The Rwandan Genocide: Who Was To Blame

I am delighted to see so many of you continue to visit this site despite the lack of new postings. Interestingly, the most viewed pieces continue to be those dealing with the Rwandan genocide. I am guessing students and perhaps historians are reviewing these posts. I would love to hear from you. In the meantime, I am reposting these most popular items. Thanks for your continued interest.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Rwandan Genocide: Who Was Really To Blame?

France today (8/6/08) accused Rwanda of making “unacceptable accusations" by alleging top French officials played an active role in the 1994 genocide. A 500-page report released Tuesday in Kigali alleged that France was aware of preparations for the genocide and said the French military helped plan the massacres and actively took part in the killing. It named 13 senior French politicians and 20 military officials as responsible raises the prospect of Rwandan legal action against them. But the foreign ministry spokesman, Romain Nadal, told reporters: “This report contains unacceptable accusations made against French political and military officials.”

Well, the accusations may not be acceptable to French authorities but they may be true. (See my eyewitness accounts from inside the so-called Zone Turquoise here and here.) And it recalled a piece I did in March 2004 when a French news report, in an adroit effort to muddy the facts, alleged Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, was responsible for the missile attack that marked the start of the 1994 genocide. What I reported from the Pentagon was that declassified US government documents pointed at another culprit.

The French newspaper Le Monde triggered an international controversy in early March when it reported on an investigation by a French judge into the April 6th, 1994 downing of an airplane carrying the then Rwandan president, Juvenal Habyarimana.

Le Monde, citing the judge's official report, said French authorities have concluded then Rwandan rebel leader Paul Kagame gave the orders for the missile attack that brought down the plane.

Mr. Habyarimana's death marked the start of the Rwandan genocide.

Mr. Kagame is now Rwanda's president. He has rejected the French finding.

Newly-released, declassified US government documents also contradict the French version.

One is a memo to the Secretary of Defense written two days after the plane crash in Kigali. It says Hutu extremists "probably shot down the president's plane."

Another document, a May 9th, 1994 Defense Intelligence Agency report, also points to Hutu extremists -- this time, a group within Rwanda's military. The DIA report explains that President Habyarimana, a Hutu, supported a reconciliation agreement with Mr. Kagame's mainly-Tutsi rebel group. It says Hutu hardliners were against the peace-and-power-sharing deal, especially provisions for integrating Tutsis into a new military.

The report then goes on to say, quoting now, that "fueled antipathy to the president among hardline elements within the Army, particularly the Presidential Guard."

It concludes the plane crash, quoting again, "was actually an assassination conducted by Hutu military hardliners."

The State Department appeared to share that view. Another declassified document says the truth behind President Habyarimana's death may never be known. But there are, in theState Department document's words, "credible but unconfirmed reports that Hutu elements in the military" opposed to a peace deal with the Tutsis "killed Habyarimana in order to block the accords."

Almost immediately after the president was killed, Hutu extremists began the systematic slaughter of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus who supported reconciliation. The violence was directed by high-level Rwandan government officials.

Bizarrely, that declassified memo to the then US Secretary of Defense written two days after the plane crash took an optimistic view of the situation. It reported what the document termed "a glimmer of hope that this crisis is waning" -- based on the fact there had been a meeting between government and rebel generals and the leader of UN peacekeepers in Rwanda.

But the meeting did not bring about a hoped-for cease-fire or a disengagement of forces. In the bloodshed that followed the assassination of the president, more than three-quarters of a million Rwandans died.

The declassified documents were obtained and released by the National Security Archive, an independent, non-governmental research institute attached to George Washington University in Washington, DC.

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Rwandan Genocide: Who Was Really To Blame? (Part Two)

Newly-released, declassified documents show senior US government officials were well-informed about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda --- even though they failed to use the word publicly to justify not intervening to halt the bloodshed. I filed this report on March 31st, 2004 – just ahead of the 10th anniversary of the start of the genocide.

Just two weeks after the start of the killings in Rwanda 10 years ago, senior Clinton administration policymakers were told by the Central Intelligence Agency that what was happening in the tiny Central African country was genocide.

The word appears in the CIA's April 23rd, 1994 National Intelligence Daily, a top secret intelligence summary delivered to senior US policymakers. Three days later, the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research provided more detail. It noted some Hutu extremists were speaking of a "final solution" to eliminate all Tutsis. It went on to say, quoting now, "the butchery shows no sign of ending."

Despite this and other information flowing into Washington, the Clinton Administration waited until late May to publicly acknowledge that what it termed "acts of genocide" were taking place in Rwanda.

It took then Secretary of State Warren Christopher until early June 1994 to finally use the word "genocide."

Other declassified documents released by the independent National Security Archive of George Washington University show the administration deliberately sought to avoid using the word genocide. Officials feared, in the words of one declassified Pentagon paper, that it "could commit the US government to actually do something" under international law--- something the Clinton administration wanted to avoid.

Alison Des Forges is an authority on the 1994 Rwandan genocide with the organization, Human Rights Watch. She says the US position was inexcusable.

“A genocide should demand an investment of resources, a level of concern beyond other crises in the world.”

The administration felt it was militarily overextended elsewhere in the world and that there were no compelling American interests in Rwanda. It also wanted to avoid any repetition of the bloody experiences of US peacekeeping troops in Somalia.

The Clinton administration later apologized to the Rwandan people for its failure to do more. In 1998, President Clinton travelled to Kigali and met survivors of the genocide. He said the international community did not act quickly to prevent the massacres. Mr. Clinton also said the international community must bear its share of responsibility for the tragedy.

Note: Having seen the butchered bodies, at a time when US officials were still avoiding public use of the word “genocide,” I can tell you I was personally outraged. I agree with Ms. Des Forges that the position taken by the administration at the time was inexcusable.

Just Say It! VOA Portuguese Call-in show Debuts in Angola

Washington, D.C.,March 31, 2011 - Social issues, health, politics, unemployment, just about any subject will be debated in a new weekly Voice of America call-in program called "Angola, Fala Só."

The half-hour Portuguese language show, which roughly translates to “just say it” in English, was inspired by a popular expression often used in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

Washington host Luis Costa Ribas will take toll-free calls on a range of subjects for Friday’s premier. Callers from anywhere in Angola are welcome to phone in or text-message their questions or comments, creating a national debate on the topics people are most interested in discussing.

The head of VOA’s Portuguese Service, Ana Guedes, said, “The show will not shy away from controversial issues. Everything will be discussed, from politics to rules on social behavior, freedom of expression, or the controversy over independence for the oil-rich Cabinda region. People will have an open platform to express themselves.”

VOA Director Danforth W. Austin said, “The program highlights our ability to create a truly national conversation in Angola by combining the use of SMS, mobile and Internet platforms to gather questions from around the country for a call-in format radio show that will be broadcast to the nation via shortwave and the Internet.”

The show will air Fridays from 6:00 to 6:30 in the evening local time in Africa. Visit the "Angola, Fala Só" webpage for more details about toll free numbers to call with your questions or to listen on-line.

"Angola, Fala Só" is partly funded by a grant from the U.S. State Department.

For more about the program and the VOA Portuguese Service, visit www.voanews.com/portuguese/news. For the latest news and information in English or any of VOA’s 44 languages, go to www.voanews.com.

Author Says Bout Would Fly Anything Anywhere

VOA's Andre DeNesnera has interviewed Douglas Farah, author of "The Merchant of Death" -- a reference to Viktor Bout's suspected vast arms trafficking activities -- about Bout's extradition to the United States.

Farah says Bout was a Soviet Air Force officer who saw the potential of selling weapons internationally as the Cold War came to an end.

"And as the Soviet Union ended, he seemed to have a vision that no-one else did, and that was that there were massive amounts of weapons in arsenals where the troops were no longer being paid, officers weren't being paid, and [the weapons were] available for a relatively cheap price," said Farah. "And there were aircraft left on the tarmacs across the former Soviet bloc that weren't being able to be flown because there was no money for fuel or maintenance. And he sort of married up those two commodities and began flying weapons and aircraft out of the Soviet Union and doing business across the world."

Farah gives some examples of Bout's alleged arms trafficking activities.

"The United Nations, the United States, the British and others have accused him of flying weapons into Liberia and Sierra Leone, particularly at the height of the very brutal wars in West Africa. He dealt extensively with the UNITA rebels in Angola," said Farah. "He had a relationship with Mobuto Sese Seko in what was Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. But he was also in the same conflict arming the rebels that came to power under Laurent Kabila. So he's been around many sides of different conflicts."

Bout's biographer says the accused arms trafficker did not provide weapons to al-Qaida, but that he did have extensive dealings with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"In part because one of his aircraft that was flying to deliver weapons to the Northern Alliance had to land in Taliban territory. They took the ammunition and kept some of his men prisoner for about a year. And then suddenly they were freed and he began supplying both ammunition and eventually aircraft to the Taliban," Farah said.

For two decades, Bout allegedly supplied weapons to anyone who would pay him. At the same time, he eluded international authorities.

Farah says Bout was finally arrested in Thailand in 2008 in a sting operation run by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC guerilla movement.

"And over a series of meetings and telephone conversations with him, they eventually set up a meeting in Bangkok, where he would sort of finalize the deal. And he offered them, at the meeting in Bangkok, surface-to-air missiles, drones to attack U.S. installed radars and that sort of thing, and specifically said that he knew that the weapons will be used to kill Americans," said Farah. "And because the FARC is a designated terrorist organization, that is enough to put him away for a long time."

On Tuesday (11/16/10), Bout was extradited to the United States from Thailand after a two-year legal battle. He says he is an innocent businessman and not involved in arms trafficking -- a claim echoed by Russian officials.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the extradition "illegal" and promised that Moscow would provide Bout all of the assistance entitled to Russian citizens abroad.

Farah says Bout has influential friends in Russia's intelligence agency.

"They are very anxious to protect him -- one, because they wanted to and two, because of what he knows," he said.

Farah says Russian officials are concerned about what Bout could tell U.S. authorities.

"I think he could tell them a great deal about what the Russians are doing in weapons sales around the world and how their intelligence structure works. Yes, I think that should be of concern to them and probably is," he added.

But Farah says other people are also concerned about what Bout might reveal under interrogation.

"Viktor also flew for the U.S. in Iraq; he flew for the British; he flew for the United Nations. One of the things that made him so unusual was that he would fly virtually anything, anywhere where the cargo needed to go. So he flew gladiolas, U.N. peacekeepers, frozen chickens, AK-47s -- pretty much for anyone who would pay. And I think many people would be happy if we didn't go into his long history," Farah said.

Appearing in federal court in New York City this week, Viktor Bout pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges.

His wife, Alla Bout says his extradition was illegal because there was still a case against him pending in court here.

VOA quotes her as saying that transferring her husband to the United States before the end of legal procedures breaches legal and humanitarian norms. She says by doing this the government of Thailand has once again demonstrated its complete subservience to Washington and willingness to fulfill any order from their American bosses.

Alla Bout says she plans to file a legal case to force the Thai government to bring her husband back to Thailand to release him.

She also seeks a visa to the U.S. where she says she will do all she can to defend her husband.

Russia also calls the extradition illegal and Thailand did it under intense pressure from Washington.

"Merchant of Death" Extradited to U.S.

Thailand has extradited alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States to face trial on terrorism charges. U.S. authorities accuse Bout of conspiring to kill Americans and supporting a terrorist organization.

VOA reports Thai authorities say Bout was put on a special plane to the United States Tuesday afternoon after the government gave final approval for his extradition. He is accused of selling weapons that have fueled conflicts in Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

Bout will face trial in the United States for conspiring to kill Americans by selling weapons of war to a terrorist organization.

Bout's handover to U.S. authorities ends more than two and a half years of court battles and a face off with Russian authorities.

Eds Note: Excuse the lengthy lapse in posting.

In Memoriam: My Dad

Alexander J. Belida, 92, the son of Russian immigrant millworkers who aspired to a career in aviation and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, died Wednesday, July 21 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md. of congestive heart failure.

A longtime resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, where he was born on June 27, 1918, the son of Demitry and Vera (Belinsky) Belida, Col. Belida had resided at Riderwood Village in Silver Spring for the past three years with his wife of 64 years, Rosalia (Filipiuk) Belida, who survives him.

His early years were spent in Chelmsford, Massachusetts where he attended school. He attended the Luscombe School of Aeronautics in New Jersey and became a certified aircraft mechanic. He later received a Bachelors Degree from the University of Maryland.

After working for Pan American Airways in Miami, he entered the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in 1942 and was commissioned as an officer and received his pilot’s wings in 1943. As a B-17 pilot, he served in the European Theatre in Italy and after the war was part of the occupation forces in Austria. He returned to the United States in 1947. Subsequent assignments in the Air Force were at various bases in the U.S. and in Germany, including service as an Intelligence Officer that drew on his knowledge of the Russian language. He also was an Assistant Professor of Air Science at Lowell Technological Institute from 1959 to 1963. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in`1965 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio after completing 23 years of service. He was a recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal

In 1965 he began a second career as a member of the faculty at Lowell High School in Lowell, Massachusetts where he taught until his retirement in 1980.

Col. Belida held membership in the Air Force Association, the Retired Officers Association, and Longmeadow Golf Club in Lowell. He was a member and past president of the Middlesex North Chapter of the Retired Educators Association of Massachusetts.

Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, Alex Belida, a senior advisor for news at the Voice of America in Washington D.C., and a daughter-in-law, Patricia Reber, the Washington-based Americas’ editor for the German Press Service DPA, both of Rockville, Md. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Adam, Brian and Katherine Belida, and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Belida of Tewksbury, Massachusetts. He was the brother of the late Peter Belida of Chelmsford, Mass. and Anthony Belida of Tewksbury, Mass.

On Vacation

Regrets Only is on vacation!

Human Rights Watch on Obama and LRA

Human Rights Watch has issued the following release:

President Barack Obama should move swiftly to implement landmark legislation he signed committing the US to help civilians in central Africa threatened by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a coalition of 49 human rights, humanitarian, and faith-based groups said today. The rebel group has carried out one of the world’s longest-running and most brutal insurgencies.

The Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009 was signed into law during a White House ceremony that included key members of Congress and representatives of civil society organizations. It states that it is US policy to support efforts “to protect civilians from the Lord’s Resistance Army, to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield in the continued absence of a negotiated solution, and to disarm and demobilize the remaining LRA fighters.” It also requires Obama to develop a comprehensive, multilateral strategy to protect civilians in central Africa from LRA attacks and take steps to permanently stop the rebel group’s violence. Furthermore, it calls on the United States to increase humanitarian assistance to countries currently affected by LRA violence and to support economic recovery and transitional justice efforts in Uganda.

The coalition of supporting organizations includes groups in Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan – where communities face ongoing attacks by the LRA – as well as in Uganda, where the conflict originated.

Human Rights defenders in Niangara, a town in northern Congo deeply affected by recent LRA attacks, in a public letter to President Obama published last week, pleaded for concrete and urgent action against the LRA. “We feel forgotten and abandoned. Our suffering seems to bring little attention from the international community or our own government,” the letter says. “We live each day with the fear of more LRA attacks. What chance do we have if no one hears our cries and if no one comes to our aid?”

The law was introduced into the US Senate and House of Representatives in May 2009, and has since become the most widely supported Africa-specific legislation in recent Congressional history. The law was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 65 Senators and 201 Representatives, representing 49 states and 90 percent of US citizens. Tens of thousands of Americans mobilized in support of the legislation, participating in hundreds of meetings with Congressional offices across the country.

“For years civilians in central Africa have suffered immensely from LRA violence,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This legislation gives President Obama a clear mandate to work with international and national partners to apprehend indicted LRA commanders as part of a comprehensive strategy to permanently stop LRA atrocities.”

“President Obama should move swiftly to take advantage of this historic opportunity to help bring closure to one of the worst human rights crises of our day,” added Van Woudenberg.

LRA violence has plagued central Africa for more than two decades. In northern Uganda, thousands of civilians were killed and nearly two million displaced by the conflict between the rebels and the Ugandan government. In July 2005, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the senior leaders of the LRA for crimes they committed in northern Uganda, but the suspects remain at large. Though the rebel group ended attacks in northern Uganda in 2006, it then moved its bases to the northern Democratic Republic of Congo and has since committed acts of violence against civilians in Congo, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Kony and his top commanders sustain their ranks by abducting civilians, including children, to use as soldiers and sexual slaves.

In December 2008, following the collapse of a negotiations process, Sudan, Uganda, and Congo began a joint military offensive, “Operation Lightening Thunder,” against the rebel group, with backing from the United States. In the subsequent 17 months the LRA has dispersed into multiple smaller groups and has brutally murdered more than 1,500 civilians and abducted over 1,600 people, many of them children. LRA violence has often targeted churches, school and markets, and includes the massacre of over 300 Congolese civilians in an attack last December.

“If left unchecked, the LRA leadership will continue to kill and abduct throughout central Africa, threatening stability in four countries and potentially undermining the referendum in southern Sudan. The LRA is a clear threat to international peace and security,” said John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project. “The US now is tasked with leading a global effort to end this threat once and for all.”

The law also aims to help secure a lasting peace in Uganda by increasing assistance to war-affected communities in northern Uganda and supporting initiatives to help resolve longstanding divisions between Uganda’s north and south. It seeks to increase funding for transitional justice initiatives and calls on the Ugandan government to reinvigorate its commitment to a transparent and accountable reconstruction process in war-affected areas.

“Until now the world has turned its back to the suffering of our people,” said Bishop Samuel Enosa Peni of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan’s Nzara Diocese, which has been deeply affected by LRA violence. “We are praying for US and international leaders to hear our cries and end this violence once and for all.”

To read the letter to President Obama from human rights defenders in Niangara, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/05/19/public-appeal-human-rights-defenders-northeastern-dr-congo-president-barack-obama