{"id":120490,"date":"2026-02-24T14:01:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:50:22","slug":"ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda","title":{"rendered":"Ugirashebuja Compares DR Congo Violence to Pre-1994 Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>The Minister of Justice Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, has warned that rising violence and hate speech targeting Tutsi communities in DR Congo echo the patterns that preceded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n

He said this on February 23 during the Durban 25 session in Geneva, held under the theme \u201cHow impunity for hate speech fuels cycles of violence and regional instability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda has a very strong stance against hate speech and genocide-related rhetoric because of our history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ugirashebuja said the Genocide against the Tutsi was largely driven by media-fueled propaganda and hate speech.<\/p>\n

That tragic experience shaped Rwanda\u2019s legal and social framework today, he added.<\/p>\n

He stressed that hate speech is not just offensive words. \u201cIt is a precursor to violence when it dehumanizes or targets groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGenocide, including the Genocide against the Tutsi, is never a spontaneous event. It is meticulously planned and unfolds over years, preceded by conditioning factors such as hate speech and genocide ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ugirashebuja said Rwanda\u2019s tragic history began long before 1994, with the Hutu Manifesto in 1957 and the Hutu Ten Commandments in 1959 paving the way for genocide.<\/p>\n

“Today, similar patterns are emerging in our region. The failure of the international community to heed early warnings continues to fuel these tragedies,” he said.<\/p>\n

He also noted that warnings before the 1994 genocide, including those from UN Special Rapporteur Rene\u0301 Degni-Se\u0301gui and UNAMIR Force Commander Gen Rome\u0301o Dallaire, were ignored despite alerts that the Tutsi were at risk of extermination. \u201cThese failures underscore the tragic consequences of inaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Minister noted that Rwanda has enacted laws criminalizing genocide ideology, denial, and hate speech, and that the goal is to prevent genocide ideology before it escalates into violence.<\/p>\n

The former UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, said the Genocide against the Tutsi did not begin with physical weapons but with words through radio broadcasts, newspapers and organised propaganda that dehumanised Tutsi for decades.<\/p>\n

She said many people accused of genocide remain free in DR Congo and elsewhere, continuing to spread anti-Tutsi ideologies and dehumanizing narratives.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenocide denial is not an abstract intellectual exercise. It undermines accountability, re-traumatizes survivors, and weakens the normative barriers that protect vulnerable communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we examine the rhetoric that preceded the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 and compare it to rhetoric targeting Congolese Tutsi today, the similarities are deeply concerning,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Belgian lawyer Bernard Maingain, who has worked extensively on genocide ideology in eastern DR Congo, warned that ongoing hate speech and violence in the region reflect a deep and persistent problem.<\/p>\n

Maingain explained that a group of lawyers, including himself, launched a campaign to the General Prosecutor and the International Tribunal regarding the hate speech Congolese army spokesperson Maj Gen Sylvain Ekenge made on national television (RTNC) on December 27, targeting Tutsi women and families, placing it in its historical context.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll these cases have been presented before courts without any consequence or effect. We are seeing propagators of hate speech receiving positive echoes from authorities,\u201d Maingain said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile these speeches of hatred are not being combated, there will be consequences,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. The Minister of Justice Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, has warned that rising violence and hate speech targeting Tutsi communities in DR Congo echo the patterns that preceded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He said this on February 23 during the Durban 25 session in Geneva, held under the theme \u201cHow impunity for hate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":120488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29,14],"tags":[5103,2542,3572,6757,7011,758],"class_list":["post-120490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-banyamulenge","tag-dr-congo","tag-genocide-against-the-tutsi","tag-genocide-prevention","tag-hate-speech","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nUgirashebuja Compares DR Congo Violence to Pre-1994 Rwanda - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Minister of Justice Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, has warned that rising violence and hate speech targeting Tutsi communiti ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ugirashebuja Compares DR Congo Violence to Pre-1994 Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Minister of Justice Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, has warned that rising violence and hate speech targeting Tutsi communiti ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T14:01:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T14:50:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1771931936.907287.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"609\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"351\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Ugirashebuja Compares DR Congo Violence to Pre-1994 Rwanda\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-24T14:01:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T14:50:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda\"},\"wordCount\":536,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1771931936.907287.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Banyamulenge\",\"DR Congo\",\"Genocide against the Tutsi\",\"GENOCIDE PREVENTION\",\"HATE SPEECH\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/ugirashebuja-compares-dr-congo-violence-to-pre-1994-rwanda\",\"name\":\"Ugirashebuja Compares DR Congo Violence to Pre-1994 Rwanda - 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