[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 76 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDA

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I welcome the administration's 
acknowledgment that the slaughter of innocent civilians in Rwanda is 
genocide. This recognition has been long in coming. I and members of 
the Foreign Relations Committee have urged the Clinton administration 
to acknowledge the genocide in Rwanda for what it is and I am pleased 
that they are now doing so.
  In my view, the attacks against Rwandan civilians easily fit the 
provisions of the Genocide Convention. That convention defines genocide 
as killing members of an ethnic group, or causing serious bodily or 
mental harm to members of a group with the intent of destroying that 
group in whole or in part. In Rwanda, approximately 300,000 people have 
died in the last 9 weeks. Most were civilians killed by government-
trained Hutu militias. While it is true that the Rwandan Army and the 
predominantly Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF, are at war, Tutsi 
civilians and Tutsi sympathizers are overwhelmingly the victims of Hutu 
killings. Not only Tutsi men have been targets; Tutsi women and 
children also have been butchered in what can only be seen as a 
systematic effort to eradicate the Tutsi population.
  As such, the United States and other contracting parties to the 
Genocide Convention should undertake to prevent and punish the persons 
who have committed these acts. Let me make it clear, that by urging the 
United States to live up to the provisions of the Genocide Convention, 
I do not imply in any way that this impels us to send United States 
troops into Rwanda. Rather, it obliges us to respond in a constructive 
way; in my view, preferably through a multilateral mechanism. At this 
stage, I believe the United Nations is the most appropriate body to 
enforce the provisions of this convention in Rwanda. Therefore, I 
strongly support the action taken by the U.N. Security Council last 
week to authorize the deployment of a 5,500 troop peacekeeping force to 
protect civilians. Five African nations (Ghana, Senegal, Zimbabwe, 
Nigeria and Ethiopia) have pledged to send the troops needed for this 
mission and the United States will be helping to equip them. I urge the 
Clinton administration to do all it can to speed the deployment of 
these troops, including expediting the release of equipment we have 
promised to the United Nations for the Rwanda mission.
  Under the provisions of the convention, and as I and members of the 
Foreign Relations Committee have urged President Clinton, we and the 
world community must establish a mechanism for punishing the 
perpetrators of all the killings. Current ruling officials, Rwandan 
Army troops and individuals in the murderous militias must all be held 
accountable for their acts of genocide.
  Also, while I commend the United States and our global partners for 
all they have been doing to aid refugees outside of Rwanda, I am 
concerned by reports that humanitarian aid efforts are underway in 
areas that have been secured by the RPF inside Rwanda. I would urge 
that the United States expand the wonderful work that USAID's Office of 
Foreign Disaster Assistance is doing into these internal areas.
  I was pleased to hear the announcement of a possible cease-fire 
between the Rwandan Army and the Rwandan Patriotic Front. I remain 
hopeful that combatants will heed the commitments of the negotiators in 
Tunis and hold their fire. In this regard, I praise UNAMIR Military 
Commander General Dallaire for his ongoing attempts to secure a cease-
fire which would allow more peacekeeping troops to move in and would 
permit aid agencies to supply relief to millions of Rwandans who are 
isolated by the fighting.
  Nevertheless, we have enough brutality in Rwanda in the last 9 weeks 
to know that more steps will need to be taken before the health and 
safety of the Rwandan people are assured. We must help accelerate the 
arrival of peacekeeping forces in Rwanda. Also, we should support the 
creation of temporary safe zones for civilians inside Rwanda and the 
establishment of protected corridors for the delivery of humanitarian 
relief. Lastly, I am calling upon the United States to bring its weight 
to bear to secure the truce agreed to Tuesday. I believe that these are 
the most effective means to help stem the genocide occurring in Rwanda.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________