IV 

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 


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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 Juve ́nal 

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; 


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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 

Juve ́nal 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, includVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:59 Mar 31, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC87.IH HC87

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ing 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 


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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 SecretaryGeneral 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 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) solemnly observes the 15th anniversary of 

4 the Rwandan genocide, which claimed the lives of an 


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1 estimated 800,000 people over the course of just 100 

2 days; 

3 (2) remembers those who were lost in this 

4 senseless campaign of mass slaughter and expresses 

5 sincere condolences to the families of the victims; 

6 (3) honors the heroic actions of those who 

7 sought to draw attention to and stop the genocide; 

8 (4) recognizes that despite countless pledges of 

9 ‘‘never again’’, the forces of genocide have again 

10 been unleashed in Darfur, Sudan; 

11 (5) commends the commitment of Rwandan 

12 peacekeepers who have taken effective action to pro13 tect civilians in Sudan; and 

14 (6) urges all responsible nations to uphold the 

15 principles of the Convention on the Prevention and 

16 Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and seek to 

17 halt genocide wherever it may occur. 

Æ 


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