All of the 253 people indicted by UN tribunals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed decades ago in Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia, have now been accounted for, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
Following the United Kingdom Parliament’s passage of the “Safety of Rwanda” bill, two top UN officials sounded an alarm on Tuesday about its harmful impact on global responsibility-sharing, human rights and refugee protection.
Independent UN experts have expressed concern over the role airlines and aviation authorities could have in the unlawful removal of asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Rwanda under an agreement between the two governments and the proposed “Safety of Rwanda” bill.
When the Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda began in April 1994 Eric Eugene Murangwa was a footballer at one of the country’s top clubs. Although he is a Tutsi, he was protected by a member of the notorious Interahamwe, responsible for killing hundreds of thousands. Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the genocide, marked on 7 April, Mr. Murangwa shared his extraordinary story with UN News.
April 7 marks three decades since the beginning of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. An almost unimaginable slaughter, which saw an estimated 800,000 people killed in just 100 days, and shocked the world.
Eric Eugene Murangwa was a footballer at the time, playing for Rayon Sports, one of the top teams in the country, based in the capital Kigali.
As a Tutsi, he was in extreme danger when the genocide began. But, despite being well know, he managed to survive, despite the attempts to kill as many Tutsis as possible. He says that football saved his life.
The United Kingdom’s legislative moves to facilitate the prompt removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda run contrary to the basic principles of the rule of law and risk delivering a “serious blow” to human rights, the UN rights chief warned on Monday.
In his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Rwandan President Paul Kagame discussed the lack of progress toward achieving Sustainable Deveopment Goals (SDGs), reducing conflict around the globe, and finding ways to boost international cooperation.
Although the UN tribunal prosecuting decades-old war crimes in Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia is moving closer to completion, much remains to be done, the Security Council heard on Monday.
In April 1994, a sinister call was broadcast over radio stations across Rwanda, triggering the start of 100 days of genocide that left more than one million people dead. Henriette Mutegwaraba heard that call.
