It is both shocking and disgraceful to witness a convicted genocide denier like Charles Onana continue to receive platforms to spread venomous genocide ideology.
From denying and minimizing the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda to openly whitewashing the crimes of the genocidal militia FDLR, Onana has made a career out of distorting history and defending the indefensible.
On December 9, 2024, a Paris court convicted Charles Onana for denying and minimizing the Genocide Against the Tutsi. This crime claimed the lives of more than one million innocent Tutsi in Rwanda. Rather than reflecting on the gravity of his actions, Onana has chosen to intensify his campaign of misinformation by now acting as an apologist for the FDLR.
During an interview with ORMETA, Onana shamelessly attempted to sanitize the image of the FDLR by claiming that the group has nothing to do with the deaths of “millions of Congolese” and bears no responsibility for the widespread sexual violence in eastern DRC.
The United Nations Group of Experts has documented FDLR’s horrific atrocities including mass killings, rape among other crimes against humanity. Onana’s statements are not only dishonest but deeply insulting to the countless victims of FDLR atrocities.
The Convicted genocide denier’s remarks directly contradict the testimony and public declarations made by former FARDC spokesperson General Sylvain Ekenge, who clearly stated that among the “millions of Congolese “killed over the past three decades, the FDLR is responsible for a significant share of these losses.
Ekenge’s statement isn’t a mere political rhetoric, it reflects years of conflict, displacement, massacres, and suffering inflicted upon innocent civilians of ethnic Tutsi in eastern Congo.
Numerous reports from local institutions, international organizations, and human rights watchdogs have extensively documented the crimes of the FDLR, including mass killings, rape, forced displacement, and terror campaigns not only against Rwandans but also on Congolese Tutsi communities. Women have been subjected to horrific sexual violence, entire villages have been burned, and this genocidal group has destroyed thousands of lives.
For Charles Onana to dismiss these realities is not ignorance it is deliberate intent to bend the truth and preserve the genocidal group.
It should not surprise anyone that a man convicted for genocide denial would also become the spokesperson of a genocidal organization. The FDLR is not simply another armed group; it is a direct continuation of the ideology that fueled the Genocide Against the Tutsi. Its leadership includes individuals responsible for massacres in Rwanda, and its continued presence in eastern Congo remains one of the greatest obstacles to peace in the Great Lakes region.
What is truly alarming is that despite his conviction and his repeated efforts to distort facts, Onana is still given international platforms to spread toxic narratives. This raises serious questions about accountability and the responsibility of media outlets and institutions that continue to host him.
How does a Cameroonian self-styled intellectual become a defender of a genocidal militia responsible for the deaths of innocent Congolese and Rwandans alike? The answer lies in ideology, opportunism, and the dangerous business of genocide denial.
Charles Onana’s transformation from genocide denier to FDLR advocate is not surprising; it is the natural progression of someone committed to protecting perpetrators rather than honoring victims.
History must not be rewritten by those who side with genocidaires. The region deserves truth, justice, and peace. There should never be room for genocide denial and revisionism in the name of freedom of speech or expression.
ellenkampire