The Rwandan genocide and its effects on the Great Lakes

Abstract

Internal conflicts including genocide have been known to have significant regional and international dimensions. However, little effort has been paid in addressing their causes in order to remedy their future occurrence. Consequently "Never again" has remained a mere rhetoric. Genocide is not a crime limited to where it is committed but a rime against humanity. The effect of genocide on regional and state relations and the relationship between genocide and international community was therefore, brought out in this study to provide strategies to curtail future genocides. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda is the latest of the genocides in the history of mankind. It had significant "-effects on the Great Lakes region and beyond. A thorough understanding of the far reaching effects of this genocide on the region is a pre-requisite to the development of realistic strategies to prevent future internal conflicts and their spill over I the region and elsewhere. This study therefore, is concerned with the effects of the 1994 Itwandan genocide on the • Great Lakes region with focus on its effects on -international relations, security and development. The study concludes that the 1994 genocide in Rwanda seriously affected the inter-state relations in the region and beyond. It contributed significantly to the deterioration of the security situation in the Great Lakes region and adversely affected the socio-economic development of the region. The study arrived at a number of recommendations for the promotion of security, peace, stability and sustainable development. These include the entrenchment of democracy, IV good governance, respect for the rule of law and human rights and forging regional integration in the Great Lakes region. Finale, the study concludes that, for peace to prevail in the region, DRC Congo should take into consideration the security concerns of her neighbours by disarming and repatriating all the rebel groups that have taken sanctuary on its territory. It should also adopt democratic governance that will address all the internal problems that have plagued the country since independence.