Reparation, a long-awaited cause for survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, remains a concern not only for post-genocide Rwanda but for the whole region. Recognizing this, members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) passed a resolution yesterday officially supporting survivors’ call for the establishment of an International Trust Fund for survivors to provide reparations.
The resolution calls upon the EAC Summit (of Heads of State) to urge the UN to adopt a resolution establishing an International Trust Fund for survivors and that the EAC organise a regional conference to address the issues of Genocide as part of the 20th commemoration next year.
Nineteen years have passed since the genocide against the Tutsi began in April 1994 in which an estimated one million women, men and children were massacred in only 100 days. The genocide left behind orphans, widows and severely handicapped and traumatised individuals. Aside from immense personal losses and physical and psychological suffering, the genocide also caused severe material damage to survivors, many of whom have lost houses, livestock, farmland and other personal property. Thousands were displaced due to the genocide, women who’d lost their husbands lost their livelihoods and the education of orphans was severely disrupted. As a result, survivors are severely vulnerable and marginalised.
The East African Legislative Assembly resolution marks another milestone in the campaign for survivors’ right to reparation. The right of genocide victims to reparation is, in fact, universally recognized and encompasses restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation. Reparations should generally come from the individuals, states and international community responsible for the harm. We hope Rwanda will follow the East African Community’s example by formally endorsing survivors’ call for an international trust fund, and in doing so make their long-awaited right to reparation a reality.
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Article posted by Albert Gasake
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