ALL WHAT WE FIGHT FOR IS JUSTICE AND REMEMBRANCE FOR ALL

I am writing this article in reaction of the article written by Prof. Marijke Verpoorten. The article’s title is “Why claim 200,000 tutsi died in the genocide is wrong”. (1)

I made my case extensively on this issue of the number of Tutsi and Hutu who died during the genocide in the article I wrote: “Inside the Protest letter to BBC: A point of view of a Rwandan and genocide survivor” (2). I do not intend to argue again on this but I would like to remind some important points.

No authoritative source than the 1991 official census will convince us otherwise about the number of Tutsi who were in Rwanda in 1991. Unless you prove by scientific facts, not just by mere affirmations, that the 1991 census was wrong. Having said that, the number of Tutsi in Rwanda as the 1991 census indicates stood at 596,387.

No authoritative source than Ibuka (a Tutsi genocide survivors’ Organization) will convince us otherwise the number of Tutsi who were in Rwanda after the genocide. Ibuka established the number of 300,000 Tutsi.

No authoritative source than the RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front) Government and genocide survivors’ organizations had convinced us otherwise so far about the number of people who died during the genocide. They established the number of people who died during the genocide at 1,074,017 (3)

From what is said above. We know the number of Tutsi who were in Rwanda in 1991 (596,387); we know the number of people who died during the genocide (1,074,017); we know the number of Tutsi who survived the 1994 genocide (300,000).

To answer to the question: How many Tutsi died during the genocide? This becomes therefore a matter of a simple logic and mathematics: 596,387 – 300,000 = 296,387

The remaining important question is: If out of 1,074,017 (established by the RPF Government) people who died, 296,387 were Tutsi, who are the remaining 1,074,017-296,387= 777,630?

To answer to that question, you do not need to be an Associate Professor, a primary school child will answer: Of course 777,630 remaining were Hutu.

This is my point and my opinion: The number of Hutu who were killed during the 1990-1994 genocide was much higher than the number of Tutsi who were killed.

We therefore ask the following questions:

  • Was justice made for Hutu who were killed during the 1990-1994 genocide and thereafter?
  • Where are the memorial for Hutu who died during the genocide (Here we need to remember that the heroine Victoire Ingabire is in prison among other reasons for having asked this question)
  • Why does the RPF Government talks only of the genocide against Tutsi?
  • Can Ibuka and RPF Government recognize that Hutu too were killed during the 1990-1994 genocide? Unless you do so, do not expect reconciliation of Tutsi and Hutu.

To conclude, no one denies that Tutsi died during the genocide (whatever number one can claim) what we condemn, we condemn HUTU GENOCIDE DENIALS, RPF Government and Ibuka being on the forefront of the campaign.

ALL WHAT WE FIGHT FOR IS JUSTICE FOR ALL AND REMEMBERANCE FOR ALL. LUTTA CONTINUA. FREEDOM IS COMING TOMORROW. NEVER GIVE UP.

Jotham Rwamiheto

Montreal, Canada

A freedom fighter: My gun is my pen, my ammunitions are my ideas  

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Notes:

  1. Article published in Inyenyeri News: http://www.inyenyerinews.org/amakuru-2/why-claim-that-200000-tutsi-died-in-the-genocide-is-wrong/
  2. Article was published in both Ikaze iwacu (http://ikazeiwacu.fr/2014/10/20/inside-the-protest-letter-to-bbc-a-point-of-view-of-a-rwandan-and-genocide-survivor/ )   and The Rwandan (https://www.therwandan.com/blog/inside-the-protest-letter-to-bbc-a-point-of-view-of-a-rwandan-and-genocide-survivor-2/ )
  3. James Uwizeye in the Guardian,To claim the Tutsi caused Rwandese genocide is pure revisionism : http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/25/tutsi-rwanda-genocide-hutu