[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 8, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           THE INTERNATIONAL COMMU- NITY'S FAILURE IN RWANDA

 Mr. DURENBERGER. Mr. President, I rise today to underscore the 
need--even at this late date--to help reduce the suffering in Rwanda 
and the neighboring countries where thousands of refugees have fled.
  I am deeply concerned that we have not acted more quickly--and that 
our inaction in addressing this crisis will be repeated in some other 
area of the world.
  Our present inaction is the direct result of the leadership vacuum 
that exists at the White House--a vacuum that is mirrored at the 
Department of State and at the National Security Council.
  Instead of being a moral voice rallying support for the thousands of 
refugees--or speaking up in righteous wrath against the genocide--the 
United States has been paralyzed by the same malaise that has caused 
the Europeans and other nations to refuse to provide direct support to 
stop the bloodshed.
  And we cannot excuse the international community for its failure by 
trying to rewrite history. In this respect, I call my colleagues' 
attention to a recent article in the Washington Times entitled 
``Missing Pieces of the Rwanda Puzzle,'' which paints a revisionist 
picture of the facts about the conflict in Rwanda.
  Despite what is said in this article, there is no present evidence to 
substantiate the allegation that regular units of the Ugandan Army are 
fighting in Rwanda under the banner of the Rwanda Patriotic Front 
[RPF].
  When this rumor first surfaced, my office was in directed contact 
with the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, Johnnie Carson, who confirmed the 
fact that the Ugandan Army was not involved in this conflict. This fact 
has subsequently been confirmed in conversations with the Department of 
State.
  The conflict that has raged between the armed forces of the 
Government of Rwanda and the RPF has resulted in military casualties to 
both sides, and to civilians who have been caught in the fighting.
  However, the atrocities we read about almost every day--that have 
been perpetrated on unarmed men, women, and children--have been largely 
the work of armed Hutu bands. These atrocities are being aided and 
encouraged by government forces.
  The mass killing of unarmed civilians has not been equally the work 
of Hutus and Tutsis, as the Washington Times article would have us 
believe. The victims of these genocidal acts have been Tutsis and 
moderate members of the Hutu Tribe that oppose the present provisional 
government.
  This is confirmed by those who have been lucky enough to escape the 
genocide, and by members of such well-known human rights organizations 
as Africa Watch who have been in direct contact with the events.
  Nor are the events that have occurred in Rwanda the result of some 
outside influence, or the ambition of an African leader to establish a 
tribal empire in east central Africa.
  Though the facts may never be known, the information at present would 
indicate that the plane crash which killed President Juvenal 
Habyarimana was, in all probability, caused by elements of his own 
government who were dissatisfied with his moderate approach and desire 
to institute a coalition government--as called for in the Arusha 
Accords.
  Changing the facts will not change the situation. There are still 
thousands of refugees in camps located in neighboring countries, 
principally Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi. They are in desperate need 
of medical assistance and the necessities of life.
  There are also still those in Rwanda who fear for their lives because 
of the lawlessness and roving bands of armed youths. There is still a 
need for safe havens where those who have survived the massacre can 
receive protection, medical assistance, and food.
  Distortion or misstatement of the facts cannot justify the suffering 
that continues today.
  More than 100,000 Rwandans are dead. Just as self-styled revisionist 
historians cannot erase the tragic fact of the 1933-45 Holocaust, no 
newspaper article can change the reality of what has taken place in 
Rwanda.
  I thought it important to set the record straight.

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