Rwanda: over 1 million refugees return in last half of 1996.

An estimated 1.3 million refugees returned to Rwanda between July 1996 and the beginning of January 1997, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Out of that total, an estimated 720,000 came back from camps in Zaire after the intensification of hostilities in the eastern part of that country in August and September. The overwhelming majority returned in November.

A further exodus of refugees - this time from the United Republic of Tanzania - began later in the year and ended in early January 1997, bringing another 485,000 Rwandans home. Since July, 88,000 refugees have also returned from Burundi, with several thousand others coming from Uganda.

The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Raymond Chretien of Canada, said on 13 December the realization that a temporary multinational humanitarian force might be deployed on the ground, following the Security Council's authorization of such a force on 15 November (S/RES/1080(1996)), had "accelerated tremendously the return of refugees". Speaking to the press at United Nations Headquarters, he called it "an indication that the international community could make a difference if it had the will to do so".

According to human rights observers from the United Nations Field Operation in Rwanda, the return of the refugees from Zaire and Tanzania has been marked by tensions. An increasing number of arrests of returnees were made on charges of participation in the 1994 genocide; numbers were expected to rise further. Many returnees had also experienced significant problems upon attempting to reclaim their properties, according to the observers. The Government of Rwanda, in concert with international organizations, has initiated projects striving to rehabilitate returnees and to construct houses.

International Criminal Tribunal cites progress

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda said it had been able to make "great progress" during its first year. It faced many challenges before the beginning of the trials, according to its initial annual report (A/51/399-S/1996/778) submitted to the General Assembly and the Security Council on 24 September 1996.

The report indicated that the Office of the Prosecutor needed more human and material resources if it was to continue and speed up its work. A great deal of material and legal preparatory work remained, including finishing construction work, organizing transport, and other arrangements for the accommodation of witnesses.

During its first stage, the Tribunal had concentrated on establishing the legal and material structure needed for progress in its judicial activities and for beginning trials. Fourteen suspects were indicted and deferral hearings held. Three men accused - Georges Anderson Rutaganda, Jean-Paul Akayesu and Clement Kayishema - had made their initial appearances before the Tribunal in May, and the trials relating to them were expected to begin within the next few months. New indictments were also being prepared, adding to those already charged a number of others who had allegedly played a prominent role in the genocide.

Stressing that the cooperation of States was a "prerequisite" if the Tribunal were to conduct its work effectively, its President and the Prosecutor had requested States to enact implementing legislation enabling them to cooperate fully with the Tribunal.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was set up by the Security Council on 8 November 1994, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter (S/RES/955 (1994)). It was mandated to prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda, as well as Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations committed in the territory of neighbouring States between 1 January and 31 December 1994.

The violence erupted following the 6 April 1994 deaths of President Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi in a plane crash at Kigali airport as they returned from a regional meeting in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, aimed at helping to resolve the conflicts in their countries. As much as one half million or more people - Tutsi and also moderate Hutus - were slaughtered in the carnage that ensued over the next three months. Half of the country's 7.1 million people were forced from their homes, including 2.4 million who fled to neighbouring countries, in what became the largest and swiftest refugee exodus in modern times.

RELATED ARTICLE: Rwandan Returnees Put Strain on Frail Food Economy

Hundreds of thousands of people who returned to Rwanda at the end of 1996 face the prospect of going hungry in the months ahead, while the influx is likely to increase pressure on the country's already weak food economy.

Despite an overall improvement in food production, says a special report issued in late December by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, output remains below the 1994 pre-civil strife average, due to lower cropped areas, low yields of pulses this season and crop losses in areas affected by dry weather.

Overall, root and tuber crops are. estimated to be up 23 per cent from 1995, while bananas and plantains are expected to increase slightly. But the output of beans - the people's main source of protein - dropped 12 per cent below 1995. This has contributed to higher prices.

"The nutritional situation gives cause for concern in some areas of the country", warns the report. "It is likely to be aggravated with anticipated reduced per caput supplies in 1997. Food shortages in Gikongoro and Butare prefectures may also lead to an increased incidence of malnutrition."

The country faces a food deficit (141,000 tonnes cereal equivalent) and only part of this requirement can be met through commercial imports. According to the report, the country will need substantial food assistance in 1997.

And that assistance needs to be distributed to 2.5 million people - one third of the projected population. These include recent returnees who were not able to plant crops, previous returnees who will have to leave farm areas they are presently tending, and vulnerable groups, including elderly people, widows and orphans.

RELATED ARTICLE: Arms Restrictions Lifted

As of 1 September 1996, the arms embargo imposed by the Security Council in 1994 on the Government of Rwanda was lifted. The Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 918 (1994) concerning Rwanda said States were no longer required to notify the Council of exporting arms or related materiel to the Government of Rwanda, nor would the Government need to notify the Council of any imports.

The embargo, however, remained in place for non-governmental forces operating within Rwanda. The sale and supply of arms and related materiel also remains prohibited to persons in neighbouring States who have the intention of using such arms within Rwanda.

RELATED ARTICLE: UNESCO Tolerance Prize Goes to Rwandan Women's Collective

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Director-General Federico Mayor has presented the first UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize of $40,000 for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-violence to the Pro-femmes Twese Hamwe, a collective of 32 women's organizations in Rwanda.

The Pro-femmes Twese Hamwe ("All Together") was formed after the 1994 massacres that inflicted particular suffering on women and children. Together, the collective launched the Action Campaign for Peace to work towards social justice and respect for women's rights, and against impunity for those responsible for genocide.

The collective attempts to improve the living conditions of Rwandans, especially women and children. It works to analyze and publicize the history of Rwanda and the causes of conflict, as well as to involve the Government, churches, non-governmental organizations and the media in programmes in promoting the peace process in the country. It hopes to achieve this goal by strengthening the power and role of women in a country where they constitute 60 to 70 per cent of the population and assume responsibility for thousands of orphans, sometimes under extreme poverty.