Never Again in Practice: Challenges and Solutions – Genocide Prevention in Rwanda and Abroad (Senior 6 History (Languages)) | Ganzaa

Genocide Prevention in Rwanda and Abroad

Lessons

Senior 6 · History (Languages)

Genocide Prevention in Rwanda and Abroad

5 lessons

Lesson 5 of 5

Never Again in Practice: Challenges and Solutions

20 min

An arrest after 26 years

In May 2020 French police arrested Félicien Kabuga near Paris. He had been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1998, accused among other things of helping to fund the hate radio RTLM and the militias, and had lived under false names in several countries for 26 years. But in 2023 judges found him unfit to stand trial because of dementia, and he died in custody in May 2026 without a verdict. His case shows both sides of genocide prevention today: a suspect can be found after a quarter of a century, but only if states cooperate, and justice delayed can become justice denied.

Figure 1. Each challenge has an answer, but every answer needs people and institutions willing to act.

Definition

Revisionism: rewriting the history of a genocide to deny, minimise or justify it, for example by inventing a "double genocide" or blaming the victims.

Universal jurisdiction: the power of a country's courts to try the gravest crimes, such as genocide, wherever they were committed. Belgium (2001) and France (2014) were among the first states to try suspects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in their own courts.

Impunity: escaping punishment for a crime.

The main challenges

Denial and distortion are spread online, in books and by some politicians abroad, where Rwanda's laws do not reach.
Suspects at large: some people accused of genocide still live in other countries, and extradition can take years.
Armed groups in the region, such as the FDLR in eastern DR Congo, include people linked to the genocide and still spread its ideology.
Political will: states put their own interests first, and a single veto can block the UN Security Council.
The tension between sovereignty and intervention: outside action can save lives but can also be abused, so states hesitate.
Trauma, poverty and inequality among survivors and in society can leave people open to manipulation.
Distance in time: most Rwandans today were born after 1994 and may meet distorted versions of history online.

Solutions

Level	What can be done
Individual	Learn the history from reliable sources; refuse and report hate speech and denial; treat every person with equal dignity; take part in Kwibuka
Community and school	Peace and values education; dialogue and Abunzi; visits to memorials; listening to survivors' testimony with respect
National	Enforce laws against genocide ideology and discrimination; support survivors; inclusive development; preserve archives such as the Gacaca records
International	Arrest and try suspects (universal jurisdiction, the residual mechanism of the tribunals); counter denial; regional security; UN early warning; restraint in the use of the veto when atrocities are at stake

Warning

Prevention is not only for governments. Answers that list only laws, courts and the UN miss the level where genocide is first prepared and first resisted: ordinary people's words and choices. Include individual and community action.

Tip

Challenge, solution, example. For each point give the challenge, the solution and a real example (the Kabuga case, universal jurisdiction trials, Peace and Values education). Three-part points score higher than lists.

Important

Discuss. What is one thing your class could do this year to help keep the promise "never again"? Make it specific and realistic.

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Practice

Define revisionism and give one example of it.
What is universal jurisdiction? Name one country that has used it against suspects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Give three challenges to genocide prevention today.
Suggest one solution for each of the challenges you named in question 3.
What does the case of Félicien Kabuga, arrested in 2020, teach about justice as prevention?
"The greatest challenge to genocide prevention is denial." Discuss.

Show answersHide answers

Rewriting the history of a genocide to deny, minimise or justify it; for example the false "double genocide" claim.
The power of national courts to try genocide wherever it was committed. Belgium (from 2001) or France (from 2014).
Any three: denial and distortion; suspects at large; armed groups with genocide ideology; lack of political will and the veto; sovereignty versus intervention; trauma, poverty and inequality; young people meeting distorted history.
Matching solutions, for example: education and counter-speech; extradition and trials; regional security cooperation; citizen and state pressure on the UN; survivor support and inclusive development; history teaching and memorial visits.
His arrest showed that suspects can be found after decades, which warns others that impunity may not last. But because it took 26 years, he was found unfit for trial in 2023 and died in 2026 without a verdict: justice must be fast, which needs states to cooperate early.
A balanced answer: denial is a serious and lasting threat because it prepares future violence and wounds survivors. But political will, armed groups and poverty are also major challenges; denial is often a symptom of the same ideology. Reach a judgement.

1An arrest after 26 years

2The main challenges

3Solutions

An arrest after 26 years

The main challenges

Solutions