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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 87 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 87

 Observing the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and calling on 
 all responsible nations to uphold the principles of the Convention on 
        the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 30, 2009

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Royce, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. 
   Burton of Indiana, Mr. Pence, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Inglis, and Ms. 
 Jackson-Lee of Texas) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
 Observing the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and calling on 
 all responsible nations to uphold the principles of the Convention on 
        the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Whereas historically, ethnic Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda followed the same 
        religion, intermarried, and lived intermingled, and through marriage and 
        clientage Hutus could become ``hereditary Tutsis'' and Tutsis could 
        become ``hereditary Hutus'';
Whereas the manipulation of ethnic identity by colonial powers, including the 
        issuance of ethnic identity cards and the introduction of an apartheid 
        system of governance favoring the Tutsi minority, exacerbated existing 
        tensions between Hutus and Tutsis and contributed to periodic episodes 
        of ethnic violence;
Whereas a revolt by Hutu political activists, supported by Belgium, resulted in 
        the overthrow of the Tutsi monarchy in November 1959, and the subsequent 
        fleeing of an estimated 160,000 Tutsi refugees to neighboring countries;
Whereas, on October 1, 1990, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front/Army (RPF/A) 
        invaded Rwanda from its base in Uganda;
Whereas after two years of fighting, the RPF/A signed a peace accord with the 
        government of President Juvenal Habyarimana in Arusha, Tanzania, in 
        August 1993, paving the way for the formation of a power-sharing 
        government, the return of Rwandan refugees, and the deployment of a 
        United Nations Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR);
Whereas following the signing of the Arusha Accords, broadcasts of ``hate 
        radio'' directed against Tutsis and moderate Hutus intensified and 
        numerous credible reports confirmed the existence of government-run 
        training camps for militias, widespread killings of civilians, targeted 
        assassinations against senior members of the coalition government, and 
        massive influxes of weapons from France, Egypt, China, and South Africa;
Whereas the commander of UNAMIR, General Romeo Dallaire, repeatedly warned the 
        United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) about the 
        potential for mass slaughter in Rwanda, even sending an urgent fax to 
        DPKO headquarters explicitly describing the blueprint for genocide on 
        January 11, 1994;
Whereas DPKO responded to these warnings by informing General Dallaire that 
        UNAMIR did not have a mandate to seize weapons, to jam radio broadcasts, 
        or even to protect Dallaire's informant;
Whereas, on April 6, 1994, a plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana of 
        Rwanda and President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi was shot down as it 
        approached Kigali International Airport;
Whereas the Rwandan Armed Forces, the presidential guard, and Interhamwe militia 
        immediately responded by unleashing a highly organized, systematic 
        campaign of genocide against Tutsi leaders and moderate Hutu politicians 
        who had been identified on ``hit lists'' months earlier;
Whereas consistent with the warning issued by General Dallaire three months 
        earlier, the Rwandan prime minister and her 10 Belgian bodyguards were 
        among the first victims, prompting Belgium to withdraw its forces from 
        UNAMIR on April 14, 1994;
Whereas the killing spree swiftly spread across the country as security forces 
        and Interhamwe militia armed with machetes, clubs, guns, and grenades 
        began slaughtering tens of thousands of Tutsi civilians, while 
        uninterrupted broadcasts of ``hate radio'' helped pinpoint the locations 
        of Tutsis and urged killers not to spare women or children;
Whereas ordinary Hutu citizens also were called upon, and often forced, to join 
        in the killing, and reportedly did so ``with a radio in one hand and a 
        machete in the other'';
Whereas many other Rwandans resisted the genocide and displayed amazing courage 
        while protecting civilians, including Paul Rusesabagina, who is credited 
        with saving over 1,200 Tutsis and moderate Hutus who took shelter at the 
        Mille Collines hotel in Kigali;
Whereas despite General Dallaire's assertion that he could halt the genocide 
        with 5,000 well-equipped troops and a robust mandate, the United Nations 
        Security Council reduced UNAMIR's strength from 2,548 to 270 on April 
        21, 1994;
Whereas while calls to neutralize Radio Mille Collines were growing, the State 
        Department Legal Advisor's Office reportedly issued a finding against 
        radio jamming in May 1994, citing international broadcasting agreements 
        and the United States commitment to free speech;
Whereas in response to irrefutable evidence of mass slaughter and mounting 
        pressure by some Member States and determined human rights advocates, 
        including the late Alison Des Forges, the United Nations Security 
        Council finally recognized that ``acts of genocide may have been 
        committed'' in Rwanda and authorized the deployment of 6,800 
        peacekeeping troops with a mandate to protect civilians on May 17, 1994;
Whereas the troops associated with UNAMIR II did not arrive until after the 
        genocide had been halted;
Whereas, on July 4, 1994, the RPF/A, led by General Paul Kagame, captured Kigali 
        and formed an interim government of national unity on July 17, 1994;
Whereas, over the course of just 100 days, an estimated 800,000 people were 
        killed in Rwanda and over 2,100,000 refugees, including members of the 
        Hutu-led government, fully armed contingents of the Armed Forces of 
        Rwanda (ex-FAR), Interhamwe militia, and other genocidaires poured into 
        neighboring Zaire, Burundi, and Tanzania;
Whereas the effects of the genocide in Rwanda were profound and far-reaching, 
        and the continued presence of ex-FAR/Interhamwe militias in eastern 
        Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, remains a major source of 
        regional instability;
Whereas, in March 1998, former President Clinton expressed his regret for 
        failing to take action to halt the forces of genocide in Rwanda, 
        stating, ``[a]ll over the world there were people like me sitting in 
        offices who did not fully appreciate the depth and the speed with which 
        you were being engulfed by this unimaginable terror'';
Whereas, on April 7, 2004, as world leaders gathered in Kigali to commemorate 
        the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, former United Nations 
        Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared to the United Nations Human Rights 
        Commission that reports of ethnic cleansing from the Darfur region of 
        western Sudan had left him with ``a deep sense of foreboding''; and
Whereas given its own tragic experience in 1994, Rwanda responded to warnings of 
        genocide in Darfur by committing, with support from the United States, 
        three battalions to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and its 
        successor, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) 
        with explicit orders to protect civilians: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) solemnly observes the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan 
        genocide, which claimed the lives of an estimated 800,000 
        people over the course of just 100 days;
            (2) remembers those who were lost in this senseless 
        campaign of mass slaughter and expresses sincere condolences to 
        the families of the victims;
            (3) honors the heroic actions of those who sought to draw 
        attention to and stop the genocide;
            (4) recognizes that despite countless pledges of ``never 
        again'', the forces of genocide have again been unleashed in 
        Darfur, Sudan;
            (5) commends the commitment of Rwandan peacekeepers who 
        have taken effective action to protect civilians in Sudan; and
            (6) urges all responsible nations to uphold the principles 
        of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime 
        of Genocide and seek to halt genocide wherever it may occur.
                                 <all>
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