"Anyone who thinks that the crimes of Satanic bankers and their dark acolytes are not past worthy of capital punishment needs to read this." (H/T)
I'm seeing guilt all over my Globe:
"Rwanda marks genocide history; Thousands attend emotional event" by Katherine Sullivan | Associated Press April 08, 2014
KIGALI, Rwanda — Displaying pride and pain, Rwandans on Monday marked the 20th anniversary of a devastating 100-day genocide that saw packed churches set on fire and machete-wielding attackers chop down whole families from a demonized minority.
Bloodcurdling screams and sorrowful wails resounded throughout a packed sports stadium as world leaders and thousands of Rwandans gathered to hear of healing and hope.
*************
President Paul Kagame and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon together lit a flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, which estimates that more than 1 million Rwandans perished in three months of machete and gunfire attacks mostly aimed at the country’s minority Tutsi population by extremist Hutus.
Missing from the stadium was the French government, which Rwanda banned. In an interview published in France on Monday, Kagame accused the former African colonial power of participating in some of the genocide violence.
Well, when you cut through the bush....
Related: Rwanda Stories Stink
It was a brief stench.
The ceremony and Uganda’s president highlighted the influence that white colonial masters had in setting the stage for the violence that erupted on April 7, 1994. Stadium-goers watched as white people in colonial outfits jumped out of a safari car and stormed the main stage.
The wide-brim hats then changed to blue berets, the headgear worn by UN troops who did nothing to stop the carnage. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda in his speech blamed colonization for many of Africa’s violent troubles.
‘‘The people who planned and carried out genocide were Rwandans, but the history and root causes go beyond this beautiful country. This is why Rwandans continue to seek the most complete explanation possible. We do so with humility as a nation that nearly destroyed itself,’’ Kagame said.
At a later news conference, Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said many books, movies, and documentaries provide evidence of France’s genocide role.
And now France is injecting itself into Central Africa.
During an intense scene on the sports field, a young girl of perhaps 10 recounted the torture of a young boy. Spectators screamed and the severely traumatized were carried off.
The blue beret actors evacuated and Rwandan troops — symbolizing the Tutsi military force Kagame led back then — stormed the field.
Rwandans in white and grey lay scattered throughout the field, representing the dead.
Ever since the killing spree, the world community has been forced to acknowledge it did nothing. The UN chief said he hopes to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to the idea of ‘‘never again,’’ though he said genocide is still possible. He mentioned violence in the Central African Republic and Syria.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said the genocide was a ‘‘devastating reminder that nightmares seemingly beyond imagination can in fact take place.’’
*****************
The genocide required hundreds of mass graves to bury the victims of what the government says was a long-planned killing spree that ignited after the plane of then-President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down. Kagame has won praise for pulling his country out of the violence. His government has advanced women’s rights, economic development, and health care. But critics say that progress has been marred by an authoritarian approach that has seen government critics and opposition members killed.
But he's an AmeriKan ally so that's cool.
‘‘We ask the government to open up more space, allow more opinion, allow more political parties, but also enforce the rule of law,’’ Frank Habineza, the leader of Rwanda’s only opposition political party, said in an interview.
A genocide survivor recounted his tale....
--more--"
Also see:
Rwandans can’t remain silent on human rights abuses
In Rwanda, women paved the way to reconciliation
The case for moderates
Marching for Rwandan genocide victims
Time for me to end this months posts and march into May.
