I will comment on the two Option Papers presented in this session, Long and Short Term Means to Prevent Genocide by Herbert Hirsch and Breaking the Cycle of Hatred and Violence by James Smith.

I must say that after Genocide you became very cynical. So for me for two days I have been waiting to hear the word survivors. The theme of the forum is how to prevent Genocide and for me this genocide has already happened. So I am happy that at least in this workshop we can talk about those who have the chance to survive Genocide.
However I must say that for many of the survivors of the Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda, they wonder if it was a chance or a mistake to survive that 94 Genocide.

I agree with most of the important points that both Herbert Hirsch and Steven Smith have exposed in the options papers.

Yes for developing a policy, yes for Early warning system to be developed, yes for capturing and punishing the perpetrators. However the big problem is that most of the time, or at least in the case of Rwanda, all those were there, the situation was known but there was a lack of using those systems, there was no will or no power to use them???

About capturing and punishing the perpetrators, again I say yes knowing that it has to be at all levels including those who committed by Non Assisting Person in Danger!!! I mean here the International community. Up to now nobody has been obliged to resign, nobody has been blamed, nobody has paid for reparation… Ironically Kofi Annan has got the Nobel price!!

I agree with the beautiful idea of moving from nationalism to internationalism. I wish this will work. I have always dreamed of being only a citizen of the world and not one from such and such country, especially that when you come from some of the poorest countries like Rwanda, for the International Community, your life is less than this of a Belgian or French cat or dog: In fact during the 94 genocide I begged French troops to evacuate my children, a friend of me was waiting for them in Belgium, they refused. The children were Rwandans and more Tutsi. But they took with them the cats and dogs of expatriate’s people…

I agree that with the political Socialisation and I agree that Schools, education system, families, and religious institutions should be channels for that. But again how do we put it in practice???

One of the big mistakes is to keep again silence on the genocide. We have to talk about it openly, even if it is painful. Avoiding or denying does not help. People are denying on an individual level, but also on country level like France, and also on international levels.

Talking about it, even if the talking in itself is a big step, is not enough, there must be also actions, concrete actions: I give an example: What is the point of regretting, and commemorating ten years later when the orphans of the genocide who are living in atrocious conditions now are again forgotten???
What is the point of commemorating ten years later when those who were lucky enough to survive the genocide in 1994 are dying now because they were women, they were raped and they are dying now, again in a general indifference taking their surviving as a mistake rather than a chance???

If we want to prevent genocide, if we want to use learned lessons, we must face the reality and agree that failing the survivors now ten years later is another way of denying that this has happened and many have a responsibility in what happened.