May 11, 2010

The New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Rwanda’s Mix: Order, Tension, Repressiveness” (front page, May 1):

Rwanda in the several decades preceding the 1994 genocide was considered a star economic performer by the World Bank and other major donors. With growth rates well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa, little corruption, good roads and a reliable power supply, Rwanda dazzled those looking for a “model” African development narrative.

So we should be very wary of mistaking the surface glitter of Rwanda today — the tall buildings, clean streets and Internet cafes — as signs that all is well. Ethnic divisions and political authoritarianism have not disappeared from Rwanda, nor has a tendency to use violence to resolve differences dissipated.

Until the country can have an open, honest discussion of the 1994 genocide and its aftermath, while building a society that respects human rights and freedoms, the risk of large-scale violence remains all too real.

William G. O’Neill
Brooklyn, May 4, 2010

The writer, a lawyer who led the United Nations Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda in 1997, is director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, Social Science Research Council.