History is repeating itself as the powerful nations’ attention is diverted from the ongoing genocide and actual root causes of the Congo conflict

While nobody has paid any attention to an ongoing genocide and escalating hate speech against Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, especially the Congolese Tutsi community, everyone is now falling over themselves to appease the Kinshasa Junta- which the UN agency charged with preventing genocide has put on notice for hate speech and genocide. The powerful nations are focused on their interests at the expense of regional peace and stability. Once again, we are being treated to the apathy and hypocrisy of the powerful nations. It is yet another excruciating experience and enduring lesson on how the world works.

Before the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the world wasted valuable time dilly-dallying, passively debating whether what was happening was an ‘ethnic conflict’ or an ‘invasion’. The international media, which mostly amplifies the apathetic sentiments of the powerful nations also helped to negate what was happening until it was too late. The same is happening now. Some in the international community were lethargically calling for ‘cessation of hostilities’ and even called for the withdrawal of the RPA to give negotiations a chance at a time when all signs were vivid that genocide had started in earnest.

Reading from what we are experiencing today in DRC, and the reactions of the international community, we can confirm the inference that indeed, history repeats itself!