The Rally for the Return of Refugees and Democracy in Rwanda (RDR)
Bonn, Germany
08.19.00
The Rally for the Return of Refugees and Democracy in Rwanda (RDR) held its Third Ordinary Congress, from 17 to 19 August 2000 in Bonn.
The main resolutions passed by the Congress are the following:
The RDR third ordinary Congress held in Bonn from 17 to 19 August 2000 = has adopted the RDR political programme.
The RDR Third Ordinary Congress instructed the Executive Committee to set up an Institutional Commission, which will undertake to elaborate as soon as possible, the basic principles on which will be based a project of a socio-political and economic contract with the Rwandan People, contract that will govern the transition period before the restoration of a pluralist democracy in Rwanda. That contract will be discussed with our allies of the democratic opposition in view to materialise the setting up of broad-based transition Institutions, which will allow the People to regain her sovereignty.
The Congress elected Mrs INGABIRE Victoire as Chairperson of RDR for a two years term. The Congress elected Mr. NYEMERA Emmanuel as Vice-chairman of RDR for a two years term.
The RDR Third Ordinary Congress renewed its commitment to co-operate with the other democratic forces struggling for the liberation of the Rwandan people from RPF bloodthirsty and bellicose dictatorship.
To that effect, he Executive Committee received mandate to negotiate with the other democratic forces, modalities for their co-operation, on clear bases that safeguard RDR independence as well as its principles enshrined in its political platform. On that matter, the Congress endorsed the Executive Committee's Statement dated 28th May 2000 at Schallangenbach.
The third Congress reaffirmed RDR membership to the Union of Rwandan Democratic Forces (UFDR), and endorsed to that effect, the Executive Committee's resolutions adopted in its October 1999 session at Bodegraven.
The Congress took note of the UFDR First Congress recommendation concerning the merger of member organisations. After evaluation of the state of the Union, the RDR third ordinary Congress requests UFDR to postpone the implementation of that recommendation until another evaluation proves the opportunity of this form of collaboration.
The Congress demands that the current form of collaboration be maintained with necessary improvements for a better efficiency.
Moreover, the RDR third ordinary Congress entrusted the Executive Committee with the task of re-examining with its partners of the coalition, a redefinition of fields of competence as well as the distribution of tasks that preserve some freedom of expression to member organisations, in view to promote the practice of contradictory debate in a pluralistic democratic system.
The RDR Third Ordinary Congress reaffirmed its condemnation of the genocide against tutsis in 1994. It equally reaffirms its condemnation of the genocide, still going on, against hutus, and raises once more an alarm to the International Community and to the Rwandan people for stopping it.
RDR appeals to all Rwandans to honour the memory of all victims without distinction and avoid exploiting for political gain, the tragedy that plunged every family into mourning, the Rwandan People and Humanity as a whole.
RDR restated its support to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), but still demands that its mandate be revised to expend its competence and period covered.
The ICTR must also concentrate on the assassination of Presidents Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, assassination that triggered off the 1994 genocide. It should use to that effect, elements of the report to the United Nations recently revealed to the general public through mass media and which implicates Mr Paul Kagame and his army into the assassination.
Finally, in view of the ever increasing revelations on the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) criminal responsibilities into the Rwandan tragedy, the ICTR must prove its independence and impartiality by also prosecuting suspected criminals among the members of RPF and its army.
The third ordinary congress recalled the fact that the Rwandan conflict is an essentially a political conflict and that its solution has to go necessarily through political negotiations.
RDR restated its position to the effect that efforts to resolve the armed conflict exported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo by RPF regime would reach no durable solution as long as the Rwandan conflict itself will remain unresolved.
Consequently, RDR supports the current initiatives to organise an international conference with the aim to finding a global solution for a durable peace in each country of the Central African Great Lakes Region. To achieve the desired objective, the proposed Conference should allow the beginning of negotiations between the incumbent regimes and their respective oppositions, in view of finding concrete solutions to the on-going conflicts that have plunged into mourning this region for the last 10 years.
The RDR Third Ordinary Congress adopted its programme for the next two years, up to its fourth ordinary congress. The Executive Committee received mandate to take all the necessary measures for the implementation of that programme.
INGABIRE Victoire
Chairperson