Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR)
Talleyville, USA
07.13.00
The OAU report on Rwanda produced by the International Panel of Eminent Personalities (IPEP) is a step in the right direction even though it has shortcomings.
The IPEP should be commended for pointing out that the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) under General Paul Kagame's leadership committed crimes against humanity and continues to do so in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the pretext of securing its borders against Interahamwe and ex-FAR. The IPEP did not also hesitate to underline the criminal record of the RPF as it attacked refugee camps and massacred hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children in 1997 and during the current war it is waging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the first time an international panel has ever criticized the RPF for its crimes against humanity.
It is deplorable that the UNHCR has refused IPEP access to the Gersony Report that documented RPF crimes committed against Hutu. UNHCRs refusal to release the report to the public is not only a despicable act, but also an obstacle to national reconciliation. Time has come for all Rwandan criminals including the RPF to be held accountable for their crimes. That is why the Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR) welcomes the recommendation that "The OAU should ask the International Commission of Jurists to initiate an independent investigation to determine who was responsible for shooting down the plane carrying Rwanda President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira".
The IPEP should also be commended for stating that the power structure of the current Rwandan is similar to that of Burundi. In other words a minority Tutsi regime has imposed its military dictatorship upon Hutu. This minority regime is characterized by the Tutsization of the state apparatus including the military, presidency, the territorial administrative structure and the judiciary.
We do agree with the IPEP that United States policy towards Africa particularly the Great lakes of Africa has been detrimental to the social and economic development of the continent. Since the end of colonial rule in Africa, the US has promoted military relationships with dictatorial regimes to further its interests. It is in this context that the US has been involved in training the military of Uganda and Rwanda. It is also in this context that the US has not condemned the invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by the armies of the two countries even though they have violated DRC's sovereignty and committed numerous massacres. Instead of shunning such regimes the US has offered them military and diplomatic support. We hope that one day the United States of America be held accountable for its support for criminal regimes.
Unfortunately the IPEP report does have some weaknesses.
For example the IPEP attributes all political violence in the territory controlled by EX-FAR to Interahamwe and the zero network or death squads. It fails to realize, for example, that the RPF was responsible for the massacres of Mutura and Kirambo, the assassinations of Kinihira, the assassinations of Fidele Rwambuka (member of the central committee of MRND), Emmanuel Gapyisi (president of MDR in Gikongoro), Felicien Gatabazi (Executive Secretary of the Social Democratic Party) and of extensive grenade and mine explosions across the country. The IPEP does not mention that the RPF has brought arms and ammunition into the CND building in Kigali with UNAMIR escort, nor does it mention that before April 6, 1994 the RPF had infiltrated the capital Kigali with about 4000 soldiers according to Jean-Pierre Mugabe, a former RPF official.
The IPEP never says that the RPF opposed any foreign military intervention as soon as some human rights organizations called for it to stop violence from spreading. Rather it dispatched its representatives to lobby the United Nations and the US to oppose such an intervention. The RPF let it be known that it would fight any such intervention militarily. Following are several references in international media to RPF oppositions to sending the UN forces in Rwanda:
- On May 5, 1994, The Washington Times wrote: "The rebel Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) commander said yesterday a U.N. force cannot bring peace to his blood-soaked country and only a guerrilla victory will end the massacres".
- On May 13, 1994, The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) wrote: "...rebel leader Paul Kagame welcomed proposals for a bigger UN force provided its role remained 'humanitarian'. But Kagame said the 5,500-strong force suggested by UN Secretary-General Butrus Butrus Ghali 'to stop the genocide' was too big."
- On May 18, The Herald (Glasgow) wrote: " 'Should the (UN) force come in between the two warring sides then it will be treated as an enemy force and will be engaged', said Denis Polisi, deputy vice-chairman of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF)."
- On May 24, 1994, the Denver Rocky Mountain News writes that "The commander of rebel forces warned the United Nations on Monday to stay out of the war in Rwanda".
The IPEP fails to realize that the RPF operated a clandestine radio station called Radio Muhabura or "the guide" and that the Tutsi diaspora published a newspaper called Impuruza or call for war. Both radio Muhabura and Impuruza spread a racist ideology.
The IPEP is misguided when it attributes racist ideology solely to Catholic missionaries and Belgians colonizers. Did missionaries and Belgians invent the Kigwa and the Gihanga myths? According to the Kigwa myth, Tutsi are ibimanuka or individuals who dropped out of the skies or celestial beings. As to the Gihanga myth, Gihanga or the Creator had three sons: Gatutsi, Gahutu, and Gatwa. He gave each a pot of milk and asked them to hold it until he came back. Gatwa immediately drank the milk, Gahutu fell asleep and dropped the pot , and Gatutsi held the pot with milk until Gihanga came back. Did missionaries and Belgians invent Rwandan proverbs which are full of stereotypes about Hutu, Tutsi and Twa? Did missionaries and Belgians teach the Rwandan Tutsi monarchs to ornate the drum Kalinga (symbol of the kingdom) with the genitals of Hutu kings they had defeated in wars?
The IPEP calls for assistance to genocide survivors meaning Tutsi and we do support such a recommendation. What about Hutu survivors of RPF's crimes against humanity? Don't they deserve assistance.
Regarding reparations, the IPEP seems to make the sole international commuty accountable. However, the President of Uganda who started all, when he sponsored the invasion of Rwanda in 1990 seems not be concerned by the IPEP report.
The OPJDR believes that any reparation to the Rwandan people should start from indicting President Museveni of Uganda and make him pay for his part in the Rwandan tragedy.
Even though the IPEP is lukewarm in its support about "new gacaca", we do believe that gacaca is misguided justice. Gacaca in traditional Rwanda was reserved for simple matters not genocide, a hideous crime of great proportion. Who will be the judges since according to President Kagame, genocide started in 1959? Its sole purpose is to criminalize leaders of an entire era and an entire ethnic group: the Hutu. Criminals should be held accountable for their crimes and innocent people should be released. Using dilatory strategies to criminalize a group of people should not be condoned. It is unfortunate that the IPEP bought into the globalization of Hutu as genocidaires. Throughout the report any Rwandan Hutu opposed to the current regime is labeled as Hutu Power, Hutu radical or extremist. Even Burundian Hutu who are opposed to the minority Tutsi regime of Major Pierre Buyoya are labeled Hutu radicals by the report.
Finally, it is disappointing that the IPEP recommends that ICTR be transfered to Rwanda. The IPEP forgets that the choice of the seat of the ICTR by the United Nations sought ways to avoid situations where the harmful influence of the Rwandan Government would be, if not eliminated, at least minimized. Thus, according to the Report of the Secretary General referenced Doc. 5/1995/134 dated February 13, 1995 and especially the Secretary General's report ratified by the Security Council on February 22, 1995 and referenced Doc. S/RES/1997(1995), the Secretary General of the united Nations made clear of the intentions to eliminate the Rwandan government's negative influence. Besides, In paragraph 42, the United Nations believes that both the ex-government and the current are responsible for the same type of crimes. In deed, in paragraph 42, the Secretary General's document says: "Although the international character of the Rwanda Tribunal is a guarantee of the just and fair conduct of the legal process, it is nevertheless necessary to ensure not only the reality but also the appearance of complete impartiality and objectivity in the prosecution of persons responsible for crimes committed by both sides to the conflict. Justice and fairness,therefore, require that trial proceedings be held in a neutral territory".
The OPJDR wonders how the IPEP reached this conclusion yet the report speaks of a minority Tutsi regime, a dictatorship, a country whose prison population boggles the mind, and where individuals disappear.
OPJDR reiterates its support for any initiative to bring peace, justice, democracy, and welfare to the Rwandan people. The initiative, to bear fruit must be fair, just, and equitable. For that it must, besides condemning those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan tragedy:
- condemn the current Rwandan Government for his extermination policy against the Hutus. This policy includes the creation of concentration camps in the North Western Rwanda, the imprisonment, torture and rape of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hutu including elite, intellectuals, business people, children, and women, and the persecution of Hutu leaders within RPF-led government, just because of their ethnic background.
- ask the international community, including the USA, the European Union, the UNDP, the World Bank and others institutions, to stop funding the criminal and warmongering policy by the Rwandan government and its Rwandan Patriotic Army.
- ask the international community and the International Crime Tribunal for Rwanda to prosecute Rwandan Patriotic Front leaders and the Rwandan Patriotic Army officers and soldiers involved in any massacres, human rights abuses, and genocide against the Hutus.
- condemn the persecution and assassinations of certain Tutsis, especially journalists, politicians, and military officers opposed to the Rwandan Patriotic Front policies.
Only then the World would have shown that human life, not the life of a few selected ones, is precious, and that every human has the right to dignity, justice, peace, and freedom. Thus, the World would be able to say NEVER AGAIN.
The Organization for Peace, Justice, and Development in Rwanda (OPJDR)
Felicien Kanyamibwa, Ph.D. Coordinator.
Jean-Marie Vianney Higiro, Ph.D. Deputy-Coordinator and Spokesperson.
P.O. Box 8011 Talleyville, DE 19803
USA
e-mail: kanyami@ibm.net
Tel: (973) 449-3117.