UNITED NATIONS, Apr 07 (APP):As the world marks the grim anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed the massacre were also killed, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that a generation since those horrific events, “we must never forget what happened – and ensure future generations always remember.”
“We mourn that more than one million children, women, and men perished in one hundred days of horror 29 years ago,” he said in his annual commemorative message on the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
In Washington, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman of the World Forum for Peace & Justice, an advocacy group, called for taking steps to prevent a potential genocide in Indian Illegally Held Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, reminding about last year’s warning by Dr. Gregory Stanton, Chairman of the Genocide Watch, that the disputed territory was “at the brink of” one.
In an interview with ‘The WIRE’, an independent Indian news outlet, Stanton had said, “So many of the early stages of genocide are already present. We don’t wait until it is a full-out mass killing campaign to declare genocide. There are early warning signs of genocide now and that’s what we believe is the situation in Kashmir,”
Dr. Fai said that any effort to stop genocide and resolve the Kashmir conflict requires confronting the issue directly and honestly, something that seems difficult for the Indian government to do.
“India does not want to resolve the Kashmir conflict but to dissolve it,” Fai said, while urging the United States to also play a role in settling the dispute.
“We believe that a response to the Kashmiri situation must be based on the principles of the right of a people with a distinct historical and cultural identity to decide their own future; the sanctity of international agreements worked out by the United Nations; a peaceful and stable subcontinent free from the possibility of a regional nuclear exchange; and the consistent application of human rights standards,” he said, adding that such an approach could lead to a just and peaceful resolution of the 76-year-old dispute.
Fai said such a move would be a lasting credit to U.S. foreign policy under the Biden administration. “On the other hand, reluctance to undertake such an initiative neither contributes to a long-term strategy of global peace and security nor answers the demands of human conscience and the principles of justice.”
In his message on the Rwanda genocide, the UN chief went on to say that: “We honour the memory of the victims – the overwhelming majority Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide. We pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors. We recognize the journey of the Rwandan people towards healing, restoration, and reconciliation. And we remember – with shame – the failure of the international community.”
“A generation since the genocide, we must never forget what happened – and ensure future generations always remember,” said the UN chief, how easily hate speech – a key indicator of the risk of genocide – turns to hate crime and how “complacency in the face of atrocity is complicity.”
Guterres stressed that preventing genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international law, is a shared responsibility and a “core duty” of every member of the United Nations.
Calling for everyone, in all nations, to stand firm against rising intolerance, be ever vigilant – and always ready to act – he concluded: “And let us truly honor the memory of all Rwandans who perished by building a future of dignity, security, justice, and human rights for all.”
The Memorial Ceremony to mark the 29th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda will be held at UN Headquarters in NY on Friday, 14 April, featuring addresses by the Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, and other officials, as well as remarks from a survivor of the genocide.
A wreath laying and lighting of candles, as well as a ceremony featuring statements from senior UN officials and testimonies from survivors, will be held at the UN Office in Geneva on Thursday, 13 April.