Misconception about Rwanda genocide and the Igbo agitation
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

After the genocide experience in 1994, Rwanda continues. In remembering its dead population during the ugly tragedy, a museum was created in their honor with a bold inscription written on it ‘’Never Again’’. This is the best that has happened to those victims of human cruelty.

With the above understanding, it has become imperative for we at the Foundation for Peace Professionals to re-direct a certain misconception about the Rwanda genocide that is being thrown around by analysts, when they are commenting on the implication of ethnic based secessionist hate campaign in South East Nigeria, which may lead to similar thing as experienced in Rwanda.

While most commentators are right in quickly referring to the Rwanda Genocide experience in other to caution agitators about the consequences of their actions, it is important to bring us to another perspective that is yet to be properly looked at and fully appreciated.

In 1994, when the ethnic based hate campaign began in Rwanda, the total population of the country was just a little over 6 million.

Hate campaign by Hutu agitators against Tutsi eventually led genocide, which claimed almost 1 million lives in about 100 days. The casualty figure of lives lost within that short period of time is over 16% of the total population of the country.

Nigeria today has more than 180 million populations and 16 % of it is a little below 30 million.

What happened in Rwanda that year was the gruesome murder of innocent and defenseless 16% of its total population due to perceived filling of marginalization and expectation that the mass murder of another ethnic group may possibly lead to separation.

The question we must all ask is that, what happened to Rwanda after losing 16% of its population in mindless killing? Were the expectations of those who lead the hate campaign fulfilled? What does the 1 million lost lives amounted to?

The answer to the above questions remained a united Rwanda.

It was too late, when those who expected division as a result of the mass murder discovered that the killing of their fellow country men and women will not make a country divide. Those who also thought that instigating hatred against fellow country people will help them in their quest for separation were also disappointed. This point to the fact that, if you promote hatred against other ethnicity in your country for whatever reason, you have to be ready to live with the hate, because it won’t help you fulfill your separatist agenda.

In a report by UK Guardian to commemorate 20 years of the Rwanda genocide, victims were reported to have said, they now live in the same country with those who killed their families. The killers are our neighbors now." One respondent said.

Furthermore, one of the perpetrators of the hate campaign and killing, Thomas says he learned a lesson from the killing.In his views, "You find out killing is not a solution''. ''We killed thinking we would get something and we found out it only brought misery."

What they didn't want to do before, which is ''tolerance'' is what they have now learned to do the hard way. The people are now learning to tolerate the people they hate, though difficult, but necessary. This was made possible through the gacaca court arrangement.

The name Gacaca is derived from the Kinyarwanda word umucaca meaning “a plant so soft to sit on that people prefer to gather on it”. Originally, Gacaca gatherings were meant to restore order and harmony within communities by acknowledging wrongs and having justice restored to those who were victims.

After the conclusion of the Rwandan genocide, the new Rwandan government was having difficulty prosecuting approximately 130,000 alleged perpetrators of the genocide.

Originally, perpetrators of the genocide were to be tried in the ICTR (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda); however, the vast number of perpetrators made it highly improbable that they would all be convicted.

Given that there was insufficient resources to organize first-world courts then the Gacaca system had to be preferred over the only alternative to the Gacaca system for local communities which might have been revenge. Rwanda implemented the Gacaca court system which necessarily evolved to fit the scenario from its prior form of traditional cultural communal law enforcement procedures.

What must be understood here is that, in this 21st century, any secessionist group that gained notoriety with hate speech is as good as a nuisance and misplaced agitation. It will never achieve its aim. Rwanda teaches us that, not even the death of 16% of the total population will change this fact.

In other words, you can instigate hate as much as you want in your agitation, you can even lead the country to war and genocide, but one fact is clear, you will never achieve anything. Not the separation, not the fulfillment. So why promote hatred among people on the basis of quest for separation?

Additional lesson learned from Rwanda is that, instigating hatred against fellow human being on the basis of ethnicity will not be rewarded by the global community. Hate speech is a crime in international law. The world didn’t reward Hutu’s in Rwanda; it won’t reward any other agitators in any part of the world.

The Nigerian Civil war, which claimed about 3 million lives, also offers another lesson. Despite losing that magnitude of casualties, the aims of the promoters of the war were never achieved. The global community will not aid personal ambition of individuals or groups, at the expense of the general good.

It is on this basis that the Foundation for Peace Professionals is calling on the leaders in South East region to prevail on their sons and daughters to allow reason prevail.

The need for peace cannot be over emphasized. All those who succeeded in their agitation across the world only did, because of their decency and peacefulness. The world saw that though they are agitating for a cause, but they did it decently within the confine of the international standard. The same cannot be said of the agitation in the South East. I appeal that we shouldn't allow Nigeria become a 21st century Rwanda, which only offers 16% of its dead population a slogan, never again.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat is the Executive Director of Foundation for Peace Professionals.
www.fpp.com.ng

Hausa foolanis re the root cause of all these problem in the east and Nigeria at large. How can you continue in killing other tribes in Nigeria and you expect them to keep mute, NO, its hard. Hausas and foolanis have killed Igbos in NORTHERN NIGERIA UNACCOUNTABLE, using religion and herdsmen. How do you expect such people to happy living together with you under same roof. And the worst is the Nigeria law alwayz acted unconcern, it is very very painfull. MIDDLE BELT, TOO IF THEY HAVE THE MOUTH THEY WOULD CRIED EVEN MORE THAN THE IGBOS CAUSE THEY ARE ALSO FACING SAME TORMENTS. BUT IF I MAY ASK, KILLING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE BY HAUSAS AND FOOLANIS AND IGBOS ASKING TO SECEDE WHICH ONE IS MORE BAD. OR IS THE UNITY OF THE NATION MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CITIZENS??

bilms:


The need for peace cannot be over emphasized. All those who succeeded in their agitation across the world only did, because of their decency and peacefulness. The world saw that though they are agitating for a cause, but they did it decently within the confine of the international standard. The same cannot be said of the agitation in the South East. I appeal that we shouldn't allow Nigeria become a 21st century Rwanda, which only offers 16% of its dead population a slogan, never again.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat is the Executive Director of Foundation for Peace Professionals.
www.fpp.com.ng

How laughable. Another Northerner looking for free oil money. Look at the list below and tell me who has been trying to kill 16%

History

1945 Jos Riots:- Hundreds of Igbos killed

1953 Kano massacre:- Hundreds of Igbo massacred

July 1966:- Over 300 Igbo officers of the Nigerian Army murdered

1966:- Over 50,000 Igbos, men, women and children massacred all over the North

1967-70:- Over 3 million souls lost in the civil war in the name of 'one Nigeria'

Other situations where Igbos have been killed are:


Kano 1980
Maiduguri 1982
Jimeta 1984
Gombe 1985
Zaria 1987
Kaduna & Kafanchan 1991
Bauchi & Katsina 1991
Kano 1991
Zangon-Kataf 1992
Funtua 1993
Kano 1994
Kaduna 2000
Kaduna 2001
Maiduguri 2001
Maiden Crisis-Setember 2001
Kaduna 2002
Jos-November 2008
Beheading of Gideon Akaluka in December of 1996 in a POLICE STATION in Kano
Saint Moritz killed December 2001
25. Post April 2011 Presidential Election: 10 youth-corps men & women and numerous citizens murdered because a Christian Southerner was elected.
Jos Christmas Eve 2010
Madalla Christmas day 2011
Mubi January 6 2012

You are just a tribal bigot taking on Igbos alone,biased article,is war in Rwanda a civil war or an ethnic clash?
A call for self determination is not a call for war or genocide against a tribe,solve the issue causing the agitation and stop looking for who to kill.

What hate speech are this people talking about?
So the deployment of troops to the SE is because of hate speech.
The reason why this country will not go anywhere is because people tend to run away from the truth.
The writer mischievously failed to tell us all the positives that Rwanda put in place after the crisis such as abolition of tribal identity etc,that have led to peace and progress. But in Nigeria the powers that be will always use every opportunity to remind the igbos that they are a defeated people.
It is the same mistake that the allies made after the first ww1 that led to the ww2 and eventually learnt their lesson.

absolute nonsense

Super story..

Pls just tell your idiotic pigs of Biafra leader to come out again and be shouting here and there.
Or has the rally stop?
Oh no, the idiotic leader is not going to Lagos again to make noise.

My boys should keep it up.the house arrest is very sweet.

hum

Odingo1:
You are just a tribal bigot taking on Igbos alone,biased article,is war in Rwanda a civil war or an ethnic clash?
A call for self determination is not a call for war or genocide against a tribe,solve the issue causing the agitation and stop looking for who to kill.

I don't know why people who claim to be educated cannot separate between the agitation for peaceful separation from Nigeria and the call for war. Do they think they can intimidate us into backing out because of threat of war or genocide? They are mistaken.

?

bilms:
Misconception about Rwanda genocide and the Igbo agitation
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

After the genocide experience in 1994, Rwanda continues. In remembering its dead population during the ugly tragedy, a museum was created in their honor with a bold inscription written on it ‘’Never Again’’. This is the best that has happened to those victims of human cruelty.

With the above understanding, it has become imperative for we at the Foundation for Peace Professionals to re-direct a certain misconception about the Rwanda genocide that is being thrown around by analysts, when they are commenting on the implication of ethnic based secessionist hate campaign in South East Nigeria, which may lead to similar thing as experienced in Rwanda.

While most commentators are right in quickly referring to the Rwanda Genocide experience in other to caution agitators about the consequences of their actions, it is important to bring us to another perspective that is yet to be properly looked at and fully appreciated.

In 1994, when the ethnic based hate campaign began in Rwanda, the total population of the country was just a little over 6 million.

Hate campaign by Hutu agitators against Tutsi eventually led genocide, which claimed almost 1 million lives in about 100 days. The casualty figure of lives lost within that short period of time is over 16% of the total population of the country.

Nigeria today has more than 180 million populations and 16 % of it is a little below 30 million.

What happened in Rwanda that year was the gruesome murder of innocent and defenseless 16% of its total population due to perceived filling of marginalization and expectation that the mass murder of another ethnic group may possibly lead to separation.

The question we must all ask is that, what happened to Rwanda after losing 16% of its population in mindless killing? Were the expectations of those who lead the hate campaign fulfilled? What does the 1 million lost lives amounted to?

The answer to the above questions remained a united Rwanda.

It was too late, when those who expected division as a result of the mass murder discovered that the killing of their fellow country men and women will not make a country divide. Those who also thought that instigating hatred against fellow country people will help them in their quest for separation were also disappointed. This point to the fact that, if you promote hatred against other ethnicity in your country for whatever reason, you have to be ready to live with the hate, because it won’t help you fulfill your separatist agenda.

In a report by UK Guardian to commemorate 20 years of the Rwanda genocide, victims were reported to have said, they now live in the same country with those who killed their families. The killers are our neighbors now." One respondent said.

Furthermore, one of the perpetrators of the hate campaign and killing, Thomas says he learned a lesson from the killing.In his views, "You find out killing is not a solution''. ''We killed thinking we would get something and we found out it only brought misery."

What they didn't want to do before, which is ''tolerance'' is what they have now learned to do the hard way. The people are now learning to tolerate the people they hate, though difficult, but necessary. This was made possible through the gacaca court arrangement.

The name Gacaca is derived from the Kinyarwanda word umucaca meaning “a plant so soft to sit on that people prefer to gather on it”. Originally, Gacaca gatherings were meant to restore order and harmony within communities by acknowledging wrongs and having justice restored to those who were victims.

After the conclusion of the Rwandan genocide, the new Rwandan government was having difficulty prosecuting approximately 130,000 alleged perpetrators of the genocide.

Originally, perpetrators of the genocide were to be tried in the ICTR (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda); however, the vast number of perpetrators made it highly improbable that they would all be convicted.

Given that there was insufficient resources to organize first-world courts then the Gacaca system had to be preferred over the only alternative to the Gacaca system for local communities which might have been revenge. Rwanda implemented the Gacaca court system which necessarily evolved to fit the scenario from its prior form of traditional cultural communal law enforcement procedures.

What must be understood here is that, in this 21st century, any secessionist group that gained notoriety with hate speech is as good as a nuisance and misplaced agitation. It will never achieve its aim. Rwanda teaches us that, not even the death of 16% of the total population will change this fact.

In other words, you can instigate hate as much as you want in your agitation, you can even lead the country to war and genocide, but one fact is clear, you will never achieve anything. Not the separation, not the fulfillment. So why promote hatred among people on the basis of quest for separation?

Additional lesson learned from Rwanda is that, instigating hatred against fellow human being on the basis of ethnicity will not be rewarded by the global community. Hate speech is a crime in international law. The world didn’t reward Hutu’s in Rwanda; it won’t reward any other agitators in any part of the world.

The Nigerian Civil war, which claimed about 3 million lives, also offers another lesson. Despite losing that magnitude of casualties, the aims of the promoters of the war were never achieved. The global community will not aid personal ambition of individuals or groups, at the expense of the general good.

It is on this basis that the Foundation for Peace Professionals is calling on the leaders in South East region to prevail on their sons and daughters to allow reason prevail.

The need for peace cannot be over emphasized. All those who succeeded in their agitation across the world only did, because of their decency and peacefulness. The world saw that though they are agitating for a cause, but they did it decently within the confine of the international standard. The same cannot be said of the agitation in the South East. I appeal that we shouldn't allow Nigeria become a 21st century Rwanda, which only offers 16% of its dead population a slogan, never again.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat is the Executive Director of Foundation for Peace Professionals.
www.fpp.com.ng

You are so wrong! The interest and agitation of about fifty million Igbos and their neighbours to peacefully separate from Nigeria is not personal interest. The interest of another region to be lording it over and marginalizing others in the name of one Nigeria is not in the overall good either. I do not support hate speech but no one talks about the injustice and genocide against his people smiling or laughing. It is ideal to be decent in our agitation but when you know that your subjugator does not understand decency, you employ aggression. Even God applied same principle in setting His chosen people of Israel free from the bondage of stubborn Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We support peace - peaceful separation. But from your writeup, your definition of peace and tolerance is that we continue to grudgingly allow subjugation and shortchanging of our people and interests. You are wrong sir. We do not want war. We want peaceful separation from Nigeria. It is those who do not want us to go that are associating our quest for freedom with war and threatening us with same. May God bless lovers of peace, justice and freedom. May those who want war and killings never get it and may those who want peaceful seperation achieve their aim I J N, Amen.

We've already had our 'Rwanda' and that occurred in 1966- the pogroms against Igbo people. @Op, why didn't you compare it to that instead?

Cc: bilms

Ngozi123:
We've already had our 'Rwanda' and that occurred in 1966- the pogroms against Igbo people. @Op, why didn't you compare it to that instead?

Cc: bilms

Read again. This time, with open mind