Rwandan Church Leaders Plead for Peace in Their Homeland and Help from Afar
Episcopal News Service. July 13, 1994 [94131]
As French troops were gathering at the Rwandan border to seek an end to the carnage in that East African country, Anglican Church leaders from Rwanda were attempting to marshal relief aid and other assistance during an international tour.
Describing the conflict in Rwanda as evidence of "the power of the devil," Archbishop Augustin Nshamihigo, primate of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda, condemned the killings and called on the international community to intervene "for the restoration of peace in our country."
"We cry out in agony as we see hundreds of thousands of lives perish in this senseless and unreasonable war," Nshamihigo said in a statement distributed during a June 23 visit to the Episcopal Church Center in New York. Traveling with Nshamihigo were the Rt. Rev. Jonathan Ruhumuliza, bishop coadjutor of Kigali, and Faustin Bilikano, acting provincial secretary and provincial development officer for the Episcopal Church in Rwanda.
According to the church leaders, more than 500,000 Rwandans have been killed, another 500,000 have fled the country and an additional 3 million have been displaced within the country since a mysterious April 6 plane crash killed the president of Rwanda unleashed a fury of ethnic, tribal and political warfare, primarily among the minority Tutsi tribe and the ruling majority Hutu. A centuries-long feud for political dominance between the two tribes has simmered beneath the surface and threatened to boil over into open conflict.
Rwandan President Jevenal Habyarimana was preparing to implement a peace agreement, the so-called "Arusha Accord," that would have instituted power sharing between the two groups, when he and the president of neighboring Burundi were killed in the fatal crash. Almost immediately after the crash, government troops and irregular Hutu militia swept into Tutsi neighborhoods, maiming or killing entire villages. International observers of the situation were horrified by the scenes of mayhem and carnage, prompting some -- including UN Secretary General Boutrous Boutrous Gali -- to describe the attack on the Tutsi as genocide.
At the same time, Tutsi rebels associated with the opposition Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took control of one-third of the country and were poised on the outskirts of Kigali, the Rwandan capital, leaving similar scenes of death and devastation in their wake.
"This is what erupted into unbelievable civil strife that has left many thousands dead and homeless on both conflicting sides," Nshamihigo said. "All these [events] created fear and hopelessness among people."
"Many church buildings were destroyed and many church people have died," said Ruhumuliza. More than a million Anglicans lived in Rwanda before the recent violence broke out. Although church services continue in parts of the country, the murder of three Roman Catholic bishops and the massacre of thousands of Rwandans who sought sanctuary in church buildings has contributed to the fear that has gripped the countryside.
Denying earlier news accounts that an Anglican bishop in Rwanda was killed in the violence, Ruhumuliza reported that the 12 Rwandan Anglican bishops met twice to assess the situation. "We saw many dying in front of us of hunger, disease and homelessness," he said. At their meetings the bishops asked one another, "What do we do now?"
First, the bishops condemned the killing and called on the warring factions to negotiate a settlement. Second, the church leaders would appeal to Anglican and ecumenical partners for relief assistance. "At the moment food is the most urgent need," Ruhumuliza said. "We are in desperate need of medicines and clothing, but food is the first priority," he added.
However, Ruhumuliza emphasized that the war must end if the relief efforts are to succeed. "Nourishment and clothing will not be sufficient if the war doesn't end between the two parties," he said. "Without that we will not be able to continue living."
Both bishops expressed disappointment that UN troops formerly stationed in Rwanda were withdrawn in the wake of the crisis. "We were in great need... and they left us there killing each other and in danger," Ruhumuliza said. He expressed hope that the French troops or an additional UN force "might be able to do something," but also pointed out that "to some extent it is too late because many people have already lost their lives."
The church leaders met with representatives of relief agencies in Britain, Canada and the United States. The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief sent an initial emergency grant for $25,000. Continuing response by the Anglican Communion is currently coordinated by the Anglican Church of Canada.