silence will be observed in remembrance of the victims.   People are expected to throng Amahoro stadium for the candle lit night vigils, where "Walk To Remember" participants will converge for commemorative candle lighting ceremony and reading of the names of some of those who lost their lives during the Genocide.   The walk is spearheaded by Peace and Love Proclaimers (PLP) and the CNLG and it will be held under the theme; "Remember, Honour and Rebuild."   The "Name Reading" part of the event will see participants reading 100 names of people who were killed in the Genocide.   19 years on, Rwandans are looking forward to build a bright and self reliant country without forgetting the 1994"s most horrible tragedy that left more than a million people dead.   Nevertheless the country has managed to rise from the ashes and build a resilient nation-one of the fastest growing economies in the world.   Mucyo stated on April 11, a commemoration event will take place at Nyanza Memorial Centre in Kicukiro District where more than 5,000 people were killed.   "During the memorial week, work will be done before midday and then after, people will converge in their villages for commemoration meetings and night vigils," he said.   "This time the conclusion of the national commemoration week at Rebero Genocide Memorial Site to honour politicians will be attended only by government officials and the relatives of the politicians buried there."   He called on Rwandans to fully participate in all the commemoration activities as the country marks the most tragic period.   However Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, the president of "Ibuka"-an umbrella of genocide survivors calls for support, console and comfort of the genocide survivors and orphans during the commemoration period.   "We saw death, but now it"s time to move forward and build a better future of our people and the country. We should use the moment to learn about the genocide and strongly focus on preventing its occurrence," he noted.   Dusingizemungu expressed gratitude towards the government"s tireless efforts to support the genocide survivors and giving them a new life full of hope and promise.   According to the Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG), the fund has spent over Rwf 130 billion on survivors welfare with 75 percent spent on education since 1998.   The day is also on the calendar of many countries across the world, following the UN declared April 7 Day Of Reflection On Genocide Against Tutsi.   In Montpellier, France, activities began on Friday where the Franco-Rwandan association organized a dramatic representation of what Rwandan women during the Genocide. Other activities are planned all over the country, as well as in other European countries.   United Nations Information Centres in at least 13 countries, including in Asmara, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Kiev, Lusaka, Mexico, Moscow, Nairobi, Tehran and Warsaw will also organize events.   As the country mourns the victims, for the 19th time, a number of the perpetrators, are still roaming free and are yet to face justice.   Rwanda has issued arrest warrants for over 130 genocide fugitives all over the world who continue to elude justice.   http://www.kwibuka.rw/ http://www.aegistrust.org/index.php/Aegis-Rwanda/global-figures-unite-to-remember-with-rwanda.html http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/links.shtml http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/resources/videos.shtml http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00029917.html?aa_source=ri-headline http://allafrica.com/stories/201304080445.html http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506 http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/ http://mm.hrw.org/content/remembering-rwanda-20th-anniversary-genocide http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/03/28/rwanda-justice-after-genocide-20-years http://reliefweb.int/report/rwanda/un-high-commissioner-human-rights-navi-pillay-international-day-reflection-1994 http://speakingout.msf.org/en/genocide-of-rwandan-tutsi http://www.trust.org/spotlight/Genocide-and-justice-Rwanda-20-years-on http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/adviser/responsibility.shtml http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Genocide.aspx http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/ http://www.globalr2p.org/our_work/rwanda_20 http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/04/20th-anniversary-genocide-rwandas-women-stand-strong/ http://endgenocide.org/making-mistakes-rwanda/ Visit the related web page
	China increasingly assertive in proclaiming its self described territorial rights by Margot O''Neill ABC Lateline, agencies   Apr 2014   China"s aggressive asserting of its self proclaimed fishing and territorial rights as far south as Indonesian waters is unsettling its Asian neighbours.   While tension between Japan and China over territorial claims in the East China Sea is well known, there"s been limited media coverage about how South-East Asian nations are facing increasingly aggressive Chinese maritime actions.   Security analysts say there"ve been scores of confrontations in recent years, including boats rammed, shots fired and the deployment of troops onto tiny strips of land barely above sea level.   A remarkable documentary made in China last year follows its paramilitary vessels patrolling the South China Sea. It highlights Beijing"s increasingly coercive assertion of its rights in the region and the real risk of military escalation.   For instance, this incident that occurred in disputed waters with Vietnam in 2007 is described as a "grand battle". It began when Vietnamese naval supply ships tried to stop Chinese oil and gas survey ships. A small fleet of Chinese paramilitary vessels came to the rescue.   CHINESE MAN (subtitle translation): You must stop immediately obstructing vessels of the Chinese Government.   VIETNAMESE MAN (subtitle translation): We demand that you withdraw from Vietnam"s waters immediately.   CHINESE MAN II (subtitle translation): Drawn from our long years of experience of enforcement, it is much easier to attack than defend.   CHINESE MAN III (subtitle translation): At this critical juncture, our commander resolutely ordered us to ram their vessels.   It"s just one of many sometimes violent clashes involving the Chinese on the high seas, according to one of Australia"s most senior security analysts and former government advisor, Professor Alan Du Pont.   ALAN DUPONT: Over the last four years, we"ve seen a clear pattern of China starting to push its claims in a much more aggressive way, using it"s fishing fleet and its paramilitary fleet.   MARGOT O"NEILL: The South China Sea is rich in oil and gas and fish reserves and it"s the subject of competing claims. China has now claimed nearly all of it with this nine-dash line. But this is fiercely contested by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. The battle for control of tiny atolls and reefs is ever-more intense because they deliver exclusive rights to the area.   On the frontline, thousands of Chinese fishermen. Beijing has quadrupled maritime patrol since 2007 to ensure they can fish where they want.   MARITIME PATROL OFFICER (subtitle translation): Have you ever been seized?   CHINESE FISHERMAN (subtitle translation): Yes. The Philippines seized five of our boats. Now, with your protection, we are bolder.   MARITIME PATROL OFFICER (subtitle translation): Really?   CHINESE FISHERMAN (subtitle translation): Yes. Thank you very much.   ALAN DUPONT: The fact that large numbers of fishing vessels are now regularly penetrating these areas, supported by these quite large paramilitary fleets suggests that China has made a decision that they"re going to enforce their claims physically. And then what the Chinese appear to be doing is setting up buoys and markers on these contested islands. Then they start to occupy them. And then they will in some cases garrison the islands. I have to say that it"s not only China, that other countries have been doing it as well.   But because China is so much bigger and more powerful than everybody else, it"s had more wherewithal to do this.   MARGOT O"NEILL: In this 2010 incident, Chinese enforcement vessels steamed straight into what"s been regarded as Indonesian waters, nearly 2,000 kilometres from China. An Indonesian patrol boat attempts to arrest Chinese fishermen. The Chinese chase the Indonesian patrol boat away with an ominous warning.   CHINESE MAN IV (subtitle translation): To prevent the attack from the foreign frigate while lodging serious representations, the crew was also prepared for combat.   ALAN DUPONT: I don"t think being as aggressive as it is in the Western Pacific actually works in China"s interests in the long term. They may in the short term get additional territory and resources, but look at the cost. The cost will be the alienation of the whole of the Asia Pacific region. It"ll essentially militarise what has been a very peaceful part of the world.   We"ve had a number of incidents where Chinese submarines have been basically surveilling and shadowing US carrier groups. We had one instance where a Chinese submarine popped up in the middle of the inner ring of the defence ring around a carrier. So the Chinese have been unafraid to make their presence known.   MARGOT O"NEILL: In February in year, China flexed its new maritime muscle by sending a flotilla of warships further south than ever before, reaching into the Indian Ocean, north of Australia.   ALAN DUPONT: What it has done has now given them a capability they didn"t have before to project force right into the southern reaches of the Western Pacific - that"s down towards Indonesia and into the Malacca Strait - and to sustain their capabilities now with military ships, naval ships, as well as these paramilitary ships.   http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2014/s3980437.htm http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/isabel-hilton/in-deep-water-china-tests-its-neighbours%E2%80%99-patience
	View more stories