{"id":51860,"date":"2024-11-09T16:11:37","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T16:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/un-s-nderitu-speaks-out-against-genocide-deniers-influence-in-downplaying\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T12:51:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T12:51:36","slug":"un-s-nderitu-speaks-out-against-genocide-deniers-influence-in-downplaying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/un-s-nderitu-speaks-out-against-genocide-deniers-influence-in-downplaying\/","title":{"rendered":"UN’s Nderitu speaks out against Genocide deniers\u2019 influence in downplaying Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Speaking on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at a press conference held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, she concluded a week-long series of high-level events focused on the prevention of genocide and related crimes. These gatherings brought together policy experts, academics, civil society, and activists from around the world.<\/p>\n

The events, held from November 4-9, aimed to strengthen global efforts to prevent genocide and related crimes, covering critical topics essential to prevention. They included a workshop for women community leaders, an expert consultation on mediation for prevention, and an international conference on ethnicity and prevention.<\/p>\n

Commenting on those who portray Rwanda negatively and distort the events following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Nderitu referred to this as \u201cthe power of genocide\u201d and expressed admiration for Rwanda\u2019s extraordinary resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, you are absolutely right when you say that Rwanda was clinically dead after the genocide because nothing was functioning. And I think it’s really one of the wonders of this century, that when you talk about Rwanda in this continent, we are talking about a first among equals, a very strong country that has developed very strong leadership,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In 1994, Rwanda had basically ceased to exist as a nation. A million people lay dead, out of a population of around seven million, because of a perverted genocidal ideology. Millions more were refugees. Every public institution had been destroyed, and the national treasury was looted.<\/p>\n

From wounds of Genocide, Rwanda has emerged as a united nation promoting unity and reconciliation. It has become a role model across Africa and globally for good governance, technology, peacekeeping, and women\u2019s empowerment.<\/p>\n

Nderitu noted the international recognition of Rwandans, who now hold significant positions worldwide, and celebrated Rwanda\u2019s resilience as worthy of praise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I hear some of the things that are said, to downplay, for example, the country of Rwanda, I think to myself, this is the power of genocide. That it has such intergenerational power,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Nderitu emphasized that genocide execution and denial involves mass mobilization, warning that denial and misinformation are often perpetuated by genocide deniers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we cannot stop the naysayers, but it\u2019s important to understand the reality of where all these naysayers come from because some of them are actually informed by genocide deniers. […] If we fail in prevention, then what happens is that we have to rely on accountability,\u201d noted Nderitu.<\/p>\n

Nderitu also expressed concern over genocide fugitives evading justice and residing in UN member states.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve issued a number of statements calling them out. […] You shouldn’t be protecting them. You should find a way to either try them or bring them home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want the world to know that whoever is in your country and is a genocidaire or is being indicted for this crime, you need to hold them accountable,\u201d added Nderitu.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on criticisms against Rwanda, she noted that \u201cdoomsayers\u201d exist when success is evident.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s important that I do not think that the kind of things that are said about the country will stop. You know in Kiswahili we say that if you see young children throwing stones at a tree, then you should know that that tree has fruits. There is something good about that particular place,\u201d said Nderitu.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there are always all these naysayers. So if you imagine how many people are convicted for this crime, how many people are genuinely remorseful, and how many people out there are tarnishing Rwanda\u2019s name, and so many of them being genocide deniers. And we know that because they even hold conferences, they write papers, they peer review each other. We know that. So consistently trying to bring down what Rwanda is doing. But we are there to provide another voice. I can speak with an unbiased voice and say this is what we are seeing from out there,\u201d added Nderitu.<\/p>\n

She commended Rwanda for not only surviving the genocide but also for its willingness to share its experience of resilience and recovery.<\/p>\n

Professor Gregory Stanton, who developed the “10 Stages of Genocide” framework, praised Rwanda\u2019s homegrown solutions that prevent its dark past from defining its future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI praise this country. You in Rwanda are an example to the whole world. Rwanda, like Germany, has actually faced its past and is now a leader in this whole effort to overcome ethnicity, to overcome nationality, to reaffirm that for all of us, we are part of the same human race,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Freddy Mutanguha, CEO of the Aegis Trust and Director of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, emphasized that hosting these discussions in Rwanda provides the world an invaluable opportunity to learn and deeply understand the severity of the genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
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The United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu commended Rwanda\u2019s remarkable transformation after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, recognizing its evolution into a strong and exemplary nation. She highlighted that individuals downplaying Rwanda\u2019s achievements are influenced by the lingering power of genocidal ideology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000076861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[160],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-51860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-theophile-niyitegeka"],"bylines":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"contributors":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"featured_image":{"id":2000076861,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2-054a8957.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2-054a8957.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2-054a8957.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2-054a8957.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2-054a8957.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2-054a8957.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000076861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51860"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=51860"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=51860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}