My heart sincerely bleeds reading the Rwanda genocide experience of this lady. The Hutus and the Tutsis crisis was a sour story but a big hard to swallow lesson. Now I know why the drum of war must stop by fire!! Forgiving the very people that killed her parents and siblings is indeed a big COST!! GOD have mercy!!

it happened in Nigeria back in late 1960s just that it was happening at a slower rate. believe me those of us who are acquainted with history know this.
we have been recycling leaders ever since and the country has been on the reverse. history has it that when the country was in the hands of these so called outcasts or minority. the country was moving. believe me we still have the tragedy at heart following the oral literature from our fathers.




we will watch and see how the drama unfolds.
cos the sun will only rise in the east.

I've always had this notion and I'll say it again, man is inherently evil.

my eyes got misty reading this piece

Follow the page HUMANS OF NEW YORK on facebook or read the book WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMMORROW WE WILL BE KILLED WITH OUR FAMILIES to understand more on the tutsi genocide. Mere hate speeches are enough to trigger widespread killings of humans.

naptu2:


I listened to an interview that General Roméo Dallaire gave to the BBC World Service in the early 2000s.

General Dallaire was the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda before and during the genocide. He suspected that the killings were about to happen and he asked the UN for more troops (his force was pretty small) but they refused to send more troops to him. The Americans did not want to send more troops to another African country (that they did not really care about) after what happened to their troops in Somalia.


He also asked for permission to seize weapons that the Hutus were stockpiling, but his superiors in New York refused to give him permission.


Eventually he had to focus his small body of troops on parts of Kigali in which he knew that Tutsis were hiding. He eventually saved thousands of Tutsis.


Yet he had post traumatic stress disorder because of the events that he witnessed in Rwanda. He repeatedly tried to kill himself because of the psychological torture he experienced whenever he remembered what happened in Rwanda.

who is this naptu2 guy? You seem to know a lot. I always watch out for your comments on specific post. I Dey like roll with people like you. Cool evening like this, we’d relax at a bar with chilled beer while you educate me. thumbs up sir, from your post and comments I’m very sure your my fathers age mate. But I nor be small pikin o. Lol.

mynairaland2018:


The Hutus killed 70% of the Tutsi population. Almost wiped them out. Truth is dt All the tribal hatred in Africa can be traced back to colonialism. Stuffing people together and making others rule over them. It's not envy but a sense of injustice.

The Tutsi's were more of immigrants from Ethiopia they were mostly herders while the Hutus were farmers

And I learnt that the Germans gave the Tutsi upper hand in the country while the Hutus were deprived of many things. But the Belgian government turned the table in 1957 by giving the Hutus upper hand.

fk001:
It's so disheartening, how can people be this wicked.




My question is how did the rebel's differentiate between the tsutsi's and the other tribes?

Exactly.. And what caused the war? Was it the gunning doe of the presidential jet?

There is nothing like peace. This is touching.Fresh memory of Hotel Rwanda

mynairaland2018:

Yes he is. And he really turned dt country around. Ecspecially in reconciling the tribes. He deserves kudos like Mandela.

This definitely indicates what will happen if igbos should be allowed to preside in nigeria. They will try to reconcile all as they themselves were hard done and understand the ills of the nation.

When ever I pray, I say
Almighty God Nigeria is for all of us no matter the hardships please never let it result to war, because it's the Mose evil tragedy.

teelaw4life:
Things like this are necessary in the affairs of man. It starts from simple disagreements, then there's tension, followed by escalation and then confrontation (which is the climax) and finally a resolution (the denouement). World War II was really a water-shed moment in the history of man. It is the single most destructive war in history but it's also responsible for the relative world peace we've been able to enjoy today.

Perhaps, if what happened in Rwanda hadn't taken place, they wouldn't still have sense today. Humans never appreciate perspective. It's what drives their intolerance and it often takes jarring events, usually, at great cost for them to gain perspective -even then, perspective comes in hindsight.

There's this saying that those who refuse to learn from their history are bound to repeat them. Rwanda has a lot of monuments dedicated to rmembering the events of their genocide. Germany still has most concentration camps preserved. A timely reminder, setting them on the right path, of the grave costs of hateful and bigoted sentiments.

What has Nigeria done? The only civil war we've had in this country is being thrown into the junkyard of history? Why? Because we don't want to learn from it. Because we don't want to move forward. We want to act as if the Civil war was simply something that did not happen. Guess what? The events that led to the civil war still subsist today. Nigeria is bound to repeat history because it is unwilling to learn from it.

However unfortunate that'd be, if things are to get better, it is the only way to go... because we can not go on living as if everything is fine and dandy forever. It's not possible. Either the contraption that is Niger-Area disintegrates, or unifies and sheds all of its tribal and ethno-religion scale.

Shalom people.

As scary as this seems, I think it's one of the bitter truth we all need to swallow "if we don't learn from history we are bound to repeat it"

jiddama:
I never seem to get myself to finish watching the film "hotel Rwanda".... knowing art imitated life.

She is a strong woman who chose forgiveness despite the hand she was dealt , I have no words to describe Mary, but she's the quintessential definition of humanity and a testimony that good people still exist.

The fact that she is talking about it shows she's healing .

The truth is being spoken, that's the first step to reconciliation...

"Bandage don't fix bullet holes if you live like that you live with ghosts"

"God will never help an unjust nation even if they are believers,but will help a just one even if they are unbelievers"

I pray rwanda and every other war-ravaged country in the world find its footing.

May the horrors of war never visit us again as a nation.

I think you should watch Sometimes in April. I ran away from the sitting room when that movie was playing

actually Watching a movie on this.. black earth rising. watch it.. it's epic..

fk001:



The Tutsi's were more of immigrants from Ethiopia they were mostly herders while the Hutus were farmers

And I learnt that the Germans gave the Tutsi upper hand in the country while the Hutus were deprived of many things. But the Belgian government turned the table in 1957 by giving the Hutus upper hand.

Yes. You can also read about the 'kingdom of rwanda' on Wikipedia. Before colonial times, the Tutsi kingdom controlled the whole area. There was like a gentlemans agreement whereby the Tutsis were in charge and the Hutus were more into farming. Then I think the Tutsi kings arrogated more powers to their tribe and really took advantage of their military power, subjugating the Hutus to a low caste state while they shared prime land among themselves.

Then just before independence, the colonialists started giving Hutus democratic power and eventually handed power to them, which led to riots from the Tutsis before independence. A lot of them fled to neighboring countries and formed a militant group FPR (of which their current president was s member). I read dt the Catholic Church was instrumental in giving Hutus power cos they were majority and Christian.

Anyways the Hutus seemed to always be emotionally ignited when pple say the Tutsi FPR militia (which they called cockroaches) wanted to take over their government and return them back to the humiliating days of the monarchy when they were practically slaves.

When the Hutu president was killed, in the midst of negotiations with the FPR, all hell broke loose.

It's funny and somewhat ridiculous how some people can't remove the wood in their eyes but trying to blowout the dust from other people's eyes.

This same thing is happening right in our very eyes and we pretend as if it's normal. What is happening in the middle belt is same scenario or are you waiting for someone to tell her story before you know we are already at war?

The genocide in the middle belt, the extermination of the shiite Muslim's and many more are worst than what happened in Rwanda.

Talk about the shi.t in your backyard...HYPOCRITES!!!

mynairaland2018:


Yes. You can also read about the 'kingdom of rwanda' on Wikipedia. Before colonial times, the Tutsi kingdom controlled the whole area. There was like a gentlemans agreement whereby the Tutsis were in charge and the Hutus were more into farming. Then I think the Tutsi kings arrogated more powers to their tribe and really took advantage of their military power, subjugating the Hutus to a low caste state while they shared prime land among themselves.

Then before independence, the colonialists started giving Hutus democratic power and eventually handed power to them, which led to riots from the Tutsis before independence. A lot of them fled to neighboring countries and formed a militant group FPR (of which their current president was s member). I read dt the Catholic Church was instrumental in giving Hutus power cos they were majority and Christian.

Anyways the Hutus seemed to always be emotionally ignited when pple say the Tutsi FPR militia (which they called cockroaches) wanted to take over their government and return them back to the humiliating days of the monarchy when they were practically slaves.

When the Hutu president was killed, in the midst of negotiations with the FPR, all hell broke loose.

Thanks for this piece.

firestar:
Speechless.

Seconded. (Equally speechless).

We can't afford another war, let's embrace peace, peace is priceless.

Nigeria have refused to end it own genocides till date. And you think you can make progress NO-WAY

naptu2:


I listened to an interview that General Roméo Dallaire gave to the BBC World Service in the early 2000s.

General Dallaire was the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda before and during the genocide. He suspected that the killings were about to happen and he asked the UN for more troops (his force was pretty small) but they refused to send more troops to him. The Americans did not want to send more troops to another African country (that they did not really care about) after what happened to their troops in Somalia.


He also asked for permission to seize weapons that the Hutus were stockpiling, but his superiors in New York refused to give him permission.


Eventually he had to focus his small body of troops on parts of Kigali in which he knew that Tutsis were hiding. He eventually saved thousands of Tutsis.


Yet he had post traumatic stress disorder because of the events that he witnessed in Rwanda. He repeatedly tried to kill himself because of the psychological torture he experienced whenever he remembered what happened in Rwanda.

I watched a documentary about this genocide some months ago and it's then that I became finally convinced about the hypocrisy of the western world. Times without number General Dallaire requested for more troops from the UN as he knew this genocide was gonna happen but the UN turned a deaf ear. He lost 8 of his soldiers in the early days of the genocide. Journalists managed to capture the atrocities being committed. Once the whole thing was over, some representatives finally made it over to see things for themselves. They started sympathizing, saying if they had known, they would have done something sooner. I was like what the heck?

One lady managed to escape the whole bloodshed and found her way to Washington. She pleaded with some of the members there. One pulled her aside and said, "We dont have friends, we only have interests. We can't help u". Cue the fake concern afterwards. Bill Clinton even visited.

That's when I was convinced. Once they stand nothing to gain, they aren't interested. But let it be something about oil or other national interests, I'm sure troops would have been there in the first week. Almost a million people killed in 100 days. It was a systematic genocide that even surpassed the Final Solution.

Hate such a small word but very strong.

Humans are basically inhuman when you think about it so it comes as no surprise when things like this happen. After all we have Stalin, Hitler, Idiamin and the likes from history.

Nigeria is basically sitting on a keg on gun powder.

Nairaland is an example I always laugh when I see Igbo or afonja talk. It seems like a harmless internet brawl but it simmers and brews underneath till actual hate takes over.

Dissatisfaction with life is what causes all this thrash. We need to love one another as human beings but we cannot.

Hoping for the best

naptu2:


I listened to an interview that General Roméo Dallaire gave to the BBC World Service in the early 2000s.

General Dallaire was the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda before and during the genocide. He suspected that the killings were about to happen and he asked the UN for more troops (his force was pretty small) but they refused to send more troops to him. The Americans did not want to send more troops to another African country (that they did not really care about) after what happened to their troops in Somalia.


He also asked for permission to seize weapons that the Hutus were stockpiling, but his superiors in New York refused to give him permission.


Eventually he had to focus his small body of troops on parts of Kigali in which he knew that Tutsis were hiding. He eventually saved thousands of Tutsis.


Yet he had post traumatic stress disorder because of the events that he witnessed in Rwanda. He repeatedly tried to kill himself because of the psychological torture he experienced whenever he remembered what happened in Rwanda.

What happened in Somalia with the Americans?

t0bbY:
As scary as this seems, I think it's one of the bitter truth we all need to swallow "if we don't learn from history we are bound to repeat it"

Absolutely, Nigerians are still Joking. The truth will hit home real soon though.

elfico:


Its even more depressing when you think that an African man, Kofi Annan was the UN Secretary General at that time. We had one of our own as the UN Secretary General and Genocide took place right under his nose.

That man is just a weakling just like Jonathan.

I dont blame him shaa,, the force arm of the UN have to approve a military strategy.

Same thing is happening is syria, why haven't the un intervened

AdorableJosh:
I've always had this notion and I'll say it again, man is inherently evil.

God looked at man and saw that his thoughts were always turned towards evil. He regretted creating man.

There s an inherent flae in the otherwise perfect creation.

Eve immediately broke the rules and Cain murdered 1/4 of the eat the population in one swoop. Lots neighbours refused his virgin daughters instead wanted to defile men ( which begs the question why would a man offer his daughters out like that for sexual perversions) same daughters go him drunk and slept with him ( really? can you be that high? ).

All in all man is an animal. A virus and the computers will wipe is out ......

stupidity:
who is this naptu2 guy? You seem to know a lot. I always watch out for your comments on specific post. I Dey like roll with people like you. Cool evening like this, we’d relax at a bar with chilled beer while you educate me. thumbs up sir, from your post and comments I’m very sure your my fathers age mate. But I nor be small pikin o. Lol.

That guy is an elder. Old school.
Naptu I hail you.

Mintayo:

Its unimaginable what the man must have seen, the killings, and all that. Its enough to make someone go mad. After watching hotel Rwanda and sometimes in April some years ago, i found it difficult to sleep for a long time. I just pray stuffs like this do not happen in Nigeria.

Lol, do u even know your history? I don't blame u because it's not taught in schools, deliberately. Worse have happened in Nigeria, more than once sef.

Is there justice in the world?