Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 20 May 2004 — Page 10

Page 10 • The Muncie Times • May 20, 2004

WITNESS FOR JUSTICE

World watched silently as Rwanda genocide unfolded

It’s been 10 years since the genocide in the African nation of Rwanda. Most of the world quickly forgot the horrors of at least 8000,000 murdered in the months after the mysterious plane crash and death of the Rwandan president. But, then, most of the world ignored the horrors of the genocide as it occurred. For the Rwandan people it is quite a different story. “Every single day in the last 10 years has been a battle for our soul,” said Rwandan President Paul Kagame on the day of national mourning set aside last month. Indeed, every Rwandan must hold deep his/her hearts the pain of the murders of parents, children, brothers and sisters and next-door neighbors, which occurred over several months, while the governments and, yes the churches of the world closed their eyes. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and former President Bill Clinton both have apologized for their lack of action in stopping, the massacres. Indeed, during the early days of the genocide, the United Nations ordered it's under staffed peace keepers to withdraw. The United States not only demanded this full withdrawal, but also opposed helping other

nations which might have intervened and even deleted the word “genocide” from U.N. statements during that time. By doing so, we, in effect, signed the death warrants for tens of thousands of Rwandans. In a recent article, former Clinton ambassador Richard Holbrooke wrote that after every genocide the world says, “Never again.” Indeed, those words are engraved in the new genocide memorial in Kigali, the capital of Rwands. But Holbrooke, points out, those words ring hollow with the world's excuses like ancient tribal or ethnic hatreds, international “compassion fatigue,” and demands for exit strategies rather than success strategies. Governments are not the only ones which have failed people during genocides. The new World Council of Churches General Secretary Sam Kobia, speaking recently in Rwands, acknowledged that 95% of Rwandans are Christians. He asked, “Is our Christianity deep enough, or is it just skin deep in Africa?” His words reminded me of the haunting stories of a former World Council of Churches staff person, a Rwandan woman, who returned to her homeland

after the genocide. Her intention was to work with women there and she quickly realized the depth of pain experienced by thousands of Rwanda women who had been raped during the genocide and who were raising children who were the products of those rapes alone in the very same villages where these horrors had occurred. What we now know is that many of those women were infected with HIV/AIDS during that time as well. In his article Holbrooke explains why the world, in essence, turned its back on Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. But what about today? Why is the world refusing to deal with two other genocides now odcurring in Africa? What is our rationale today? First, in Dafur, in western Sudan, human rights advocates are warning us of an organized campaign of “ethnic cleansing” where the Islamic government of Khartoum is supporting Arab Muslim militias in their efforts to drive African Muslims our of that region. Almost a million have moved to other parts of the Sudam and million more are estimated to have to flee to Chad. Entire villages have been destroyed. While the Bush administration has

Bernice Powell Jackson

been pressing the government of the Sudan to end the civil war between the south and the north, in which many Christians have found themselves under attack, little seems to be happening on behalf of these African people in Dafur. Secondly, there is the whole question of HIV/AIDS, which threatens to destroy the entire continent of Africa, as we have come to know it. With millions dying and many millions more infected with virus, much of Africa is suffering greatly. Whole groups of civil servants, farmers and trained professionals are dying. Millions of children are orphaned. Thousands of AIDS related funerals occur throughout Africa every day. Yet, despite the promises of the U.S. government and attempts to make medications more readily available t those infected

with HIV/AIDS in Africa, the reality is that these life saving medications are still unattainable for most Africans. Clearly, knowing when to intervene is a complex matter. The current Bush administration's intervention in Iraq is but one example of that complexity. Will the world ever be able to honestly say “Never Again?” It’s not just a battle for the souls of Rwandans, in the words of President Kigame. It’s a battle for the souls of us all. Bernice Powell Jackson is executive minister of the United Church of Christ's Justice & Witness Ministries. You can reach her at 700 Prospect Avenue., Cleveland, OH 44115-1110 or by calling 216-736-3700.

Thank You For Your Support!! The Muncie Times 741-0037