THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 20, 1994 TAG: 9407200012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
What is happening in Rwanda? What has caused literally millions of members of the Hutu tribe to flee their homeland and seek refuge in neighboring countries, none of which are very stable themselves? Contrary to the image that has been created by so much press coverage, the war there is not ``mindless tribal violence,'' but the culmination of a bitter, tribally based power struggle.
For more than two decades, Rwanda had been effectively ruled by President Juvenal Habyarimana and his Hutu-dominated Presidential Guard. The United Nations was preparing to supervise a transition to a Hutu-Tutsi coalition government. The Presidential Guard, of course, took exception. That has fueled the widespread suspicion that the Guard themselves shot down Habyarimana's plane on April 7 to provide a pretext for moving against the traditionally dominant Tutsi minority, and the slaughter commenced.
The Presidential Guard, however, turned out to be more effective killers than fighters. Tutsi rebels were able to militarily defeat the Hutu militia and capture the capital of Kigali. Fearing vengeance from triumphant Tutsis, huge numbers of Hutus have begun to flee.
Unfortunately, traditional tribal animosities throughout Africa have been inflamed in great part by Western development agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In return for lending money, these agencies, particularly the IMF, have usually demanded that African nations devalue their currencies, raise taxes and slash subsidies for basic goods. That is a poisonous brew that can help ignite instability and violence.
The IMF does not appear to have had any direct role in the Rwandan tragedy, but it has greatly damaged the economies of nations such as Zaire and Kenya. Daniel arap Moi, Kenya's president, recently lambasted the IMF for asking Kenya to ``implement policies without a thought to the consequences.''
For Rwanda's agony, there may be no immediate solution, other than for the United States and other nations to give what aid and comfort they can. The Clinton administration, however, can seek to help the rest of Africa by moving the IMF and the World Bank in the direction of encouraging lower taxes and freer markets. Perhaps then Africa will have a chance to grow economically and develop peacefully. by CNB