In 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered in a state-led genocide. Personal stories and encounters with both survivors and perpetrators of the genocide are the focus of the special Web-exclusive FRONTLINE/World report, Rwanda - After the Genocide.
Reporter/fellow Doug Merlino was online Monday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m. ET, to discuss the documentary.
Merlino was granted exclusive access to Rwanda?s recently established gacaca court system -- a grass-roots attempt to try 100,000 genocide perpetrators through village-based courts.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Baltimore, Md.:
Thanks for your report. I thought the
profiles were compelling, but they left me
wondering -- are these indicative of the
larger sentiment or isolated stories? Do
most Rwandans feel hopeful about
peace between Hutus and Tutsis? How
do they feel about the gacaca courts -- are
they fair to the surviving victims, families
of those killed, and the murderers?
Doug Merlino: Ya, that's a good question. I think the idea was to go on this really small level and talk to individuals and get their sentiments. As far as it goes, I do think those profiles reflect the larger sentiment. It's pretty hard to make pronouncements about what people are feeling there because they play it close to the vest because its a tense political situation and talking too much -- if you're a Rwandan -- could get you in trouble. SO I do think they're indicative, but its hard to say.
WHen you talk to them, they say they are hopeful about peace. But how much of that is repeating of government propoganda, or what they've been told to say or what they really feel. I guess -- it's only been 10 years since so many people were killed. That's a short time to try to get over something like that, so I would say most want peace whether they'll eventually have it, I don't know.
Yes, I think there's a lot of mixed sentiment about the courts. There are groups in Rwanda that can speak as a whole -- a genocide survivors group that has come out against the courts at first, but now they want to try to encourage them to be better. You know, I think people do have hopes for the courts. Everyone I talked to also expressed hope that they'd have a better economic situation which is inseparable with the court process.
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Greenbelt, Md.:
Can you talk about the role of the UN, France, and Belgium in the genocide? Has their culpability been fully explored, and can we expect that at some point there will be accountability for the enablers of these murders?
Doug Merlino: I think that's -- one, I mean, there's people better qualified to speak on this than me. I was looking at the lives of ordinary Rwandans, but I think there's a big difference between France, Belgium and the U.S. All the actors have something to be ashamed of. The U.S. certainly has nothing to be proud of during that time. A lot has been written on what happened and I guess the geo-politics of the situation still continues. I don't know if anyone will be responsible when the question is asked.
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Manhattan, N.Y.:
How much warning did anyone have prior to the genocide? Was there anything the intrernational community could have done to prevent this slaughter?
Doug Merlino: I guess for about 40 years before the genocide there had been outbreaks of violence against the Tutsis. I don't think for the ordinary Rwandan -- it'd become a fact of life. At the beginning, the genocide started fast and I don't think anyone imagined it becoming as awful as it did. As far as the U.N. -- there was a force on the ground and the leader had been cabling back to NY asking for more reinforcements and an expansion of his powers, which was denied. But most people think that the bloodshed could have been stopped because you had killers with primitive weapons and maybe 5K or so troops with modern weapons probably could have stopped it.
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London, U.K.:
According to the Borgen Project the U.S. is capable of ending poverty worldwide. From your experiences in places like Rwanda do you think that's a realistic assessment?
Doug Merlino: I don't know. The cause of the poverty there is complex and not even fully understood by people who spend their lives studying it. I think the developed world could take more steps to end poverty.
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Indianapolis, IN:
Doug,
Did you ever fear for your life while you were
reporting this story?
Doug Merlino: No, right now I think Rwanda -- for someone coming from outside -- is quite safe because there's a huge police and military presence, so it is probably safer than some places here in the U.S. So, I think the main danger in Rwanda now is traffic accidents and health problems -- problems of poor countries.
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