Immaculee Ilibagiza on the 20th anniversary of Rwanda genocide: (http://webtv.un.org/search/immaculee-ilibagiza-launch%20of%20kwibuka20/3271930834001?term+ilibagiza)

April 6, 1994.  It’s been 20 years.  That day was the start of 3.5 months of killing in Rwanda.  You can read about it — just google “April 1994 Rwanda” and you’ll have enough news articles to read for hours.  You can study the political issues around what happened, but I doubt you’ll every really understand how one can justify the slaughter of people based on their ethnic background.

And when the killing was over, there were consequences – trials, prison sentences, forgiveness, healing.  The consequences continue.  And just like we all say after a movie or documentary about the nazi killing of Jewish people, we all say, “Never Again!”  Never again should we allow one group of people to kill another group of people.  Massacres should never happen.

And now it’s April 2014.  20 years have passed.  Surely humans have learned to love, have learned to forgive, have learned at least to “live and let live.”  But in reality, humans are cruel.  In reality, people are still killing other people based on ethnic background.  (See Danforth blog http://blogs.covchurch.org/danforth/)

Palm Sunday 2013 the government of Central African Republic was overthrown.  That was just the start of very complicated rounds of killing, retaliation, looting, and more killing, and more retaliation.  The cycle has been spinning out of control for the past year.  And now Central African Republic is experiencing an ethnic cleansing that should never happen.  It is heartbreaking for our friends to watch.  International peace keepers seem to be powerless to stop it.  And consequences are already being felt.

One part of the body cannot say to the other, “I do not need you.”  And so, as Central Africans (mislabeled “Christian militia” by news media), calling on Satan’s power, kill and destroy innocent people.  (See BBC news article)  They kill the cattle herders and merchants and then wonder why there is no food to feed their children.  The children have witnessed and experienced more violence in person than we allow our kids to witness on television.  What will the long term consequences be?  Not good.

Sorry this is such a downer, but it is heart breaking to know that such evil is happening after generations of saying, “never again.”  Only Jesus love and the power of forgiveness will be able to turn this around.  It’s only Jesus who can take this horrible situation and turn it to anything positive.  Pray.  Pray that the true Christians will rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to do what is right.  Pray for victims of cruel hatred.  Pray “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”