From Genocide to War on Terror
Why the U.S. Navy?
by
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I was born and raised in Burundi, a country with no hope for the future, a country that has been destroyed by civil wars between two tribes, the Hutus and Tutsis. I immigrated to the United States of America in August 2000 to fulfill my dreams, which I felt I could not do in my native country. My dream was to become a Burundian president and change the country by ending the violence and corruption. The country is destroyed by its own people, who violate the freedom of others and increase the hatred between the Hutus and Tutsis.
In the United States of America, I wanted to study and learn how Americans live together after many years of struggling to achieve civil rights. I would then go back to Burundi and teach the Burundians what I had learned from the greatest country in the world. A year after my arrival in the United States, terrorist attacks occurred in New York City and Washington DC, and my vision changed. I decided not to think anymore about Burundi but to think of what I could contribute to protect the United States of America under attack.
I watched as people ran in the streets, smoke rose in the sky, and flames grew like giant mushrooms. Tears flowed from my eyes as I remembered what I had left behind in my motherland. I remembered that when I was in high school in Burundi, I used to say I would like to be in the U.S Army one day. This was my moment to be part of the young men and women in uniform.
After I got my associate's degree and a green card in 2002, the United States of America was engaged in the war on terror, and I decided to become part of the armed forces protecting American freedom. While serving in the U.S Navy, I chose to get a degree in security and use my skills to protect the innocent people who continue to die every single day because of hatred and evil. I pursued graduate studies at National University to get the knowledge and skill to protect and defend the United States of America as well as other parts of the world. I earned a master's degree in science, majoring in homeland security and safety engineering, and published a thesis on terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
I left Burundi in 1998 during ethnic conflicts and battles between Tutsis and Hutus. Human blood was flowing like rivers on the streets in the capital city, Bujumbura, and in many other cities, as well as the countryside. Corpses were in the rivers and lying on the streets. Dogs and birds were feasting on them.
Many children were without their parents, and parents were separated from their children. It was total chaos. At all times of night and day, the gun and rocket echoes were as reliable and consistent as birds singing. Bujumbura was like Baghdad at the beginning of the Iraq War. The only difference was that these wars in Burundi were between the same citizens, people speaking the same language and sharing the same culture, religion, and values.
I left Burundi in 1998 to live in Rwanda for a year while Rwanda was still recovering from the 1994 genocide. There were still hostilities in the north provinces, and people were suffering from their wounds. Others were still hiding in the forests and streets across the African continent, fleeing the criminal activities against humanity. Human remains were all over the streets, and people were panicked, not only from fear but also from losing their loved ones.
I became angry when I looked at the situations in Burundi and Rwanda and saw how people were killing each other like animals. I wanted a revolution that would motivate young people to unite and defend our nations. We needed change and hope for the future and the future of the generations to come. These were my major concerns. I organized some Burundians living in Rwanda at that time and some Rwandese of Burundian origin that had fled the 1959 Rwandese massacres. My hope was that we could liberate the Burundian people from the killings and hatred. Things did not go the way I wanted. I left Rwanda for Uganda and then relocated to the United States of America on August 16, 2000. Are my dreams ever coming true? The following story is my journey from the middle of nowhere to the United States of America and into the U.S military.
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About the Book
From Genocide to War on Terror New Memoir Chronicles One Man’s Determination to Fight Terrorism ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – When he was a child, Nicolas Nibikora dreamed that he would one day become president of his war-torn native country, the Republic of Burundi. Follow him on an incredible journey that will take him from the ravages of civil war, to America’s shores, as he joins the War on Terror in his captivating new memoir, From Genocide to War on Terror: Why the U.S. Navy? (published by AuthorHouse). One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Burundi is a landlocked African nation in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. When Nibikora was growing up there, the country was embroiled in a civil war between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples who had occupied the country for more than 500 years. As the conditions in Burundi grew worse, Nibikora abandoned his goal of becoming president of the country in favor of pursuing his other passion: enlisting in the U.S. Navy. A little more than a year after he immigrated to America, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred, which fanned the flames of Nibikora’s determination. Follow this ambitious young man as he sets out on an impressive academic and military path, keeping his promise to himself to do whatever it takes to fight terrorism, both in America, his new country, and worldwide. Honest and candid, From Genocide to War on Terror shares the inspirational story of someone who rose above, overcame all odds and is now living out his dream while serving his country.
About the Author
Nicolas Nibikora was born in the Republic of Burundi, a country of ravaged by ethnic conflicts. After many years of civil war, he moved to the United States in August 2000. On Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the United States, Nibikora was reminded of the people who had died in his native country and its neighboring country, Rwanda, and decided to join U.S. armed forces to defend the United States. He graduated from MTI College in 2002 and from National University in 2007, earning his master's degree in science with a specialization in homeland security and safety engineering. He published a thesis entitled “Terrorism in the Horn of Africa.” After serving five years in U.S Navy, Nibikora decided to continue with his public service and currently works with the Department of Homeland Security. From Genocide to War on Terror: Why the U.S. Navy? is his first published book.