A Tribute to Alison Des Forges from Paul Rusesabagina of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation

At the time when things were darkest for my beloved Rwanda , Alison Des Forges was a light in that darkness. During the genocide, I believed that the entire world had abandoned us to evil. We waited in vain for the U.N. Peacekeepers and for the U.S. to intervene. No one was able to tell the world to make the madness stop. But Alison Des Forges tried.

In the years following the Genocide, Alison Des Forges was one of the few who had the courage to speak out about the human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity that have continued in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. She was undeterred when the Rwanda government denied her entry in to Rwanda . She understood that the truth is stronger than any bully.

The courage that Alison showed was remarkable and unique. The world needs more Alisons and can sorely afford to lose this one.

My gratitude for her work is matched only by my sorrow at her passing. There is still much work to be done. We must all pick up her mantle and carry on in the name of peace and human rights for all. I will try to do my share in her memory.

She loved Rwanda and its people so much that she devoted her whole lifeʼs work to them. She would have been immensely gratified one day to see peace and justice flow on Rwandan soil. Alison, up in heaven where you are, we want you to know that we love you back.

To learn about Alison’s work, go to Human Rights Watch, http://www.hrw.org/en/home