The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) dedicated its 1272^nd meeting held on 2 April 2025, to an Open Session on the theme: Hate Crimes and Fighting Genocidal Ideology in Africa and the 31^st Anniversary Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Council took note of the opening statement by H.E. Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda to the AU and PSC Chairperson for the month of April 2025 and the Introductory statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), read on his behalf by Ambassador Salah Hammad, Acting Head African Governance Architecture (AGA) and African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) synergy within the PAPS Department.

Council also took note of the statement by the H.E. Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Charles Karamba, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda to the AU; and the recorded statements by H.E. Mr. Adama Dieng, AU Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities, and by  H.E. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide; as well as the statements by AU Member States and by Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs).

Council recalled Assembly Decision [Assembly/AU/Dec.695] adopted by the 31^st Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held from 1 to 2 July 2018, in Nouakchott, Mauritania, which designated the 7^th of April of each year as the AU Day of the Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Council also recalled all its previous decisions and pronouncements on Hate Crimes and Fighting Genocidal Ideology in Africa, in particular, Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.(DCLXXVIII)] adopted at its 678^th meeting held on 11 April 2017, which institutionalized the holding of an annual open session, in April, on the prevention of hate ideology, genocide, and hate crimes in Africa in commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda; and Press Statement [PSC/PR/BR.1206 (2024)] adopted at its 1206^th meeting held on 4 April 2024.

Council reaffirmed the respect for, and sanctity of human life as enshrined in the AU Constitutive Act, the Charter of the United Nations (UN), the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR); the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948.

Council underlined the importance of promoting accountability, fighting impunity and promoting justice for the victims of ideologies of hate, hate crimes and genocide, among others by holding the perpetrators and their accomplices accountable; and in this regard, called on AU Member States and the international community to fully comply with their commitments to fight impunity including by undertaking investigations and prosecutions of the perpetrators to prevent recurrence and to promote durable peace, justice, truth and reconciliation.

Council encouraged Member States to further enhance their cooperation, including with the international community, to facilitate effective prevention, and timely responses and to punish the perpetrators of crimes of genocide and hate speech. In particular, Council called on AU Member States and the international community to cooperate with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the Government of Rwanda in the arrest and prosecution of the remaining indicted fugitives, and to further investigate, arrest, prosecute, or extradite all fugitives accused of genocide who may be residing in their territories.

Council encouraged all AU Member States that have not yet done so to promulgate legislation and establish national institutions for the effective prevention and combating of the ideology of hate, hate crimes, and genocide.

Council underscored the need for Member States to continuously fight genocide denialism in all its manifestations.

Council also underscored the need to further strengthen the Continental Early Warning System in order to swiftly and effectively prevent violent conflicts, egregious violations of human rights and genocide;  and in this respect, requested the AU Commission to further strengthen the operational capacities of the cyber units integrated into the Continental Early Warning System, by equipping them with advanced technologies for the automated detection of online disinformation campaigns, in particular those of an ethnic or religious nature.

Council stressed the need for the establishment of a Continental Research Center on Hate Speech and Genocide ideology with a mandate to regularly inform AU, RECs/RMs, and AU Member States and to provide technical support for strengthening national policies on preventing and combating the ideology of genocide and hate speech crimes.

Council called for the improvement of data collection on hate crimes to gain a more comprehensive understanding of these crimes, enabling targeted interventions and better support for victims; and also encouraged AU Member States in collaboration with the AU Commission to develop partnerships with digital platforms, the media and civil society to combat misinformation and prevent the dissemination of content inciting hatred and violence.

Council called on the media to play a positive role and to more actively engage in preventing and fighting incitement to hatred and violence by adopting journalism principles, guidelines and ethical values that improve the quality of information and reporting, and to avoid bias, prejudice and manipulation.

Council also encouraged Member States to invest in comprehensively addressing the fundamental root causes, among others, through civic education and awareness-raising campaigns, national education systems, and policies that promote tolerance of diversity, culture of peace,  peaceful coexistence, positive values, justice and national reconciliation, mutual respect and understanding between and among different religious, cultural and ethnic groups, in order to create more inclusive societies;

Council reaffirmed the central role of women, the youth, civil society organizations, and traditional and religious leaders as key players in the prevention of hate crimes and ideologies of hate and underscored the importance of supporting their inclusion in all peace efforts, from conflict prevention, conflict management, to conflict resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding and reconstruction.

Council commended the AU Commission for actively supporting the transitional justice processes and programmes in the Member States.

Council reiterated the call for the Panel of the Wise to undertake a review of the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report of the OAU International Panel of Eminent Personalities on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide and the Surrounding Events.

Council took note of the adoption by the President of the UN Security Council of the Note 507 (S/2024/507, adopted on 13 December 2024), which, among others, includes provisions for equal access to relevant archives on Genocide in Rwanda to the fifteen members, previously available only for the Permanent Members of the UNSC; and encourage the A3 to make use of this valuable historical information as a lesson learned on the atrocities committed in Rwanda; and

Council agreed to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS