[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 27, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          THE CRISIS IN RWANDA

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Madam President, the crisis in Rwanda is one of 
staggering proportions. Millions of lives hang in the balance as a 
result of this overwhelming humanitarian tragedy. Our ability to 
quickly implement a coordinated relief effort to those displaced is 
crucial. However, the key to success lies not only in providing 
supplies. Conditions inside Rwanda must be quickly stabilized so that 
refugees can soon return to Rwanda without the fear of violence.
  Last week, President Clinton responded to the mass exodus of refugees 
from Rwanda by ordering a round-the-clock airlift of food, water, and 
medicine to the border areas where American troops have been dispatched 
to distribute this aid. The United States has responded by contributing 
more than $250 million in aid to Rwanda since April. I commend the 
efforts of the relief workers who have bravely met the crisis, the 
scope of which has not been witnessed in recent memory.
  The United States is the best equipped to deal effectively with a 
crisis of these proportions. Indeed, the effort which President Clinton 
initiated last week reminds me of a past mission which displayed the 
ingenuity and generosity of our Nation. I am speaking, of course, Mr. 
President, of the Berlin airlift. At that time the United States, 
despite extreme logistical difficulties, was able to supply war-torn 
Berlin with humanitarian assistance. No matter we had just fought a 
world war with the Nazis. The United States responded to the genuine 
needs of the citizens of Berlin. We are now faced with an even more 
desperate situation than was witnessed in Berlin, and once again the 
President has mobilized a massive relief effort.
  We are moving in the right direction but there is much still to be 
done to save the nearly 4.5 million Rwandans--both in and outside the 
country--displaced by the conflict. In the words of Panos Moumtzies, 
spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Rwanda has 
become, ``A nation without people.'' As we respond to the immediate 
needs of those displaced by the crisis, we must also begin working to 
bring about conditions in Rwanda that will restore the confidence of 
refugees and create the opportunity for them to safely and voluntarily 
return.
  Yesterday, the Foreign Relations Committee received some encouraging 
news during a hearing on the crisis: Human rights monitors will be 
allowed to enter Rwanda, and United States troops will now establish an 
operation in the capital, Kigali, to distribute food to those in need 
inside the country. These are two important steps which will help bring 
stability to Rwanda. There is still more to be done.
  A continued source of instability has been the radio propaganda 
broadcasts which throughout the crisis have encouraged genocidal 
violence. There are reports that a new station is broadcasting from 
Zaire, spreading rumors designed to frighten people from returning to 
Rwanda. These broadcasts are deadly. They must be stopped.
  Finally, Madam President, now that the United States has mobilized 
for this humanitarian effort, I must remind my colleagues that the root 
of the current crisis is the genocidal slaughter that has swept Rwanda 
since early April. The United States has voluntarily accepted the 
obligation under article I of the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and 
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to prevent and punish the crime of 
genocide. Without further delay, the U.N. peacekeeping force in Rwanda 
known as UNAMIR needs to become fully operational. That force is not 
yet in a position to adequately protect the Rwandan people from further 
genocide. In order to prevent further disaster, it is vital that this 
force be expanded and quickly deployed.
  We must act with great vigor to combine the efforts of the United 
States, international aid organizations and the international community 
to bring assistance to the suffering people of Rwanda and prevent 
further slaughter. There can be no more delay.

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