Six years after the 1994 coup, the post-coup government which had more than 50 percent in the National Assembly were unnerved by student demonstrators who had earlier sought permit and advice which was unreasonably and unjustifiably refused. They were turned into cannon fodder without just cause. The total number of deaths was 13.
Foroyaa followed all the scenes and had recorded the deaths, pushed for a commission of inquiry and covered proceedings and published all the details. In a country that values democracy and human rights all the students’ unions should mark this day as a national day to remember what happened and draw lessons on how government should work with them to know how to addressed the plight of the generation.
Governance is about how the concerns of all should be known and addressed. None should be excluded. Exclusion anywhere is the mother of conflict and tension everywhere. Peace is a contract to be each other’s protector and care. That is the lesson of April 10/11. And the survivors should not be left at the fringes of society but should be invited by student communities everywhere to remind all members of society that protecting each of us is the duty of all of us.
