Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
09 April 2024 | 11:20 a.m. SAST
2-minute read

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, a dark chapter in African history that continues to cast a shadow over the continent. From April to July 1994, within a span of 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, along with moderate Hutus and others, were killed by armed Hutu militias. The exact death toll remains uncertain, with estimates ranging up to a million.

Speaking on Radio Islam’s Africa Report this morning, John Bwasa, a scholar and human rights advocate, highlights the importance of understanding the causes of and actors involved in the Rwandan genocide.

“But the truth of the matter remains that we need to dig deeper and understand what prevailed into the genocide that occurred in Rwanda at that time, when the then-presidents Abdiarimana and the Burundian president were killed in that crash. And who committed that atrocity remains to be unveiled,” Bwasa says.

Analysts suggest that the Rwandan genocide was part of a broader plan to control the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where conflict and violence persists.

The recent appointment of Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the first female prime minister in the DRC raised questions about leadership and accountability in the country. Bwasa expressed scepticism about the government’s commitment to peace and development, citing allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

“Well, first and foremost, I would say that this is just a club of friends that are embezzling the funds of the country, that have no clue what leadership is… [And] she and her husband, embezzled funds that were devoted to 145 territories. And so, for me, it’s just people that are there, not to bring peace and development in the Congo, but to protect themselves. It’s a club of friends that support the same WhatsApp groups,” Bwasa observes. “I would assume that the president and even the prime minister who has been nominated and appointed would make a trip to see what happened in the eastern side of the Congo where people have been killed just yesterday. But they’re not doing so. Which peace is she going to bring?”

The conversation then shifted to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the eastern DRC, where the M23 group, believed to be supported by external actors, continue to exert power. Bwasa condemned the exploitation of African resources by multinational entities and called for international justice to address the atrocities committed in the region.

“We have key minerals in the Congo. We’re talking about coltan, we’re talking about cobalt, and mainly coltan in the eastern DRC that is being used for our phones, that is being used for the high tech in the car, and many other aspects. And in order to get access to those key minerals, Western powers like imperialism and capitalism are using the Rwandans to commit the Congo side to ensure that the children of the Congo that do not go to school in the eastern side of the Congo are able to mine, and they have perpetrated the worst atrocities that the world is actually closing its eyes and ears,” Bwasa notes.

FUrthermore, Bwasa explains the historical context of imperialism and its role in perpetuating violence and human rights abuses in Africa and points out the insidious tactics used by external forces, manipulating Africans to perpetrate violence against their own people.

“So it means that the international community is keeping silent about the killing of the Rwandans that they are being used because they are not going to come themselves. Now they are using Africans upon Africans themselves and they are hiding,” Bwasa concludes.

Listen to the Africa Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.