Date: Tue, 09 Aug 94 19:24:11 EDT From: Ken Sherrill The respected newsletter, _AIDS and Society_, in its current issue (June/July 1994) has a front page commentary by the journal's editor, Norman Miller. Excerpts follow: A number of specific indications and reports support [the view that widespread AIDS/HIV is a major factor leading to the killings in Rwanda]. *Rwanda is one of the hardest hit African states in terms of HIV/AIDS; esti- mates vary on HIV seroprevalence in military populations from some 40 to 65% of soldiers. *Many senior officers are believed to have died of AIDS prior to the upheaval causing leadership in the ranks to be uncertain and unstable. *Some of the first rape reports from Rwanda noted that before raping women re- bel soldiers told their victims they were about to get AIDS. *HIV infection in civilian populations, particularly in the urban areas, was known to be high. For example,infection among pregnant women in Kigali, the cap ital was reported at 33.4% in 1993, up from 23.2% in 1992. *HIV infection rates for pregnant women outside the capital ranged from 20 to 30% in 1991, as assessed in the communities of Biryogo, Gikongo, and Muhima. Miller also quotes U. S. Asst. Sec'y of State for African Affairs, Prudence Bushnell, and Allen Whiteside of the University of Natal, South Africa in sup- port of his position. I wonder if this line of argument will penetrate the public'c consciousness and -- if so -- what the consequences might be.