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 Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s new year’s resolution couldn’t have been more shocking. To a nation still reeling from the effects of genocidal massacres, his decree January 1 pardoning up to 40,000 prisoners kindled both rage and praise. While the announcement angered many survivors of the 1994 massacres, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed, the majority in this small central-African nation welcomed the news as a prelude to healing.
Among those scheduled for release in the next few weeks are sick and elderly prisoners, prisoners who were 14 to 18 years old at the time of the genocide, and minor offenders. The pardon does not extend to the imprisoned masterminds of the genocide.
Though controversial, Kagame’s decree does tackle one of Rwanda’s stickiest problems. The nation’s prisons are overflowing, and more than 100,000 genocide suspects still await trial. The pardon relieves a severely overburdened legal system.
Many Rwandese regard the decree as symbolic. “These people are emerging from the doldrums of a dark and deathly time,” says Geoffrey Denye Kalebbo, World Vision communications officer for east Africa. “They are hungry for a new era of peace and reconciliation.”
World Vision is actively involved in efforts to heal Rwanda’s ethnic divides. Recently, the Rwanda government asked World Vision to play a leading role in providing psycho-social support for survivors. Also, the organization has recently launched a peace-building network, named AmaNet, which seeks to coordinate and strengthen peace initiatives in Rwanda and other east African nations. “We are getting into a proactive role in which peace building comes up front,” said Kofi Hagan, the World Vision director in Rwanda.
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