“I now ask that you join me in observing a minute of silence in honor of all of those around the world who have perished through the crime of genocide.” Morgens Lykketoft, President, UN General Assembly
The United Nations on Wednesday marked the first international day to commemorate victims of genocide and push for ways to prevent future crimes. The occasion comes as UN officials fear the violence in Burundi could spiral into genocide.
It’s the first time the United Nations is honoring the victims of genocide, a crime under international law that includes genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, but also dates back to the Armenian Massacre and the Holocaust.
The threat of genocide remains very present. Only twelve years after a civil war ripped the country apart, Burundi, once again stands on the brink war, as the government and the opposition are accused of pitting ethnic groups against each other in a conflict that has dragged on for eight months. A warning that came earlier this week at the UN.
“I would not say that tomorrow there will be a genocide in Burundi, but there is a serious risk that if we do not stop the ongoing violence this may end with a civil war, and following such a civil war everything is possible.” Adama Dieng, UN Special Advisor on Prevention of Genocide
The threat isn’t just in Burundi. From Syria to Iraq to Yemen to South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic, civilians are being targeted because of their religion or ethnicity.
The UN special advisor on genocide also expressed concern about rising intolerance and xenophobia against refugees fleeing to Europe and in response to terrorist attacks, noting that even the U.S. has seen this type of discourse. He said this type of manipulation of people’s concerns for political gains is not only sickening, but also dangerous.
