THE WEST & RWANDA’S GENOCIDE

Rwanda’s genocide was unleashed three decades ago.

Ever since, it has been used as justification for Western countries to intervene militarily elsewhere.

What’s ignored is the West’s hand in stoking the ethnic divisions that spiralled into those hundred days of genocidal horror.

Moreover, on 21st April, 1994, the UN reduced its peacekeeping force by 90 per cent - from 2,500 to just 270. This went against its own ‘responsibility to protect’ doctrine, used to justify humanitarian interventions.

Here’s a recap of those dark events - a warning, our report contains scenes you may find upsetting.

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MOZAMBIQUE’S MIGHTY MACHEL

Happy National Women’s day Mozambique! This public holiday celebrated every year on April 7th, is inspired by the life of the revolutionary Josina Machel. She was married to the country’s first president socialist and nationalist Samora Machel.
She battled against Portuguese occupation, fought for th Mozambique liberation front and championed women’s rights. She died from liver cancer, aged just 25, on April 7th, 1971. She achieved a lot during her short life.

We look back at her impact on the Southeast African nation and why her name is one to be remembered for generations to come.

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ABBY MARTIN: ISRAEL IS COMMITTING GENOCIDE

Can what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip be described a genocide? British journalist Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) recently posed that question to US-based journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin (@abbymartin) on @piersmorganuncensored.

She thought so, and cited indicators that point to Israel committing genocidal acts against Palestinians. From the besiegement of the Gaza Strip, starvation of civilians, destruction of health facilities, indiscriminate bombing of among the world’s most densely populated areas, the killing of over 33,000 civilians and so on, Martin said Israel’s policy targeting Palestinians is clear.

Continued…After debates that took place about whether Israel had bombed the first hospital in October, Israel went on to attack more hospitals in the Gaza Strip, leaving only 24 per cent of healthcare facilities functioning.

Do you think the discussions around whether Israel is committing genocide might be wasting time as more than 2 million of Palestinians are held under siege?

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BLACK UKRAINIAN WARRIORS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

After Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, thousands of Africans and other people of colour in the country faced discrimination as they tried to flee.

In this clip, 34-year-old Pyra Diantouadi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) expressed his disbelief at Ukrainians asking him to take up guns to fight for Kiev. He laughed at the idea of facing Russian troops, saying he’d stick out like a sore thumb and probably be killed, thanks to his skin colour.

He was lucky to get a train ride westward into Poland, where ABC News recorded this interview.

Continued…. However, reports say Ukrainian soldiers turned away many African men at train stations. In 2020, the government reported it had more than 80,000 international students from 158 countries.

This brother’s response is not surprising, as Africans have historically been used to fight in European wars, whether it was in the US war on Vietnam, the two World Wars some historians refer to as imperialist wars, the US Civil War or US settler-colonisers’ war of ‘independence’ against the British. Our people unfortunately have a history of fighting for people who would never fight for us. But, at least this brother followed in the steps of boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, who refused to be deployed to Vietnam in 1967, essentially saying, ‘Hell no!’

How would you have reacted if you were in this brother’s position?

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BASSEM YOUSSEF ARGUES FOR USING ‘GENOCIDE’ RE: GAZA

When a France 24 presenter recently asked Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef (@byoussef) why he uses the word ‘genocide’ to describe Israel’s attacks for the last almost six months against Palestinian civilians, Youssef shot back rather sharply.

The Egyptian said Israel’s claim that it seeks to eradicate militant group H*m*s distracts from its bombardment and siege, which has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Youssef added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies created H*m*s.

Continued….. On 26 January, the International Court of Justice issued a provisional ruling that stated South Africa’s charge that Israel is committing genocide is ‘plausible.’ The court further required Israel to take steps to prevent genocidal acts. However, reports show Israel’s bombardment and siege have killed an additional 7,000 Palestinians since that ruling. Plus, although the UN Security Council passed a 25 March resolution calling for a ceasefire, Israel’s military in this week alone killed people at the al-Shifa Hospital, on a World Central Kitchen food-aid convoy and at the Iranian consulate in Syria.

Do you use the word ‘genocide’ to describe what is going on in the Gaza Strip? Let us know in the comments.

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FOOD IS A HUMAN RIGHT!

According to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to food is part of the right to an adequate standard of living. Culturally appropriate food is built into that right.

However, in 2021, the United States and Israel were the only countries that voted against a United Nations committee’s draft resolution that asserted food as a human right. This came after the number of people without adequate food rose from 320 million to more than 2 billion in the year 2020.

US and Western sanctions have long contributed to famine, disease and death, too.

What do you think is the solution to the global hunger crisis? Let us know in the comments.

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Mali-born singer Aya Nakamura has suffered a barrage of racist abuse for preparing to represent France at the Paris Olympics. President Macron is rumoured to have invited her to sing a song by famous French singer, Edith Piaf, at the opening ceremony. But that hasn’t gone down well with the French public, with a poll showing 63 per cent disapprove. Far-right politician Marine Le Pen even said the artist was unfit to represent the country. There’s also been a vitriolic response on social media.

Nakamura was raised in Paris and became a naturalised French citizen in 2021. Her songs include a mix of West African languages as well as French, Arabic and English. But for some, her talent doesn’t ‘enrich’ French culture but rather ‘dilutes’ and ‘corrupts’ it. Putting it simply, it’s being made clear she is not French enough. A shocking situation, but maybe it’s another reality check?

Continued…. While the French right attacks Nakamura for “not being French enough" to represent France, African revolutionaries have also pointed out the contradiction of Africans latching on to and seeking to represent colonial states. Malcolm X once stated, “when a cat has kittens in an oven you don't call them biscuits! We are still Africans!” In other words, regardless of where we were born, regardless of where we live, we are African people. In the words of Kwame Ture, “There are many people who live in Europe and America who support lands which do not belong to them.” The material interests of Europe and North America are diametrically opposed to those of the African continent.

Perhaps this is the reason why French-born Pan-African activist Kemi Séba recently torched his French passport when government officials threatened to strip him of his citizenship. We empathise with Aya Nakamura and hope she remembers if she’s rejected by France, she can always choose to represent Africa and her people.

What do you think of her treatment in France?

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Rwandan President Paul Kagame for being a ‘true’ friend of Israel during the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Rwanda genocide on 7 April. In his message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Herzog added that he presented a necklace to Kagame’ bearing the unequivocal demand to bring home the hostages brutally held captive by the terrorist organisation H*m*s in Gaza.’

Herzog, whose country South Africa has accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, was among foreign dignitaries at the commemoration in Kigali. Bill Clinton, who served as US president during the 1994 genocide, also attended.

The public unleashed in the comments of the X post, highlighting the ongoing Israeli bombardment and siege of the Gaza Strip and occupation of the West Bank, all of which the ICJ ruled on 26 January as ‘plausibly’ genocidal.

Continued…. Israel has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians—primarily women and children—since the 7 October escalation in the 75-year Israeli occupation. The UN announced in March that famine is ‘imminent’ in the northern Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has said it’s ‘plausible’ Tel Aviv is using starvation as a weapon of war.

Some users also pointed out Israel’s arms sales to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. In 2016, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that documents relating to arms exports to Rwanda during the genocide should be kept from the public, citing risks to national security and foreign relations. A recent UN report also accused Kigali of supplying Israeli arms to the M23 militant group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

To sum up, Israel has been accused of committing genocide against the Palestinians after allegedly arming Rwanda’s genocide against the Tutsi people and a militant group in the Congo. What do you make of this?

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Our African Proverb of the Week talks about a person’s true inner character.

No amount of eloquence, poise, finery or wealth can hide this.

You can only keep up a facade for so long - and if what’s underneath is ugly, this will seep through…

Harsh, or a fact? Can you think of any other African proverbs along these lines?

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