Quand ils n'ont pas été tués par la violence interethnique, beaucoup d'enfants du Rwanda se retrouvent orphelins

Bromberger, Dominique

Rybinski, Gauthier

Joachim, Manuel

Allémonière, Patricia

Bellot, Jean-Michel

25 juillet 1994

19940725

20:00:00

CEST

Journal de 20 heures [8:14]

Quand ils n'ont pas été tués par la violence interethnique, beaucoup d'enfants du Rwanda se retrouvent orphelins

L'armée américaine a suspendu ses parachutages de vivres aux réfugiés qui avaient été très critiqués par les organisations humanitaires.

1994-07-25-20tf1.mp4

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TF1

INA

Journal télévisé

FR

- Two terrible figures are coming to us today from Zaire: nearly 14,000 people have died in the past six days in the Goma region, most of them as a result of the cholera epidemic. Second figure: more than 100,000 Rwandan children are said to be separated from their parents.
- When they have not been killed by inter-ethnic violence, many children in Rwanda find themselves orphans. And in an indifference that is matched only by the immensity of their silent dismay. Children of misfortune to the end, 4,000 of them have failed in a UNICEF orphanage near Goma. An orphanage which quite involuntarily would rather deserve the name of mouroir.
- There are outlines of individual solutions which are beginning to emerge. Janvier is 25 years old, he is a Rwandan refugee. While fleeing his country, he took in seven children who now have a smile when they find him in the evening. Because he is resourceful and had some money, he managed to escape the worst. To avoid these orphanages, January will have to be able to return to Rwanda with her seven children one day. And above all, that we help.
- The US military today suspended its food drops to refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees did not give him new flight authorizations. The airdrops had been severely criticized by humanitarian organizations. Today Australia and Russia announced they are joining aid operations. But it is all very difficult to fall into place.
- The race against death has started. From everywhere, from the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Israel, Australia, wide-bodied jets stuffed with food and medicine take off. Doctors and experts in the manufacture of drinking water are also taking the road to Goma. But good will is not enough. The drops organized yesterday [July 24] by the United States were strongly criticized and had to be stopped this morning. Too much rush. The food packages have landed in the middle of the coffee plantations, they are difficult to recover. The place chosen, Katale camp, was not justified: the refugees had enough food there to survive. Some humanitarian organizations there speak of a joke.
- The High Commissioner for Refugees is trying to calm people down and put order in the delivery of aid. Negotiations are underway with the United States on the resumption of the airlift. The UNHCR does not want any more misfires: it wants to distribute and distribute food, medicine and drinking water according to the needs of the different camps. Its officials are also worried about not seeing the arrival of teams specializing in the construction of sanitary facilities. Without a latrine, cholera will continue to spread. The epidemic has already claimed 11,000 lives. It could affect 80,000 people.
- The Americans are afraid that a large-scale operation that will not serve much, as was the case in Somalia, is repeating itself. Everyone is saying: "We want to go, but not alone". Obviously, the failure of such a mission would be catastrophic. And it's a bit the fear of Americans today.
- Since the establishment of the French security zone, there have always been minor skirmishes and acts of looting. Until now, the French army spoke of acts of looting by Hutu militias. Today she says that these are real skirmishes. This has a very specific reason. It is a question of giving the new government in Kigali, the new Rwandan government, pledges of goodwill by saying to this government: "You see, we are not playing into the hands of the Hutu militias, the ex-government militias. , in exchange, multiply the calls for return and everything will be better".
- It should be noted that these are clashes with the militias and not with the former armed forces of Rwanda. Rwanda's former armed forces are mainly concentrated in Zaire, near Goma. While obviously, in the Turquoise zone, a certain number of militiamen, those called the Interahamwe, who were the main perpetrators of the massacres, have merged into the population and are leading a guerrilla war of last hope.
- A nice gesture to note: that of Richard Virenque, the winner of the mountain grand prix in the Tour de France. The French champion has announced that he is donating his Tour winnings to the Médecins Sans Frontières organization to help refugees in Rwanda. This represents 250,000 francs. And Virenque also wants to auction his white jersey with red polka dots and then his bike.
- He could have been content to have an obsessive thought for his own suffering. He could also have pocketed the 250,000 francs of nest egg that his talent allowed him to accumulate during the three weeks of the Tour 94. But there were these images, these terrible images, which he discovered every evening and which spoiled him so much. His pleasure as a winner than his serenity as a geographically well-born human being. So yesterday [July 24] after arriving on the Champs, Richard Virenque donated all of his earnings to Doctors Without Borders.