And lessons to be learned by Amhara activism
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide, it is imperative that we take a moment to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in human history and reaffirm our commitment to never forget the atrocities that occurred. The genocide, which claimed the lives of nearly one million people in just 100 days, stands as a stark reminder of the horrors that can unfold when hatred, prejudice, and division are allowed to flourish unchecked.
Thirty years may have passed since the genocide, but its impact continues to reverberate across Rwanda and the world. For survivors and their families, the wounds of the past remain painfully raw, as they grapple with the trauma and loss inflicted upon them. The genocide shattered lives, tore apart communities, and left an indelible scar on the collective conscience of humanity.
The ensuing years should have seen the investigation and appropriate journalism applied to ensure that the atrocities would not get the tabloid treatment and be but another sensationalised set of events to fill up book shelves with fancy virtue-signalling titles. However, what followed until this day was exactly that. The genocides committed throughout history have received the proper treatment of highlighting who exactly the victims were.
For example, the holocaust committed by the Nazis has not been remembered as the ‘Germany Genocide’. This is because it would be an injustice to the victims who were mainly Hebrews, but in reality the rhetoric of the third reich included anyone that was not seen to carry the genes of the Aryan race. The same can be said about the Armenian genocide which denotes the name of a defined peoples.
Some have argued that the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi exiles, invaded Rwanda from Uganda, sparking what they describe as a Civil War. The narrative of a Rwandan Civil War that began on October 1, 1990, has been used interchangeably with the more accurate but still largely devolved notion of Rwanda or Rwandan Genocide. In actuality, a court of law would be interested in the numbers involved and the ability of the parties to defend themselves.
Who initiated the attack, or whether it was an invasion or not, becomes secondary for genocide is too big a crime to be excused by an attack or an invasion especially when the said are also inhabitants of the same state. A number of other events followed the RPF offensive such as the assassination of president Juvénal Habyarimana, that was purported to be politically motivated and the trigger to the full scale genocide that started on April 7, 1994 that would last several months.
By the time the RPF would take control of Kigali an estimated 800,000 would lose their lives similar to the recent Tigray genocide that has claimed a comparable number of lives but which does not nevertheless get called “Ethiopian Genocide” or Ethiopian Civil War and would be wrong to. What is more worrying is the recent developments surrounding the Amhara Genocide and an attempt to whitewash the state-sponsored genocide by labelling it as;
War in the Northern regions of the country
Tensions with federal government
Popular unrest
Insurgency
In order to crystallise the issue let us revisit the meaning of Genocide. Genocide is defined as the intentional and systematic extermination of a racial, ethnic, or religious group, aimed at annihilating the group in whole or in part. It involves the deliberate killing, persecution, or destruction of individuals based on their membership in a targeted group. The term combines the Greek word "genos" (meaning "race" or "gene") with the Latin word cide" (meaning “ceasing” or "killing"). Thus, a modern-nation state cannot be victim of Genocide as can be deduced tautologically by the etymology of its descriptive term. Alas, an injustice on the Tutsis the real victims of the atrocities that began on April 7, 1994.
The stages of genocide were outlined by Gregory H. Stanton, the President of Genocide Watch, and they serve as a framework for understanding how genocide unfolds. Here are the stages:
Classification: People are divided into "us" and "them" based on race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality. This classification can be reinforced through the use of symbols, hate speech, or propaganda.
Symbolization: Groups are given names or symbols to set them apart. This can include derogatory terms, hate symbols, or other markers of identity that serve to dehumanize the targeted group.
Dehumanization: The targeted group is portrayed as less than human, often through stereotypes, caricatures, or propaganda. This makes it easier for perpetrators to justify violence against them.
Organization: Genocide is often organized by the state or other powerful groups, who mobilize resources and create structures to carry out the killings. This can involve the recruitment of militias, the creation of death squads, or other forms of paramilitary organization.
Polarization: Extremist ideologies are spread, and moderate voices are silenced. Society becomes increasingly polarized, with individuals pressured to take sides and those who oppose the genocide marginalized or persecuted.
Preparation: Perpetrators plan and prepare for the genocide, often by stockpiling weapons, building concentration camps, or training militias. Victims may be identified and targeted for elimination.
Extermination: The actual killing begins, and the genocide is carried out systematically. Massacres, mass shootings, forced deportations, and other forms of violence are used to eliminate the targeted group.
Denial: After the genocide, perpetrators often try to cover up their crimes or deny that they occurred. This can involve destroying evidence, intimidating witnesses, or spreading propaganda to distort the truth.
These stages are not always linear or sequential, and genocide can occur in different ways and contexts. However, for the Amhara people they occurred in exactly the same order. The EPRDF constitution that was ratified in 1991 began by classifying the Amhara people as an oppressive ruling class rather than the founding class of the modern state of Ethiopia which is a continuation of the Ancient Society of Abyssinia, before which none of the current state assets existed.
We can go down all the stages of Genocide and identify an historical precedent that matches the definition prescribed by Gregory H. Stanton but this will suffice for the purpose of this article. Genocide is recognized as one of the most serious crimes under international law, and perpetrators can be held accountable for their actions by national or international courts. Therefore, it is imperative that victims of this most heinous of crimes continue their fight for justice.
In Rwanda, efforts to seek justice began shortly after the genocide began. By May 17, 1994: The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established by the United Nations Security Council to prosecute individuals responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international law committed during the conflict. However, the journey towards reconciliation is far from easy, and Rwanda still faces many challenges on the path to healing.
As we look ahead to the next 30 years and beyond, it is incumbent upon all of us to redouble our efforts to support people all across the world whose real way of life is hidden behind the veil of modern nation states and identities are either obfuscated or in some cases as we have seen repeatedly throughout history- lives taken or ‘genes ceded’ in the intended meaning of the term. This means standing in solidarity with survivors, amplifying their voices, and confronting denial and revisionism wherever they arise.
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