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 prin-
ciples of the Convention on the Prevention and Punish-
ment of the Crime of Genocide. 
Whereas historically, ethnic Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda fol-
lowed the same religion, intermarried, and lived inter-
mingled, and through marriage and clientage Hutus 
could become ‘‘hereditary Tutsis’’ and Tutsis could be-
come ‘‘hereditary Hutus’’; 
Whereas the manipulation of ethnic identity by colonial pow-
ers, including the issuance of ethnic identity cards and 
the introduction of an apartheid system of governance fa-
voring the Tutsi minority, exacerbated existing tensions 
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•HCON 87 IH 
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 esti-
mated 160,000 Tutsi refugees to neighboring countries; 
Whereas, on October 1, 1990, the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patri-
otic 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, pav-
ing the way for the formation of a power-sharing govern-
ment, the return of Rwandan refugees, and the deploy-
ment 
of 
a 
United 
Nations 
Mission 
in 
Rwanda 
(UNAMIR); 
Whereas following the signing of the Arusha Accords, broad-
casts of ‘‘hate radio’’ directed against Tutsis and mod-
erate Hutus intensified and numerous credible reports 
confirmed the existence of government-run training 
camps for militias, widespread killings of civilians, tar-
geted assassinations against senior members of the coali-
tion 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 Depart-
ment of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) about the po-
tential 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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•HCON 87 IH 
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 pro-
tect 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 politi-
cians who had been identified on ‘‘hit lists’’ months ear-
lier; 
Whereas consistent with the warning issued by General 
Dallaire three months earlier, the Rwandan prime min-
ister 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 chil-
dren; 
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 dis-
played amazing courage while protecting civilians, includ-
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