Charles Onana, a self-proclaimed Franco-Cameroonian journalist notorious for his denial of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, faces trial in Paris today. Onana stands accused of promoting the outrageous claim that the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi was a fabrication, orchestrated by the U.S. to secure military dominance in Central Africa, diminish European influence, and gain access to the resource-rich DRC. This delusional conspiracy theory stands in stark contrast to the facts.
First, Onana’s denial flies in the face of indisputable evidence. The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, driven by the Hutu Power ideology, resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 people per day during its 100-day span. The horror escalates when you consider that 70% of the victims were slaughtered in the first three weeks of April 1994, with an average of 33,400 people murdered daily. The remaining months saw genocidal forces hunting down survivors, with an additional 600,000 people killed, including 120,000 in northeastern Rwanda between July and August 1994. This staggering human toll cannot be brushed aside as a conspiracy.
Second, the only appropriate and morally responsible reaction to Onana’s denial is to confront it head-on. It is no surprise that Onana has lost multiple lawsuits related to his claims. In 2017, LICRA (International League Against Racism and Antisemitism) successfully prosecuted him for denying the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi during the promotion of his book Rwanda, the Truth about Operation Turquoise. In addition, since January 2022, he has been under investigation following legal action by Survie, FIDH, and the League of Human Rights for similar charges of genocide denial.
Third, Onana’s views are rooted in the same toxic ideology that fueled the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, drawing comparisons to the anti-Semitic “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” His writings are littered with conspiracies, distortions, and pseudoscientific ramblings that lack any credible foundation. His claims are nothing more than a dangerous, revisionist narrative that seeks to obscure the truth and deny justice to the victims.
In essence, the kind of extreme revisionism and denial that Onana promotes is confined to a small group of diehard genocide deniers who, as Gerald Caplan once put it, “gleefully drink each other’s putrid bath water.” While this group is small, the vast reach of the internet makes their voices appear more prevalent and influential than they are.
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