Rwanda Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Rwanda

Draft UN Report Accuses Rwandan Troops of Committing Genocide in the Congo

Rwanda is facing explosive allegations from the United Nations of committing war crimes and possibly even genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A leaked report from the UN high commissioner for human rights says that after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Tutsi-led Rwandan troops and their rebel allies killed tens of thousands of members of the Hutu ethnic group inside the Congo. [includes rush transcript]
Aug 31, 2010 | Story
Rwanda Holds Presidential Election Amid Crackdown on Opposition Candidates

In the central African nation of Rwanda, voting is underway in the second presidential election since the genocide of 1994. Incumbent president Paul Kagame is widely expected to win, but the election comes amid a wave of attacks on political opponents. Human rights groups have accused the Kagame government of cracking down on any dissent before the vote, while the government-appointed media council has clamped down on independent newspapers publishing...
Aug 09, 2010 | Story
As Congo Marks 50th Anniversary of Independence, Human Rights Abuses Rise in Congo and Neighboring Rwanda

Tomorrow marks the fiftieth anniversary of Congolese independence from colonial Belgian rule. On June 30, 1960, the new prime minister of the independent Congolese government, Patrice Lumumba, declared an end to the slavery of colonialism and a new beginning for the country and the liberation of the entire continent of Africa. But today, jubilee independence celebrations in the Democratic Republic of Congo are marred by ongoing violence and increasing...
Jun 29, 2010 | Story
Family Members Fear for Life of Jailed US Attorney Peter Erlinder in Rwanda

The US State Department is calling on the Rwandan government to release attorney Peter Erlinder, the past president of the National Lawyers Guild. Erlinder has been imprisoned for the past week after being charged with denying the Rwandan genocide. The Rwandan government has been accused of using laws barring genocide denial to silence opposition critics. [includes rush transcript]
Jun 04, 2010 | Story
Alice Walker on "Overcoming Speechlessness: A Poet Encounters the Horror in Rwanda, Eastern Congo and Palestine/Israel"

As the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winners are announced, we speak with the first African American woman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for fiction: author, poet and activist Alice Walker. She was awarded the 1983 Pulitzer for her novel The Color Purple. She was written many books since then. Her latest, just out, is called Overcoming Speechlessness: A Poet Encounters the Horror in Rwanda, Eastern Congo and Palestine/Israel. [includes rush transcript]
Apr 13, 2010 | Story