Memories of Kofi

       Kofi Annan became Secretary General in 1997 after Boutros-Ghali failed to secure a second term by being vetoed by the United States. At that same time I moved to Kenya for High School with my family.

He is regarded as being one of the best Secretary Generals’ the United Nations has ever had, and it’s true he did achieve a lot but there was a shadow that always followed him, one I became acquainted with in 1997.

In 1994, a genocide occurred in Rwanda, a small country in the lake regions of Africa, a former German and Belgian colony where ethnic tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis had been high ever since the days of the Kingdom of Rwanda. In a period spanning 100 days, an estimated 500,000 to 1,000 000 Rwandans were killed, mainly Tutsis and the Pygmy Batwa.

Even though the events had resonated over the news, it was not until I moved to east Africa that I met numerous survivors of the event. Tutsis, Hutus and Belgians that had managed to flee the conflict. They didn’t speak openly about the events, but whispered some nightmarish glints of their former lives in moments of weakness. Indeed many humans try to avoid painful memories and keep a stiff upper lip. As many years have passed since that dreadful event, I can now, with a bit of retrospective, say that all the survivors had a shadow on their faces, a sort of stigmata that is evidence of a deep trauma.

A few days ago I spoke with an old friend, Reinout, a Belgian who had been born and grown up in Rwanda. His face and eyes were lit, something that had not been the case back when I met him in 1997. Many of his friends and people that worked for his family had been butchered, before he and his father managed to flee the conflict. I was delighted to see him with such an aura, the same man but happier.

Some sectors argued that the genocide could have been avoided. From numerous investigations I doubt it could not have happened but it have been stopped sooner and the loss of life less. Many factors contributed to the quagmire by the international community in the conflict, from the lesson in Somalia to the myopia of bureaucrats and national interests.

Kofi Annan, though not secretary yet, had been warned of what was going on Rwanda and how bad it could get. Canadian General Dallaire, a blue helmet in charge of a force stationed in the country, accuses Annan of failed to act and was overly passive. This came out years after the genocide but people in diplomatic circles knew of it years before, which is how I heard of it.

The United Nations Environmental Program is located in Kenya, and it has a big venue. The country is relatively close to Rwanda, and therefore the stories and rumours of the genocide did not need to travel far, including the cock up by Annan, who in all fairness later stated that he should have done much more to raise the alarm and rally support to end the conflict. But when he walked down the halls you could see he carried a burden, you could tell by his voice and his eyes.

I have no doubt that his failure at this crucial time is one of the elements that led him to be such an active Secretary General, especially when it came to armed conflicts around the world. Sometimes our mistakes are what shape us the most, for better or for worse.

Kofi Annan, will be missed, especially in an era ruled by Xi Jinping, Putin, Erdogan, Trump, and rich industries that follow their agenda with no concern for the environment or people.