RWANDA: RUD-URUNANA STRONGLY REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENTAL PRESS AGAINST ITS LEADERSHIP

Press Release PP No. 01/Jul/10

RWANDA: RUD-URUNANA STRONGLY REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENTAL PRESS AGAINST ITS LEADERSHIP

In a recent issue of the governmental newspaper Imvaho Nshya No. 2004, of 1-4July 2010, statements attributed to a former member of RUD-Urunana were reported after completing a so-called a “rehabilitation” session organized by the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC). Such statements alleged that the leadership of our organization and other individuals were actively preventing Rwandan refugees to return to their homeland.

Our organization rejects and categorically denounces such amalgamation concocted by the Rwandan regime. Hence, in recent closing ceremonies of the so-called “rehabilitation session”, the Rwandan government forced one of the so-called graduates, Colonel Nzitonda alias Rushidi, to read a prepared statement in which false aforementioned allegations were leveled against RUD-Urunana leadership and other Rwandan refugees who positively contributed in the Kisangani process.

The Kisangani process, initiated by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the RUD-Urunana, under the facilitation of Sant’Egidio Community and supported by the UN and other members within the International Community had the goal to set up a road map that ultimately would have led to the peaceful repatriation of Rwandan refugees living on the congolese territory. The Kisangani process led to the disarmament and resettlement of RUD-Urunana and RPR-Inkeragutabara combatants and their dependents in Kasiki (North-Kivu).

The Rwandan Government, realizing that such process had a great chance of success at repatriating the refugees and resolving once for all the political and humanitarian impasse of the Rwanda refugee problem in the DRC, sabotaged such genuine initiative by all means. Thus, to thwart the Kisangani process, the Rwandan government established a list of 6,997 unwanted Rwandan refugees, labeling them “Genocidaires,” even when most of them were younger than 13 years old in 1994. In addition, the Kigali regime went to the extent of setting up administrative and political hurdles in order to prevent a refugee exploratory visit to their homeland. However, such visit ultimately took place after intense diplomatic pressures of the International Community.

Therefore, we hereby reaffirm the persistent commitment of RUD-RPR coalition and its leadership to the peaceful return of Rwandan Refugees in their country. In the messages delivered in Kasiki on July 31, 2008, the leadership of RUD-RPR coalition urged the Rwandan Government to open the doors so that all refugees can freely go back to their homeland. As a response, the Rwandan Government increased the barriers to repatriation, especially by:

• attacking the Kasiki refugees camp and massacring unarmed Rwandan refugees, including women, children, and elderly;
• sending those who were repatriated back to the DRC to fight in proxy armed groups funded by the Rwandan government or working as miners for Rwandan officials;
• creating a climate of terror and repression against those suspected of dissent or of opposing opinions;
• and more recently, repressing the media and assassinating journalists in addition to terrorizing and intimidating civilians in the villages and cities.

In the accord between the Representative of the DRC government and the leadership of RUD/ RPR in the presence of the community of Sant’ Egidio, the ECC and the representative of Norway signed on 27 January 2010 in Rome, the signatories proposed peaceful solutions. These peaceful solutions require that the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council engage the Rwandan Government in order to create conditions for the peaceful repatriation of refugees and to open a dialogue with its opposition.

The signatories recommended that UN Security Council support the DRC government to create appropriate conditions for the resettlement of refugees awaiting peaceful repatriation. They also agreed that the most urgent action is to request that the UN Secretary General should appoint without delay a Special Representative for Rwandan refugees in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, as this constitutes the best way towards a timely and durable resolution of the impasse. Meanwhile, the UNHCR must fulfill its professional and moral responsibilities towards the Rwandan refugees.

However, the campaign unleashed by the Rwandan Government and its notorious security services has created an uninterrupted flow of Rwandan refugees, including high ranking RPF military officers who have fled the country and joined increasing ranks of Rwandan refugees around the world. Our organization has obtained credible information stating that death squads have been dispatched around the world by the Kagame’s regime and his cronies with the main purpose of hunting down anyone who dares to denounce and/or challenge the dictatorial and repressive regime in Kigali. The new refugees include little people who do not have anyone to advocate for them as well as former regime dignitaries whose political usefulness has been spent. Even independent media outlets or critical foreign nationals are not spared. In addition, the recent crackdown of the leaders of opposition parties who want to challenge Paul Kagame in the upcoming bogus elections shall be put in this context of intimidation and stifling dissent.

These criminal individuals linked to the current Rwandan government have for mission to intimidate, silence, and if need be, to eliminate any person deemed to be a perceived political opponent to the regime. Recent assassination attempts of Rwandan refugees that took place in Africa and elsewhere constitute an unquestionable testimony of the criminal and brutal character of Kagame’s regime. Meanwhile, several more Rwandans inside the country have been arrested by Rwandan security services, have fled the country, or have disappeared.

As our organization has always pointed out, the Rwandan problem is political in nature and requires political solutions. To find a lasting solution to the overall problem of the Rwandan refugees in the region, it is important that the root causes of the political instability be addressed. It is our firm conviction that as long as the underlying causes of the Rwandan political problem would not genuinely be addressed, the populations of the region will neither enjoy lasting peace nor sustainable development and prosperity.

In order to foster a reconciliatory Justice system, the only foundation of genuine Reconciliation, we urgently ask to hold, under the auspices of the International Community, an Inter-Rwandan Dialogue. In addition, our organization calls for the organization of a "Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation" Commission in our homeland that would help heal a traumatized society.

Our organization remains convinced that only this Dialogue would lead to lasting peace, stability, and the establishment of new political, judiciary, and security institutions that would be the reflection of the legitimate aspirations of all the constitutive groups of the Rwandan society.

July 5, 2010

By Dr. Augustin Dukuze
Spokesperson
RUD-Urunana
Rally for Unity and Democracy

National Democratic Congress (NDC) - Congrès National pour la Démocratie (CND)