In Rwanda, particularly among the minority Tutsis,
there is a saying that “God goes to work in other countries of the world, but retires to Rwwanda to sleep.”
This unfortunate remarks came about following the killing of about one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, a majority tribe, during the 1994 genocide.
It is common knowledge that corpses of victims were thrown into rivers, creeks and other littered on the streets in the capital, Kigali, and at countryside too.
An appraisal of the 1994 genocide shows that ethnicity and the killing of former Presidnet Juvenal Habyarinmana, a Hutu, whose plane ws shut down above Kigali Airport on April 6, 1994 led to his death and that of Burundian President who was on board.
Other causes of the 1994 genocide include the inability of the Rwandan people themselves to dialogue and resolve age long disagreement and failure of the international community particularly the United Nations (UN) to acat swiftly.
Furthermore, the Hutus are actually a majority tribe while the Tutsis are in minority.
Although, both the Hutus and Tutsis speak same language, inhabit same area, the Tutsis are largely taller, thinner and their origin is traceable to Ethiopia.
In Rwanda, particularly during the genocide when the corpses of Tutsis were thrown into rivers and creek, their killers believed that the dead Tutsis were sent to Ethiopia where they originally migrated from.
Worse still, when the Belgian Colonists arrived the nation in 1916, they produced identity cards classifying people according to their ethnicity and described the Tutsis as being superior to the majority Hutus.
Consequently, the Tutsis enjoyed better jobs and educational opportunities than their Hutu neighbours and this gave birth to resentment over decades.
In fact, in 1959, more than twenty thousand Tutsis were reportedly killed after series of riots led by aggrieved Hutus. To this end, many Tutsis fled to neighbouring Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda; culminating in rebel activities led by a Tutsi leader Paul Kagame and moderate Hutu liberals.
The climax of the unrest in Rwanda was the shooting down of a plane carrying former President Juvenal Habyarimana and the President of Burundi then among other distinguished government officials.
The calamity was suspected to have been caused by Rwandan Patriotic Force led by the current President Paul Kagame who was a rebel leader at the time.
Since earlier in 1993, peace accord signed between President Juvenal Habyarimana and Rwanda Patriotic Force (RPF) failed to halt the unrest. The shooting of the plan conveying President Juvenal Habyarimana about a year after was seen as the final harbinger to the 1994 genocide.
Between April and June 1994, darkness covered Rwanda where at least eight hundred thousand people of ethnic Tutsi minority tribe were slaughteredsssd.
In her famous poem, entitled Conversation Among the Ruined, Syvia Pratt states thus: “With such blight wrought on our bankrupt estate, what ceremony of words can patch the havoc”.
Truly, no word can explain or justify the killing. Only recently, the government and the good people of Rwanda commemorated twenty years after the 1994 genocide. At a sober memorial ceremony in the Rwandan capital survivors wailed as they recounted the horrors of the era.
World leaders expressed regrets for failing to act fast. For instance, former United States President, Bill Clinton has called Rwanda one of his greatest regrets during his Presidency and admitted that had the United States and the world intervened earlier some thirty thousand people might have been saved .
The U.S. Ambassador to U.N, Samatha Power who wrote the book on Rwanda genocide titled: A problem from Hell said the U.S. government and the International community’s slow response contributed to the atrocities while the diplomat who was President of the U.N Security Council in April 1994 apologised for the council’s refusal to recognize that genocide was taking place in Rwanda and for doing nothing to halt the slaughter of people.
Even though the genocide has ended and twenty years anniversary has been commemorate~Africa and indeed the world have a lot to learn from the genocide.
Nigeria in particular and indeed other African nations must see reason to always dialogue to resolve age long disagreement. These unresolved matters could revive age long inbalance in society If to\erance is thrown to the wind.
Nigerian leaders must take advantage of the on-going National Conference and the current democratic experiment to midwife an egalitarian and just Nigeria and not a natGn where few tribes consider themselves majority and enjoy certain privileges over the rest.
The description of ethnic Tutsis to be superior to the Hutus by Belgian imperialists for which they the Tutsis enjoyed certain opportunities over the Hutus laid the foundation for the unrest in Rwanda, culminating to genocide in 1994 after previous unrest.
The U.S., U.N and indeed the international community must act fast to be our brothers keepers.
As the former New Zealand Ambassador to the U.N Colin Keating said during the commemoration, the U.N. needs to step up human rights protection and further re-appraise its failure to prevent ongoing atrocities in Syria, Central African Republic and South Sudan.
Nigerian leaders should unite to resolve the menace of Boko Haram in line with U.N. Secretary General, Ban ki Moon’s call on all countries to re-commit themselves to prevent and fight genocide and re-affirm responsibility to protect people from crimes against humanity.
It is instructive that the strong and wealthy in society learn to protect the weak and poor rather than conspire to further impoverish or kill them.
The time to act is now.
Sika, a commentator on contemporary issues, is a staff of Radio Rivers, Port Harcourt.

Baridorn Sika