[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 55 (Wednesday, May 6, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            RWANDA GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 6, 1998

  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, each of us has a moral obligation 
to remember the past, to tell our children, to leave a written record, 
and to work towards a brighter future. A few days ago, the Prime 
Minister of the interim government that directed the 1994 slaughter of 
hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis in Rwanda pleaded guilty to 
genocide and agreed to testify against others accused of planning the 
massacres. We have been told that the Rwanda genocide of 1994 was the 
worst massacre of human life since the World War II holocaust. Nearly 1 
million people were killed in less than 100 days. The world knew the 
genocide was going to occur. Despite advanced warnings, the world 
community did not mobilize to stop the horror.
  Today, we must ask: What are we doing to help build Rwanda? As 
legislators, we need to share our expertise with new governments and 
young democracies in a sincere effort to build peaceful, civil 
societies. Today, the task at hand for Rwanda is to help Rwandans live 
together again. The country and its people are trying to endure after 
being cruelly torn apart. We must help Rwanda survive and build a 
democratic, free nation.

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