The invasion of Rwanda by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) on October
1, 1990
started off a period of unprecedented tragedy in Rwanda, and in the
Great Lakes
Region of Africa in general. Since the Rwandan Patriotic Front took
power,
Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region have constantly been the scenes of
killings,
mass murders, arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, persecution and tortures
of
innocent civilians.
Currently, there are more the 200 thousands civilians, mostly Hutus in Rwandan prisons. Most have been in prisons in the most inhumane conditions without charges.
More than 1 Million Hutus from the Northern Rwanda have been held in concentrations camps for years. In the mean time, the Rwandan Patriotic Army massacred more than 200 thousands hutu refugees in Zaire, 8,000 displaced civilians in Kibeho, and tens of thousands more in Ruhengeri, Kanama, Nkuli, etc.
Long confined to the sole Hutus, the terror by Rwandan Patriotic Front has shifted to all political opponents, including Tutsis. Several prominent Tutsis were recently assassinated or persecuted, or simply fled the country. Those assassinated include Assiel Kabera, the advisor to the former RPF Government President Pasteur Bizimungu. Those arrested include Jean Mbanda, a former member of the Parliament. Sebarenzi, a former speaker of the Parliament, and several high ranking officers fled the country.
Recently, the Rwandan Patriotic Army has exported the horror to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where hundreds of thousands of Congolese civilians were killed, buried alive, or gang raped in front their families. The reports from respected Human Rights Groups, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other Human Rights commissions mandated by the United Nations, and Governments have confirmed these large scale ethnic based massacres committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Army.
In less than five years, the Rwandan Patriotic Army has invaded Rwanda, Zaire, and then the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda has sent troops in Burundi, Angola, and the Republic of Congo to fight legitimate governments. The latest adventure by the current Rwandan Patriotic Front Government was to turn its weapons at its long time bedfellow: the Ugandan Army. At more than three occasions, these two armies have fought over Kisangani, a congolese town. The fightings have claimed thousands congolese lives and massive destruction of congolese properties,
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development (OPJDR) is not surprised by the fact these two warmongers are shooting at each other. The OPJDR has always condemned the main motive of the invasions which is looting congolese riches and killing of the Congolese people.
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda calls on the international community and all people to condemn these warmongers who would like to settle their scores on the Congolese soil with the Congolese blood.
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development believes that the people in the Great Lakes Region of Africa should have other choice than the armed rebellion against corrupt, repressive, and murderous government such as the current Rwandan Patriotic Front.
From that perspective, the OPJDR does no longer believe that there are incursions or infiltration of the so called Interahamwe, or Ex-FAR into Northeastern Rwandan. The OPJDR considers that by invoking incursions the Rwandan Patriotic Army wants to perpetuate its regime of terror, destruction, invasion, and hegemony in the Great Lakes Region.
As a matter of fact the repression by the Rwandan Patriotic Army may have pushed Hutus in concentrations camps, Tutsis who are loosing their relatives in senseless wars, families of Hutus detained in Rwandan jails for years, people dying of hunger, nutritional diseases, and inhumane conditions to form an uprising against the Rwandan Patriotic Front Government.
This uprising is inside Rwanda and not in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda calls on the international community to condemn and isolate the government of Rwanda. The International Community should direct its efforts towards assisting the desperate people of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Uganda.
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda takes this opportunity to reiterate its exhortation to the international Community, all Rwandans and friends of Rwanda to work together to bring peace and Justice in Rwanda and the Great Lakes of Africa.
To bring justice, the following necessary steps must be taken:
- The Rwandan Patriotic Front has no moral authority to bring justice. Most of the 200,000 Hutu prisoners in Rwanda jails are political prisoners. They should be released. Those responsible for crimes under the ICTR mandate should only be tried by the ICTR. Those criminals may include people across the board including those from the RPF and the former Rwandan Government.
- Concentration camps in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Eastern Congo must be abolished and repressions against the Hutu populations especially in the Northern Rwanda, Burundi, and Eastern Congo must be put to an end.
- Properties and assents must be restituted to rightful owners.
- Light must be made concerning the assassinations of Presidents Habyalimana and Ntaryamira.
- Conclusive and impartial investigation of the killings of refugees and displaced by RPF in Kibeho, Kanama, Gabiro and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (including Ex-Zaire) must be conducted.
- Freedom of political parties and private media must be protected.
These steps toward justice need to be conjoint or followed by political initiatives.
These initiatives would focus on the following points:
- The Great Lakes Region of Africa, especially Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi are ruled by dictators that are so cruel and barbarian not only with their own people, but also with their neighbors. These dictatorships are unfortunately supported by some Western Democraties. It is very important that these Western Administrations realize how serious the situation in that region is and take the firm decision to do everything possible to stop it. For that these Administrations need to stop any financial, economic, and military aid and support to these dictatorships and put adequate pressure to bring them to the negotiation table.
- The Ugandan Army, the Burundian Army, and the Rwandan Patriotic Army must withdraw from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
-Organization of national peace talks based upon Arusha Agreement. The talks to be attended by all Rwandan political forces and representatives of civil and military society should lead to:
- an agreement on real power sharing and establishment of transitional
institutions
including the government of national unity and reconciliation and
national army, etc.;
- return of all refugees with guarantees for their security and safety;
- confirmation of multi-party system;
- provisions and duration of the transition;
- establishment of mechanisms for mutual guarantee of security.
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR) is ready to work with Rwandans and friends of Rwanda in exploring and implementing this approach.
Felicien Kanyamibwa, PhD.
Coordinator,
Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda.
P.O. Box 8011
Talleyville, DE 19803
USA
e-mail: kanyami@ibm.net