Lessons from the Rwandan genocide

BY ABRAHAM MCLAUGHLIN

In the space of just 100 days, between April and June of 1994, Rwanda experienced one of the worst genocides the world has ever seen. Today, tribunals, likened to the Nuremberg trials of World War II war criminals, are underway to bring the genocide ring leaders to justice. In the wake of such unimaginable tragedy, the country today shows remarkable signs of hope, reconciliation, social justice, and compassion — and can be an example to its global neighbors.

ONE OF THE MOST powerful things I learned while living and working in Africa for three years is how much we all really need our neighbors — whether it's our next-door neighbors, co-workers, family members, or fellow church members.

Someone I met in Rwanda who came to understand this was a quiet, sad-eyed man named Anastaz. Thirteen years ago, Rwanda's leaders, through a malevolent and mesmerizing campaign, persuaded Anastaz and other ethnic Hutus that their lives would be much better if they killed their Tutsi neighbors. "During the genocide, everyone was planning to take properties and kill," Anastaz told me. Then, he explained, they'd live a life of luxury in which they wouldn't "have to work."