A Deadly Silence

In 1994, a Kigali (Rwanda) hotel owner named Paul Rusesabagina sheltered 1,200 Tutsis and moderate Hutus from the horrific violence led by gangs of machete-wielding Hutu extremists. This week marks the fifteenth anniversary of the start of the 100-day genocidal massacre in Rwanda in which an estimated 800,000 people were brutally killed. As gangs roamed outside his hotel walls, Rusesabagina risked his life for complete strangers.

“I did all I could during that time,” Rusesabagina later said. “We knew there were tensions between Hutus and Tutsis, but we never believed that people can be so cruel -- can be so wild.” Rusesabagina's efforts were later highlighted in the 2004 Hollywood film “Hotel Rwanda.”

This week, Rwandan President Paul Kagame addressed thousands during an emotional candle-lighting ceremony, criticizing the international community for not doing more to prevent the bloody massacre. A similar ceremony was held at the United Nations. “Today is a day to open our eyes to this suffering and honor the memory of those killed in Rwanda fifteen years ago,” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said. “But beyond reminding us of the horror, that silence should spur us to action.”

Fifteen years later, as the situation Darfur continues to deteriorate ... as Zimambwe falls into deeper chaos ... as pirates continue to plunder ships and cargo off the coasts of Somalia and Nigeria -- one must ask: has anything really changed?

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3594187.stm