by Craig Stevens
PASA Research Officer

It is a long way - and a world of difference - between Adelaide and Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Michael Hourigan, a former Officer in the South Australian Police Force is part of a unique and committed group of investigators from around the world working for the United Nations, investigating War Crimes in Rwanda.

Rwanda is an African country with a population of approximately 8 million people. Before the genocide and civil war which has ravaged the country, its capital Kigali, was one of the most populated places in the world.

The population of Rwanda is mostly situated in rural areas with large and impoverished regional centres.

The primary economy of Rwanda is coffee and tea farming. The earth is rich and is capable of producing enough food to sustain the population.

The infrastructure in Rwanda is generally of a poor standard and much of the country's roads are only accessible by four wheel drive vehicles.

Rwanda is predominantly populated by people from two different ethnic cultures - the Hutu and the Tutsi. The predominant religion of both peoples is Catholic, which was introduced by French and Belgium colonisation.

The staple food, which also reflects Rwanda's history as a French / Belgium colony, is pastry or bread. Apart from fish, food is very expensive with a chicken costing about $20 US and a leg of lamb about $25 US.

Michael Hourigan began his time in Rwanda as an investigator and now is a Leader of a National Team with 17 investigators in his direct control. The team consists of lawyers and Police Officers from a wide range of nationalities. They are deployed by the UN in Rwanda to investigate the architects of the on-going genocide in the country. The investigators are concentrating their efforts on a group of suspected conspirators responsible for a fatal rocket attack on an aircraft carrying President Juvenal Habayarmana and senior Government staff. This was closely followed by the murder of about 100 senior politicians, public servants and other influential people in a 48 period in the same month.

The suspects emanate from the Presidential Guard of the former President which was a group of soldiers who formed an imperial body guard.

About 100 days after the murder of President Habayarmana, local militia, the interahanwe, the Presidential Guard and the army undertook a programme of mass genocide across Rwanda. The troops killed a staggering 800,000 to one million Tutsi people and moderate Hutu civilians.

"It is difficult to accurately forecast the number of dead" Michael said, "there are simply too many graves and too little resources".

The UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which Michael is a member of was established in response to a 1994 UN report which found "concerted, planned, systematic and methodical acts of mass extermination" had been committed by Hutu groups against Tutsis and that this constituted genocide.1

The mass killing in Rwanda was (and is being) committed by members of the Hutu majority who sought to exterminate the Tutsi minority. Following the mass killings in 1994-5, approximately two million Hutus left Rwanda and settled in refugee camps in Rwanda's neighbouring countries - Tanzania, Zaire and Burundi.2 Many of those responsible for the genocide are amongst the numbers of the refugees and there have been numerous, and escalating, reports of insurgences by Hutu forces on the borders of Rwanda.

The main weapons used by the Hutu militia are pangas, a machete like instrument and masus, a club / mace with spikes protruding from its end. Sometimes a simple hammer or club is used. Opponents are commonly killed by blunt trauma as a result of being basically clubbed or hacked to death. Some Hutus, backed by former members of the army sympathetic to former military leaders, are armed with AK47 rifles and light field belt-fed machine guns.

Michael says that despite the random appearance, mass killings mostly involve a high level of planning. "The genocide is organised and not indiscriminate" he said "young male adults, teenagers and children and women of child-bearing age are often targeted as victims". Michael explained that after a civil war in the 1970's, the Hutus concluded that they did not deal with the Tutsi 'problem' efficiently enough and are now having to fight the offspring of people killed in that war. The callous fact is that they do not intend to be fighting the children of this generation in 15 years.

The situation in Rwanda has deteriorated markedly in recent months with fresh reports of systematic mass killings in several outlying villages and incursions into regional centres. Of principal concern to Michael and other UN workers is the fact that foreigners are now being targeted by Hutu rebels. Recently five French Nationals were murdered whilst they were involved in Aide work in Rwandan villages. The Hutus are making fresh attempts to destabilise the Rwandan Government, which essentially owes its existence to the UN presence. Any further deterioration in the situation would see the evacuation of UN workers from Rwanda.

Investigations by Michael and his team have led to the indictment of the man believed to be the principal conspirator behind the murder of President Habayarmana, a Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, former Commander in Chief of the Presidential Guard and now self-declared Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Bagosora has been indicted for crimes against humanity, genocide and grave breaches of UN Common Article 3. Bagosora is particularly wanted for the abduction and murder of ten Belgium paratroopers who had been sent by the UN to guard President Habayarmana.

Colonel Bagorsora has been indicted under the principle of 'Command Responsibility' (i.e. constructive knowledge). Investigators continue to search for people with actual knowledge and more direct involvement in the murders.

Michael Hourigan was a member of SAPOL from 1979 to 1992. He had a wide and varied range of experience having served in uniform patrols in Region B and Port Adelaide, Vice Squad, Adelaide and Burnside CIB, Policy Section, the National Police Research Unit, Education Wing and Anti-Corruption Branch. Whilst he was a Police Officer, Michael completed a Bachelor of Education and a Masters degree in the same discipline. Michael resigned from the department to undertake a Law degree and following his graduation worked for the Department of Public Prosecutions. Michael has been released on unpaid leave by the DPP while he is working with the UN.

Obtaining a job with the UN involved Michael in a protracted battle through layers of the UN bureaucracy and involved hundreds of dollars in phone calls and countless knock backs. Eventually he was able to speak to and then correspond with the person responsible for recruiting which led on to a later interview and offer of work. Michael said there is simply no way of getting the sort of employment he is involved in without this sort of persistence. Conventional methods of job hunting, such as sending letters of application and curriculum vitae, are hopeless. UN work is highly sought after by eminently qualified people from all over the world.

Originally hoping to secure work in the Hague with the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal, Michael was disappointed to be informed there were too many English speakers but was offered the opportunity to talk to the Director of Investigations for the UN in Rwanda.

Positions with the Rwandan effort was heavily weighted in favour of French speakers. The native language in Rwanda is Kinya Rawandan but French is widely spoken due to the country's colonial history. Michael informs that English is becoming more prevalent because of the success of the Tutsi controlled army who are primarily English speaking.

Michael undertook to improve his French and undertook an intensive language course. Michael even went to the lengths of taking a holiday in French New Caledonia to improve his skills. This is an excellent example of Michael's dedication and passion for securing UN work.

Accommodation for UN staff is contained in a Swiss Embassy enclave. Michael shares an apartment with a Lawyer from the United States and another from Uganda. He says that by Australian standards the accommodation is modest but it is considered luxurious in Rwanda. The unit costs $300US per week to rent and is in a part of Kigali where most international embassies are situated.

There is a high military presence surrounding the UN living quarters and embassies. Before the situation had deteriorated, UN staff and diplomats were generally able to walk the streets of Kigali safely during daylight but never after dark. All travelling is done in large four wheel drive vehicles fitted with a number of radios. UN workers are instructed not to travel on isolated roads, which often have hidden anti-tank mines laid by exiled Hutus. Isolated vehicles are commonly targeted by Hutus and UN workers will engage in fire fights when necessary. There have been numerous incidents of internationals like Michael being is this situation.

According to Michael, life in Rwanda is unimaginably different from that in Australia. Poverty is widespread and there is no social security system nor any form of unionism or social safety net. A semi-professional worker such as a Teacher, earns about $80US a year.

The general level of health in the country is poor and Aids is rife. There are no hospitals or organised medical care. Almost any serious injury suffered in Rwanda will lead to infection and death. Michael says that for major problems UN staff are airlifted to Nairobi in Kenya, but this takes anywhere between 12 and 24 hours to arrange so if anyone were to suffer a bad injury, like a gun shot, they would virtually be doomed.

Sanitation and food preparation is inadequate. Michael has suffered several bouts of serious food poisoning and has lost a considerable amount of weight. Michael says that his experience has made him realise how lucky we are to live in Australia and just how good, in comparison, the lifestyle we enjoy is. When I interviewed him during a holiday visit to Adelaide Michael remarked that "a fresh meal and a cup of cappuccino is sheer pleasure".

Something that has particularly struck Michael during his work in Rwanda is desensitised so many of the population are to death. There is little fear of death and people do not expect to live long lives. Many people have seen other members, often all, of their families clubbed to death. He said that when taking statements from witnesses to murders, he has never quiet got used to how they provide their account with a complete lack of emotion. Not one person he has interviewed has broken down or cried.

Michael related an anecdote about his meeting with one eight year old boy in a village. Michael offered the boy a stick of gum and the boy hurriedly chewed and swallowed it. Michael then gave him another two pieces, for the boy to eat later, and he immediately ate these too. Michael asked an interpreter to tell the boy to save some for later and was told that that was a completely foreign concept to most people in Rwanda. This boy, he was told, had no thoughts of tomorrow and no understanding of accumulating possessions. Life is very much for today only.

Much of the work Michael and his fellow investigators are conducting is laborious and painstaking. Michael said that his SAPOL training and experience, particularly the investigative skills gained in the CIB, has helped him greatly in his work in Rwanda. Helping to exhume mass grave sites with hundreds of dead is something however that no amount of experience or training can prepare anyone for.

Michael has noticed a remarkable similarity in the skills and abilities of people from other law enforcement agencies. He believes increased movement and sharing of resources amongst law enforcement services internationally would be beneficial to all concerned. There is a strong identity amongst the UN investigators, "it's just a pity the job is so negative" Michael said. Michael said it has been a unique experience meeting and working with such committed and remarkable people.

Michael's contract with the UN expires in April, 1997. The UN are keen for team members to stay as there is a high turn over of workers. Michael said he will consider his future at the expiration of the contract. He desperately misses his family in Adelaide, especially his two year old daughter so his decision is sure to be a hard one. I am sure that if he decides to return to Adelaide, the DPP would welcome someone of Michael's experience and expertise back with open arms.

1 Bone P In the hellhole of Rwanda, The Age Newspaper, 15 June, 1996.
2 As above.

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