[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 97 (Friday, July 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  THE MASSIVE HUMAN TRAGEDY IN RWANDA

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, the entire world has been horrified by 
the immense human tragedy taking place in Rwanda.
  Of the 8 million people who once lived in peace in that nation before 
the brutal civil war that suddenly erupted in April, it is estimated 
that half a million are dead, 2.4 million are refugees in neighboring 
countries, and 2.5 million are now refugees in Rwanda itself. The 
current situation ranks as one of the country's greatest human 
tragedies, and the United States should be doing all it can to end it.
  Unfortunately, the human toll is escalating daily. It has exploded in 
ways that no one in the international community could have anticipated. 
Our Government, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the 
International Red Cross, and voluntary agencies are all struggling to 
cope with it. Some of the worst obstacles to easing the desperate 
plight of the massive number of refugees have been logistical: the 
difficulty of outside help in reaching the remote areas of eastern 
Zaire where the airstrip is small and narrow, the road system is 
remote, and few supplies are accessible.
  The initiative announced yesterday by President Clinton in 
cooperation with the UNHCR and the Red Cross offer real hope that these 
obstacles to relief will be overcome as rapidly as possible. An airlift 
has begun, the amount of food will double and redouble in the coming 
days, medical supplies are being urgently distributed; and additional 
shelter is being provided.
  But the horror still continues. And it will only be resolved when a 
meaningful cease-fire and peaceful settlement of the civil war in 
Rwanda are achieved and the refugees able to return to their homes in 
peace, without fear.
  Now, however, the sudden new refugee city in Goma, Zaire, is being 
overwhelmed by disease and death, and our hearts go out to the victims 
of this enormous tragedy.
  Time is of the essence, and I commend the Clinton administration, 
especially the Agency for International Development and its 
Administrator, J. Brian Atwood, and the Department of Defense, 
including my former assistant Micheal Myers, for their leadership in 
marshalling resources to meet this immense and unprecedented human 
crisis.
  I ask unanimous consent that Mr. Atwood's announcement of the new 
initiative and other material be included in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     Amendments by J. Brian Atwood, Administrator, U.S. Agency for 
  International Development and Special Presidential Envoy to Rwanda, 
                             July 22, 1994

       We continue to be gravely concerned about the rapidly 
     evolving situation in and around Rwanda. Yesterday, I briefed 
     President Clinton on my journey to the region, and we 
     discussed immediate actions necessary for our emergency 
     response. I continue to be engaged in intensive discussions 
     with the President, the Department of Defense, the National 
     Security Council, and international donors.
       Tragically, the flood of refugees is continuing as we 
     speak. Another 250,000 people have flowed into Bukava and 
     Kamonyola. We fear these numbers will continue to swell in 
     the days to come, taxing an already gargantuan task of 
     humanitarian relief.
       There are some encouraging developments from the donor 
     community. Both the United States and other donors have 
     announced additional commitments, and teams from the U.S. 
     Agency for International Development and the Department of 
     Defense are scrambling around the clock--to get these 
     supplies to the people who so desperately need them.
       Again, I must stress that the international community has 
     never been faced with a refugee crisis of such proportions in 
     such a short period of time. The Clinton administration, 
     working closely with the United Nations, is taking the lead 
     in meeting this immense challenge.


                        new u.s. funds announced

       Yesterday, President Clinton announced an additional $41.4 
     million of U.S. assistance in response to the Rwandan crisis.
       This is in addition to the $35 million that had been 
     announced earlier this week, and brings the total of new U.S. 
     monies added to the crisis to $76 million.


                             the challenge

       In Zaire, 1.2 million refugees have fled to Goma; 800,000 
     to Bukava and Kamanyola.
       In addition, there have been 350,000 to 400,000 refugees 
     into Tanzania; 135,000 into Burundi; and 10,000 into Uganda.
       The total number of refugees is approximately 2,670,000. 
     There are approximately 2.5 million people that are 
     internally displaced. Of Rwanda's pre-crisis population of 8 
     million, more than 500,000 have been killed and today almost 
     5 million are refugees or displaced.
       People are dying to dehydration, disease, malnutrition and 
     exhaustion and there is an increasing risk of endemic 
     diseases such as cholera. They lack the most basic of life's 
     necessities--food, water, shelter, and sanitary facilities.


                           the u.s. response

       The U.S. is shipping massive humanitarian supplies to 
     Rwanda.
       One hundred relief flights have already taken place and the 
     U.S. government is stepping up the pace and volume of these 
     flights.
       These flights are providing: water bladders; 135 tons of 
     plastic sheeting for shelter; 120 tons of blankets; 20 
     million packets of oral dehydration salts needed to deal with 
     dehydration and diarrhea diseases; tens of thousands of tons 
     of food; storage facilities; trucks; and, large quantities of 
     cholera kits, antibiotics and syringes.
       The U.S. Department of Defense is helping us meet this 
     humanitarian crisis. It should be stressed that they are 
     being involved in a humanitarian effort, not a military one.
       USAID is sending a team of cholera experts from the 
     International Center for Diarrhea Disease Research in 
     Bangladesh to Goma immediately. The team will organize, 
     manage, and coordinate the logistics in dealing with the 
     cholera epidemic.
       Improving the air facilities at Goma is the first step in 
     building up its capacity to be able to handle the needed flow 
     of humanitarian supplies.
       The DOD has sent a team to Goma to address the needs at the 
     Goma airport, including air traffic control, supplies, 
     materials distribution, water purification, and needs for 
     infrastructure improvements.
       There is a clear need to open up a truck route from Kampala 
     to get larger quantities of food in within the next two 
     weeks.


                           political elements

       To move beyond the crisis, political solutions will have to 
     be achieved in Rwanda.
       Getting people to return home is the very core of our 
     humanitarian mission.
       The political condition in the country will have to be one 
     that is stable and conciliatory enough to give people the 
     faith they need to return to their homes.
       The formation of a new government, one that embraces the 
     involvement of moderate Hutus and is based on the rule of 
     law, is essential to restoring order.
       The U.S. government worked very hard with the UN Secretary 
     General representative in Kigali to bring about a cease fire. 
     This cease fire must be honored.
       The Rwanda Patriotic Front swore in an interim government 
     headed by two moderate Hutus on Tuesday. These two Hutus, 
     President Pasteur Bizimungu and Prime Minister Faustin 
     Twagiramungu, can play an important role in establishing 
     credible examples that Hutus can play a peaceful role in 
     rebuilding their nation.
       The RPF must begin to let people out of the camps they have 
     established within Rwanda. Few Hutus will want to return to 
     Rwanda if that prospect entails being placed in detention 
     camps. Their return is essential so that they can harvest the 
     crops now rotting in the fields.
       Former Rwandan government forces in Goma and elsewhere must 
     be disarmed and a tribunal to administer justice and try war 
     crimes should also be established.
       The international community must also move with urgency to 
     get UNAMIR forces in the country to help stabilize the 
     situation. We should encourage the United Nations to move the 
     5,500 peacekeepers into Rwanda as soon as possible. The UN 
     Secretary General plans on the possibility 2,000 men by the 
     end of August.
       All of these measures must be part of the larger effort to 
     deliver assistance and distribute food in such a way that it 
     will keep more people from leaving their homes, and encourage 
     those that have already done so to return home.


                       the international response

       Other donors, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the 
     Netherlands, Sweden and South Africa, have also announced 
     either food/in-kind or cash contributions. These 
     contributions exceed $110 million.
       The UNDHA is planning to host a donors conference on August 
     1 in Geneva to follow-up on a $434 million appeal. This 
     appeal is for urgent humanitarian needs in Rwanda.
       The EU has approved $28 million and is planning to 
     reprogram another 172.5 million. The French have proposed 
     that 2,000 of the 18,000 UNOSOM troop contingent in Somalia 
     be shifted to Rwanda and requested U.S. support in getting 
     the UN to respond to French proposals for action.
       U.S. and French officials have agreed that a UN group is 
     needed to handle airport management in Kigali.


                        the roots of the crisis

       The roots of the disaster in Rwanda are roots that are 
     spreading perniciously through pockets of the developing 
     world. At its heart, the crisis in Rwanda is an almost 
     Malthusian scenario of too many people competing for too few 
     resources.
       Exploding population pressures, declining per capita 
     agricultural production, a failure to establish viable 
     democratic institutions as a means to ensure power sharing, 
     and a lack of economic opportunity combined to spawn the 
     horrors in Rwanda that we are now confronted by.


                          the lesson of rwanda

       We must move beyond simply responding to crises. By 
     addressing their root causes and promoting lasting 
     development, we will advance a foreign policy based on 
     prevention. Development assistance must play a vital role in 
     containing humanitarian and security threats before they 
     burgeon into more serious problems.
                                  ____


        Rwanda refugees and displaced people as of July 22, 1994

Rwanda--internally displaced:
    RPF territory (NE/SE).......................................726,000
    Northwest...................................................500,000
    French safe zone..........................................1,300,000
    Kigali.......................................................50,000
      Total...................................................2,576,000
Surrounding countries--refugees Zaire:
    Goma......................................................1,200,000
    Bukavu......................................................150,000
    Kamanyola...................................................650,000
    Burundi.....................................................200,000
    Tanzania....................................................460,000
    Uganda.......................................................10,000
      Total...................................................2,670,000
       It is estimated that another 1.3 million people are on the 
     move in the southwest.
       Of Rwanda's pre-crisis population of 8 million, it is 
     estimated that between 200,000 to 500,000 have been killed 
     and today almost 5 million are refugees or displaced.


                     terrorist attack in argentina

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise to condemn the vicious, brutal, 
terrorist attack on the headquarters of Argentina's main Jewish 
organization that occurred earlier this week.
  The perpetrators of this heinous act must be brought to justice. 
Violent fundamentalist organizations must not be permitted to continue 
unleashing their terror on innocent civilians.
  I commend the President of Argentina, Carlos Menem, for mobilizing 
forces to investigate this heinous act. The Government of Argentina 
must be vigorous in its pursuit of the perpetrators of this heinous 
act.
  I commend the U.S. Government as well for sending an international 
response team comprised of bomb experts to help with the investigation. 
This is an important and positive step. The murderers of these innocent 
civilians must be brought to justice.
  Mr. President, my sorrow goes out to the family and friends of the 
victims of this act of terror. To each of them, I send my condolences. 
For their sake, and for the sake of the victims, justice must be served 
so all terrorists learn that in a civilized world, violence can never 
succeed.

                          ____________________