CONGRESSWOMAN MCKINNEY PURSUES 1999 CONGRESSIONAL
INQUIRY INTO THE ROLES OF THE UNITED STATES
AND UNITED NATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 1994
RWANDAN GENOCIDE
April 16, 1999
MCKINNEY SAYS, "In 1994 the
world community, led by the United Nations, the
United States, France and Belgium, turned it's
back on Rwanda and allowed an estimated 1,000,000
innocent people to be murdered in just 100 days.
Surely, we cannot now turn our backs on Rwanda
a second time and allow the truth about their
annihilation to be erased from history."
WASHINGTON D.C. -- Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA-4th), ranking Member of
the House International Operations and Human Rights
Subcommittee, today announced active pursuit of
hearings to be conducted later this year examining
the roles of the United States and the United
Nations with respect to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
Human Rights Watch, one of
the world's most respected human rights groups,
has just completed an exhaustive study into the
Rwandan Genocide entitled "Leave None to Tell
the Story." The results of their investigations
raise extremely serious questions as to the international
community's response to the Rwandan tragedy. In
particular, the study provides clear documentary
evidence showing that the United Nations and major
world powers received accurate and timely warnings
of the impending genocide, and incredibly, did
nothing to prevent this catastrophe from happening.
Saving money and not lives would appear to have
dominated U.S. foreign policy in Rwanda in 1994.
"Rwanda was abandoned by the
United States. It is now clear that we could have
acted differently and saved hundreds of thousands
of lives. We must follow the Belgium and French
precedents and publicly examine our own conduct
in failing Rwanda. This is the only way we can
prevent this kind of disaster from ever happening
again." says McKinney.
The public hearings will permit
a thorough and honest examination of the roles
of the United States and the United Nations with
respect to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Contributions
from governments, intergovernmental organizations,
Non-governmental organizations, the press and
members of the public will be encouraged.