“FREE AT LAST”

“FREE AT LAST”

THE SUCCESS OF GACACA COURT

 “Congolese and Rwandans alike must realize that a solution for the great lakes region conflict will not be imported but will be born of selfless minded people of this region who are willing to crosscut the ethnic and regional barriers in and out of the region”

Those are the most solemn and genuine words of a Gacaca court vindicated man who, during the genocide of 1994 helped more than 30 people escape interahamwe often times risking his own life, to finally end up in prison being accused of killing the very same group of people he helped escape and survive the genocide.

  What makes him so different from the rest of us whose hearts’ instinct is so defensive when in fact sometimes there is no offense? Why would this man have such unpopular point of view of the conflict in Congo? Why doesn’t he believe in a UN peace keeping mission in DRC and suggests so different a solution?

“I was in prison for 12 years and 11 months without a trial, and when Gacaca court started, I did not know what to expect”.

The 50 years old looking man says in awe for riding a motor cycle that one of the people he helped survive the 1994 genocide bought to help him cope with the fast paced new society of Rwanda, without having to beg for a meal before going to bed

A man was behind bars for almost 13 years, falsely accused by his own brother for having killed the very same group of people he in reality helped survive. Why? Because, the man says, he would face a death penalty and his brother would have the right to all of the family’s wealth by himself. An act of ignorance and uneducated mind, you might say, but what about the master mind conspiracies accurately prepared by those most educated, most rich and very important personalities behind bloody conflicts on this planet?

Yes, that’s what selfish heart harbored greed can lead to irrespective of geographical, racial or ethnic identity.

What is going on in Congo is a result of something not so different. Some people do not want to share with others their common belongings, and those who benefit from the conflict for their selfish gain, fuel the fire.

That is why many Congolese whose ancestors can be traced to 16^th century in DRC are often times referred to-by their own countrymen on the other side of the battle line- as Rwandans.

Unlike Gen. Laurent Nkunda at least for now called a war criminal suspect by the international justice, this Rwandan motorcyclist was finally vindicated. Not by an international lawyer, not by ICTR, but by a humble testimony of his fellow country man to the most humble court who’s secret to speed up the trials faster than ICTR, the world has failed to understand.

Vindicated yes-that is the word-by an uncommon Rwandan court of justice named “Gacaca”.

While in prison, he was reported by his own brother that he was dead. When he finally had to face the charges in front of Gacaca judges, a genocide survivor who was (12 years old then in 1994) present during the hearing recognized him.

“I know you”, a tall and total stranger told the prisoner. For a man who in 13 years of his imprisonment never saw one single person on his side this was a nightmare on a bright noon-day. Little did He know the freedom bells were ringing around and his entire life was making a dramatic “U” turn!

 Finally, after the stranger’s testimony, the prisoner’s pink uniform was put aside, and “now I am riding a motor cycle that one of the survivors bought me, whether or not we keep the ethnic names to identify Rwandans doesn’t matter. The solution will have to be found where the problem starts from-in our hearts, because we are victims of our own selfish desires, and not much of the names that identify ethnic groups.

He has a different point of view, a different solution in mind, because, his life is  living witness that--like in America, Rwanda’s and may be Africa’s “union can be perfected”!