Rwandan Leaders Aim to Move beyond War-Torn Past

Mineral minister Evode Imena urges the United States to remove his country from a list of conflict-mineral nations, citing the fact the Rwanda has not been involved in a conflict since 1994, according to International Business Times. Imena and others argue that the East African nation’s status on the list undermines trade and hampers economic progress. Since the 1994 massacre that took over 800,000 lives, Rwanda has flourished as a hotbed for international investment.

Mineral minister Evode Imena urges the United States to remove his country from a list of conflict-mineral nations, citing the fact the Rwanda has not been involved in a conflict since 1994, according to International Business Times. Imena and others argue that the East African nation’s status on the list undermines trade and hampers economic progress. Since the 1994 massacre that took over 800,000 lives, Rwanda has flourished as a hotbed for international investment.

The conflict-mineral list not only stigmatizes Rwanda but also has an impact on the economy through regulations and standards that cost money. Under the Dodd-Frank Act from the U.S. government, Rwanda and countries that include Angola, Burundi, and Uganda are required to account for every mineral from the time of mining until ready for export.

Section 1502 of the act aims to prevent the use of natural resources for perpetuating war efforts. The region is rich in minerals in the form of tin, gold, and cobalt. Rwanda relies more on agriculture than mining, but commodities account for millions of dollars for mining companies.

One can make a case to exempt Rwanda because the nation would not qualify as a conflict zone and one cannot ignore the East African nation’s status as a rising emerging market.  Nevertheless, Rwanda remains in a fragile state despite growing investor interest.

President Paul Kagame has ruled the nation since 2000 and he is a reformer whose policies helped lift many people out of poverty. However, poverty continues to be an issue, and the government needs to allocate money where necessary to improve the lives of citizens.

With that, Rwanda is part of a bitter ethnic conflict between Hutus and Tutsis that has raged on for decades. In Rwanda’s case, the conflict began in 1922, when Belgium granted the Tutsi power over the Hutus. Conflict erupted between the two throughout the decades until things bubbled over when Tutsi refugees invaded Rwanda in 1990.

The Hutu majority murdered many Tutsis, including some Hutus who refused to participate in the slaughter, but the Hutu-Tutsi conflict is present in other nations, such as Burundi and the Congo. Moreover, the region as a whole is undergoing instability as incumbent leaders face an uncertain future, which could lead to greater unrest down the road. Fair or unfair, Rwanda’s horrid past continues to haunt the people, and more time may need to pass before Rwanda’s image will change in the eyes of the international community.