Don't let Sudan become another Rwanda, mission leader urges
Don't let Sudan become another Rwanda, mission leader urges
April 7, 2004
By Elliott Wright*
NEW
YORK (UMNS) - The head of the United Methodist international mission
agency is calling on the world's nations to mark the 10th anniversary of
the genocide in Rwanda by acting to ward off a potential bloodbath in
Sudan.
The
Rev. R. Randy Day, top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries, made the appeal April 7, a decade after the Rwandan
government, controlled by a faction of the majority Hutu tribe, killed
800,000 people in a three-month period. Most of the victims were members
of the minority Tutsi tribe and moderate Hutus. The United Methodist
Church provided extensive relief services to Rwandan refugees at the
time.
Day
criticized the United Nations and the governments of the United States
and Western Europe for being "mute and cowardly" during the Rwandan
atrocities. He said they had a chance to show their better faces in
Sudan, where Arab militia, armed by the government, are pillaging and
displacing African communities.
He noted that an international conference in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is studying the events of a decade ago.
"The
most important lesson from the horror of the Rwandan genocide should be
that of international vigilance to assure that another Rwanda cannot
happen-anywhere on earth," Day said. "With regard to mass murder, the
nations and humanitarian organizations, including churches, should adopt
and put into practice the slogan of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust:
'Never again!'"
At
the conference, Rwandan President Paul Kagame admonished the
international community for failing to stop the genocide in his country.
If mass killings were to occur elsewhere, Rwanda would be among the
first to send in troops, he said, according to news reports.
Day's
statement came the same day that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
U.S. President George Bush separately called for an end to the fighting
in Sudan. Bush noted that Sudan's civil war has been "responsible for
the deaths of 2 million people over two decades." Both leaders called on
Sudan's government to allow humanitarian relief agencies into the
troubled area.
The Sudanese government also announced that it was restarting direct talks with rebel forces, according to news reports.
North
of Rwanda, Africans in southern Sudan are undergoing what Day called a
"reign of terror" inflicted by Arab forces backed by the government. In
2001, United Methodist News Service reported that reports of genocide
had emerged from parts of Sudan where mostly Christians and followers of
traditional religions live. At the time, an estimated 4 million had
been forced from their homes, according to aid officials.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief, a unit of the mission board, is caring for Sudanese refugees in the nation of Chad.
"The
United Nations and the Western governments that failed so miserably in
Rwanda have a chance in the Sudan to show their resolve to stop the
germs of genocide before they fester and explode," Day said. "Let us
pray that they will!"
UMCOR
is closely monitoring the situation in Sudan, he said. The relief
organization played a major role 10 years ago in responding to the needs
of Rwandan refugees fleeing into what is today the Democratic Republic
of Congo.
An
appeal to United Methodists in 1994 resulted in more than $2 million
for food relief, orphan care, medical supplies and shelter for the
Rwandan emergency. Augmented by international funds, UMCOR reached out
to many displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and East
Africa, leading to agricultural projects, education for girls, food
security operations, microfinancing, income generation and community
reintegration of former combatants.
"We
pray for a peaceful solution to the discord in Sudan," Day said, "and,
with the memory of Rwanda in our hearts, we recommit our programs and
personnel to justice, freedom, and peace within and among nations,
religions and ethnic groups."
Contributions
to the Sudanese emergency work and the ongoing refugee work in the
Democratic Republic of Congo can be made through the United Methodist
Church's General Advance. Donations can be sent to the General Advance,
475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115. Checks should be designated for
fund No. 184385 for the Sudan or No. 198400 for the Congo.
*Wright
is the information officer for the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries. News media can contact Tim Tanton at (615)
742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Day's full statement follows:
Statement on the Tenth Anniversary of Start of Rwanda Genocide
Ten
years ago on April 7, 1994, an ethnically-defined political faction in
Rwanda unleashed a murderous rampage that left 800,000 people dead over a
three-month period. At the time, the world's nations, including the
United Nations, and, to a large degree, the world's churches were
deplorably silent and inactive.
The
governments of Western Europe and the United States were, for the most
part, mute and cowardly in the face of what was clearly genocide stirred
by an extreme political wing of the Hutu tribe that controlled the
government. Recently declassified documents show that the United States
was initially reluctant to use the term "genocide" because it might have
committed the Clinton Administration to "actually do something" about
it.
This
week, an international conference in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, paid
tribute to the victims, mostly Tutsi tribespeople and moderate Hutus. A
memorial was unveiled; participants visited cemeteries and sites of mass
carnage, including churches where people seeking refuge were massacred.
Discussions were held on causes, blame, and lessons learned.
The
most important lesson from the horror of the Rwandan genocide should be
that of international vigilance to assure that another Rwanda cannot
happen-anywhere on earth. With regard to mass murder, the nations and
humanitarian organizations, including churches, should adopt and put
into practice the slogan of the victims of the Nazi Holocaust: "NEVER
AGAIN!"
The
General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church joins
with the people of Rwanda in mourning the victims of the conflagration a
decade ago. We have keen memories of the horror because of extensive
work with survivors, especially refugees who fled into what is today the
Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1994, our Church members gave more
than $2 million for food relief, care of orphans, medical supplies, and
shelter. That work, done by our United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR), leveraged other funds and led to continuing ministries among
displaced populations in the region.
An
opportunity to show repentance for international inaction in Rwanda can
be found in the current situation in Sudan, where government-armed
militia are destroying non-Arab ethnic communities through a
scorched-earth campaign. A reign of terror-including murder, rape, and
looting of Africans-has already displaced one million civilians. The
United Nations and the Western governments that failed so miserably in
Rwanda have a chance in the Sudan to show their resolve to stop the
germs of genocide before they fester and explode. Let us pray that they
will!
The
General Board through UMCOR is closely monitoring developments in the
Sudan. We stand ready to assist refugees and victims of political abuse.
UMCOR is already providing aid to refugees from the Sudan in Chad.
We
pray for a peaceful solution to the discord in Sudan and, with the
memory of Rwanda in our hearts, we recommit our programs and personnel
to justice, freedom, and peace within and among nations, religions, and
ethnic groups.