Category Archives: Justice

Rwanda, déjà 20 ans : une tragédie devenue une fiction impériale utile. LA RESPONSABILITÉ DE WASHINGTON DANS LE MASSACRE AU RWANDA EN 1994

Rwanda, déjà 20 ans : une tragédie devenue une fiction impériale utile

La responsabilité de Washington dans le massacre au Rwanda en 1994

Le 6 avril 2014 marquera le 20e anniversaire de l’attentat au missile à Kigali qui a abattu l’avion transportant deux chefs d’État africains, Juvénal Habyarimana du Rwanda et Cyprien Ntaryamira du Burundi. Nous savons que ce crime terroriste – sans doute le pire des années 1990 – a déclenché une guerre sans fin, de la destruction et des massacres au Rwanda et au Congo. Or, ce crime n’a jamais été élucidé; personne n’a été amené en justice. Malgré l’aveuglement et l’amnésie volontaires à l’égard du crime le plus critique des tragédies rwandaises et congolaises, des politiciens, des diplomates, des commentateurs, des intellectuels ainsi que des présidents, généraux et premiers ministres à la retraite invoquent constamment le « Rwanda » comme si la seule mention de ce mot accorde de la vérité et de l’autorité morale sur les positions politiques, militaires et impériales qu’ils défendent. On a invoqué spécifiquement le « Rwanda » pour justifier l’intervention militaire violente en Libye, au Soudan, au Mali, en Syrie et en République centrafricaine. « Partout, c’est le ‘Rwanda’ pour l’impérialiste humanitaire », fait remarquer Max Forte dans son livre remarquable, Slouching Towards Sirte, NATO’s War on Libya and Africa.

Voici le récit officiel – et assourdissant – qui leur permettrait d’invoquer le « Rwanda » :

1) de terribles génocidaires Hutus du Rwanda ont préparé et mis en œuvre un plan satanique pour éliminer près d’un million de Tutsis après l’écrasement mystérieux de l’avion transportant le président rwandais le 6 avril 1994;

2) le Front patriotique rwandais dirigé par Paul Kagame, stratège militaire brillant et aujourd’hui président du Rwanda, stationné à la frontière de l’Ouganda au nord-est du pays, a pénétré au Rwanda et marché sur la capitale pour mettre fin au génocide et prendre le pouvoir;

3) la communauté internationale n’a pas levé le petit doigt pendant que des tueurs, semblables aux Nazis, ont exterminé la plupart des Tutsis du Rwanda;

4) Paul Kagame a transformé ce pays déchiré par le génocide en un miracle africain grâce à son leadership visionnaire, quoique sévère.

Nous avons ainsi appris du « Rwanda » que, à l’avenir et au nom de l’humanité, nous – soit les armées de l’Amérique du Nord et de l’Europe – devons intervenir militairement pour empêcher ces peuples de s’entretuer.

Paul Kagame

“100 % la responsabilité américaine”—Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, secrétaire général de l’ONU pendant la guerre rwandaise, fut l’un des premiers à mettre une fissure dans ce récit. Il m’a déclaré en entrevue que, « le génocide Rwandais était à 100 % la responsabilité américaine ». Celui, que les officiels du département d’État des États-Unis appelaient « Frenchie » avant de l’éjecter de son siège à l’ONU, explique : « Les États-Unis, avec l’appui énergique de la Grande-Bretagne, ont tout fait pour empêcher le mise en place au Rwanda d’une force des Nations Unies, et ils y sont parvenus. »

Des documents déclassifiés de l’administration Clinton confirme que l’ambassadrice étasunienne à l’ONU a reçu le 15 avril 1994 des directives du département d’État lui intimant de prendre tous les moyens pour s’assurer du retrait du Rwanda des troupes onusiennes de l’UNAMIR et de s’assurer qu’il n’y a plus de débats ni de résolutions à ce sujet. Ainsi, lorsque le FPR a repris la guerre le 6 avril au même moment où l’avion présidentiel a été abattu, la politique de Washington ne consistait pas à obtenir un cessez-le-feu. Cela qui aurait été la seule politique juste, logique et légitime en vertu de l’Accord de paix d’Arusha, que les deux parties ont signé en août 1993 dans le cadre d’un « processus de paix » que Washington, soutenu par Londres et Paris, avaient parrainé, au nom de l’ONU.

Toutes les preuves sérieuses et des témoignages sous serment indiquent que Paul Kagame et le FPR sont les auteurs de l’attentat du 6 avril contre les présidents du Rwanda et du Burundi. Cet attentat jumelé au blitzkrieg de la reprise de la guerre – ce qui révèle que le FPR était préparé et informé au préalable de l’attentat – dément le récit voulant que le FPR soit descendu du nord du pays pour mettre fin au génocide. C’était « choc et stupeur » sur Kigali.

La politique de Washington, en violation de l’Accord d’Arusha, consistait à créer des conditions d’une victoire décisive de l’armée du FPR – quel qu’en soit le coût. Au diable le partage du pouvoir prévu par l’Accord d’Arusha; cela aurait menotté le FPR et empêché qu’il domine militairement la région des Grands lacs africains. Tandis que les États-Unis et le Royaume-Uni faisaient bloc contre toute tentative de paix, ce qui aurait permis de mettre fin aux tueries, l’histoire officielle serait comme suit : nous avons tous, la « communauté internationale » en entier, avons simplement abandonné les Tutsis au Rwanda; par conséquent, nous devons dire en chœur, sous la direction de Bill Clinton et de Madeleine Albright, dire « Mea culpa, mea culpa; plus jamais ».

D’anciens proches collaborateurs ont dissipé tout doute possible quant à la véracité de cette interprétation de la politique de Washington et du FPR. Théogène Rudasingwa, ancien ambassadeur du Rwanda aux États-Unis et chef de cabinet de Kagame, écrit : « Le FPR sentait qu’une force internationale allait geler la situation et enlever au FPR l’initiative militaire. Gerald Gahima et Claude Dusaidi ont expliqué cette position lors de réunions à Washington et à New York. » Rudasingwa ajoute que, en revanche : « Dans la campagne médiatique du FPR et à la Radio Muhabira, notre stratégie consistait à attaque le communauté internationale pour avoir abandonné le Rwanda. » (Healing a Nation: Waging and Winning a Peaceful Revolution to Unite and Heal a Broken Rwanda, Createspace, 2014, p. 156).

Le « crime international suprême », sous le tapis

Le récit assourdissant sur le Rwanda enterre une autre vérité capitale, celle de la guerre qui a précédé l’attentat du 6 avril 1994. L’invasion du Rwanda le 1er octobre 1990 par 4000 troupes portant l’uniforme de l’armée ougandaise, qui formerait plus tard le FPR, n’était pas seulement une violation du droit international, elle a été le crime contre la paix, le « crime international suprême » selon les mot du juge Norman Birkett du tribunal de Nuremberg. (Dans sa sagesse infinie, le New York Times Magazine a qualifié l’invasion de « tensions accrues » entre Tutsis et Hutus.) Parmi ceux et celles qui invoquent le « Rwanda » pour justifier une intervention militaire humanitaire, personne ne mentionne ni l’invasion de 1990, ni l’occupation militaire du territoire rwandais, ni la guerre meurtrière qui a perduré pendant plus de 3 ans.

Un rapport de l’ONU sur le Congo d’octobre 2010 confirme que les tueries commises par l’armée rwandaise au Congo revêtaient un caractère génocidaire. Ça aurait dû sonner une autre alarme sur la nature du FPR et de son chef, Paul Kagame. Or, en revisitant la guerre au Rwanda de 1990 à 1994, on s’aperçoit que les tueries de masse ont commencé bien avant avril 1994. Et c’est le FPR qui en était responsable. Les Rwandais ont connu, avant 1994, ce qui les Congolais ont subi à partir de 1996

Une justice des vainqueurs contredit le récit officiel

Qu’en est-il des plans d’exterminer les Tutsis? Personne ne conteste le fait qu’il y a eu des massacres massifs au Rwanda en 1994. Mais le problème pour les défenseurs du récit officiel, c’est que les faits avérés ne sont pas au rendez-vous. Même si l’ONU a établi en 1995 un tribunal des vainqueurs – le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda – doté des pouvoirs et des moyens nécessaires, en ce qui concerne le chef d’accusation fondamental, soit une entente en vue de commettre un génocide, l’homme qui aura été constamment accusé d’être le « cerveau » du génocide, Théoneste Bagosora, ainsi que ses trois accusés ont tous été acquittés de ce chef d’accusation. Après 18 ans de procès, de témoignages sous serment et de preuves, les faits révélés contredisent le récit officiel.

L’armée et les gendarmes rwandais, qui, seuls, auraient été en mesure de mettre fin aux tueries d’avril à juillet 1994, ne pouvaient le faire car ils étaient engagés dans une guerre à finir avec une machine militaire puissante, soit celle du Front patriotique rwandais. Et cette armée jouissait de l’appui politique, diplomatique et militaire de deux pays puissants, les États-Unis et le Royaume-Uni.

Ces deux puissances, soutenus par certains pays laquais, ont ainsi semé la mort et la destruction à une échelle inégalée en Afrique centrale. Mais ces deux pays et deux anciens dirigeants vedettes, Bill Clinton et Tony Blair, ont le front de transformer ces tragédies inouïes en fiction impériale utile pour justifier d’autres interventions militaires, surtout en Afrique.

Robin Philpot

Robin Philpot est l’auteur de Ça ne s’est pas passé en Kigali (Les Intouchables, 2003), dont une version mise à jour et enrichie vient de paraître en anglais : Rwanda and the New Scramble for Africa, From Tragedy to Useful Imperial Fiction.

Source: http://www.mondialisation.ca 21 Mars 2014

Urupfu rwa Padiri Evariste : FPR-Inkotanyi ntiyica gusa, icunaguza n’umurambo !

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Kwica umuntu ni icyaha . Gucunaguza umurambo ni ikindi. Byombi birakomye cyane kandi bihanwa n’amategeko. Iyo abicanyi ba FPR bamaze kwivugana umuntu, ntibibuza no gukinira ku murambo we bigasa n’aho ariyo “signature” y’uwo mutwe wagaragaje imikorere isa neza n’iya “Mafia”. Uwatanga ingero ntiyabona aho azikwiza. Ibyo bakoreye Musenyeri Phocas Nikwigize, Bagenzi be biciwe I Gakurazo, abajanjaguriwe i Kibeho, i Byumba, mu Buvumo bwa Bugoyi….ntituribagirwa urwo bahaboneye. Padiri Evariste Nambaje na we yanyoye kuri iyo nkongoro. Signature ya FPR yarigaragaje! Tutiriwe turondora ibiterashozi bamukoreyeho byose, nta wabura kwibutsa ko bagerageje kumujanjagura umutwe bakoresheje ikintu kiremereye, nyuma bakanamutwika igice kimwe cy’umubiri kuko bifuzaga ko ashya agakongoka wese, mbese nk’utarigeze kubaho ! Iyo ni“signature” FPR yihariye, tumaze kuyimenyera ! Reka tubiganireho muzi izi ngingo 3 zikurikira.

1.Gucunaguza umurambo biba bigambiriye gukura umutima abo mu muryango.

FPR ntinyurwa no kwica umuntu gusa, kuko n’isasu rimwe ryaba rihagije. Igomba no kumuhindanya, ikamusukaho ubugome bwose bwuzuye imitima iteye nk’uwa Sekibi: bashishimura umurambo, bakawukoreraho sinama idakwiye abantu bazima ! FPR ntinyurwa no kwica umuntu umwe gusa. Iyo iguhitanye ihita itangira intambara yo gusibanganya ibimenyetso. Niyo mpamvu igira itya igasubira mu bagize umuryango wa Nyakwigendera kimwe n’abo bakoranye bose ikabashyiraho iterabwoba rirenze igipimo, igafungamo bamwe, ikicamo abashobora kuba abatangabuhamya, byaba na ngombwa ntizuyaze kurimbura umuryango wose ! Ingero ni iryaguye.

Mu muryango wa Padiri Evariste Nambaje bararye ari menge. Dore Inkotanyi ntizagize n’isoni zo gufata umukwe wa padiri Evariste (umukwe wa mushiki wa padiri) witwaHABIYAKARE Dominiko zikamuterera ku munigo, zikamufunga nkaho ari we zishaka kugerekaho urupfu rwa Padiri Evariste! Icyo azira nta kindi kitari uko aciye akenge akaba hari icyo yabonye, akaba yari atangiye no gutunga agatoki bamwe muri abo bagizi ba nabi. Kuko byagaragaye ko azi byinshi, FPR igiye kumwirenza, niba abantu badahagurutse ngo bamutabarize, by’umwihariko Diyosezi ya Cyangugu ntiyagakwiye kwituramira ngo itererane uyu muryango!

None se Dominiko Habiyakare, wakoranaga bya hafi na Padiri Evariste, yayoberwa ate inzigo n’umujinya w’umuranduranzuzi Mayor wa Rusizi , Bwana Oscar Nzeyimana, yari afitiye Padiri Evariste bapfa ikibanza padiri yari yaraguze akagihaho impano uyu muramu we, Mayor akaba yarifuzaga kukigira icye byamupfana agahitamo kukinyuzamo umuhanda mu buryo bwo guhimana, yaregwa mu rukiko agatsindwa! Dominiko yayoberwa ate uko Oscar yahoraga agambanira padiri Evariste kuri FPR kugira ngo bamuhitane ?

Dominiko yayoberwa ate uko FPR yashakaga gusahura amamiliyoni mu mushinga wa Hoteli Malina ya Diyosezi ya Cyangugu (nk’uko basanzwe basahura imishinga yose yo mu gihugu ! ), Padiri Evariste akababera imbogamizi itoroshye, ibyo byose bikaba byarabaye intandaro yo kumuvutsa ubuzima!

Dominiko yayoberwa ate ibyo umukuru w’ingabo I Nyamasheke aherutse kuvugira mu ruhame ngo Padiri Evariste yarizize, ngo ntiyumvaga, ngo yohererezaga amakuru umupadiri wigumuye….

Ubu Dominiko Habiyakare aho afungiye ari gukubitwa, kwicishwa inzara, kujombwa ibyuma, kubabazwa mu mubiri na roho….natagwayo azasohoka mu gihome yaragizwe igisenzegeri ntacyo akimariye. Nibitaba ibyo , tuzajya kubona tubone asohotsemo “yemejwe icyaha” ko ariwe wishe muramu we ! Ndetse azagerekeho n’urutonde rw’abo bafatanyije kwica Padiri, ni ukuvuga abo FPR ishaka kwikiza . Mu bwenge buke bw’abayobozi ba FPR ubwo bazaba bibwira ko rubanda yabyemeye , kuko nyine bacyishuka ko gutekinika amadosiye bizabahira ubuziraherezo ! Imigirire nk’iyi ikurikira urupfu rw’umuntu nayo uwayita gucunaguza umurambo ntiyaba afite ukuri?

2.Ubutabera bw’u Rwanda muri gahunda mbisha yo gucunaguza umurambo.

Mu gihe Padiri Evariste Nambaje yashyingurwaga, Umudepitekazi witwa Jeanne d’Arc Nyinawase yarisiribanze turumirwa : ngo ntitwirirwe dukeka ko ari FPR yamwishe ngo kuko yamukundaga kurusha nyina wamubyaye, ngo ahubwo nidutegereze “Enketi” , ngo ubutabera nibwo buzatubwira uwishe Padiri Evariste ! Icyo nkundira Abaswa bo muri FPR ni uko bibwira ko Abanyarwanda bose ari abaswa nka bo !

Jeanne d Arc Nyinawase

Izo za Anketi uyu mugore arata zigeze zirenganura nde tuzi? Uretse “gutekinika” amadosiye mu bujiji burenze imivugire, ukuri zigeze zishyira ahagaragara ni ukuhe ngo tukumenye? Musenyeri Phocas Nikwigize yarengeye he? Ni nde wishe Padiri Vieco?… Ubu se koko twemere ko Dominiko Habiyakare ari we wishe muramu we , akajya kumuta mu modoka muri Nyungwe ijagata abasilikari, umurambo wa Padiri ukamaramo amasaha arenga 12 nta musilikari cyangwa umupolisi urabona ko ahari ? Wakwemeza nde (uretse injiji zitekenika amadosiye!) ko abo basilikari buzuye muri Nyungwe ntacyo bari babiziho?

Inzego z’ubutabera nta muturage n’umwe ukizifitiye icyizere na gito keretse Depite Jeanne d’Arc Nyinawase w’umukombambehe wa FPR, kuko nyine ikinyoma aricyo kimugaburira kikamutungira n’abana.

3.Itangazamakuru rya FPR mu mihango yo gucunaguza imirambo y’Abanyarwanda.

Ku itegeko rya Kagame, itangazamakuru ryo mu Rwanda si irirengera rubanda ni iriyisonga . Ibinyamakuru biri mu mukino mutindi wo gucunaguza Padiri Evariste, ni FPR yabitangije, ibindi yarabiguze. Inkuru irambuye kuri icyo kibazo tuzayibagezaho ubutaha.

Byumvikane rero ko ibinyamakuru Igihe.com n’Imirasire.com na Rushyashya.net ari ijwi ry’ubuyobozi bukuru bwa FPR-Inkotanyi. Ba Ruharwa Jack Nziza nibo babwira buri kinyamakuru icyo kigomba kwandika n’uwo kigomba guharabika .

Sinatunguwe na rero no kubona Ikinyamakuru Igihe.com , mu nkuru cyise RTLM yasabye Kiliziya gatolika kuyifasha muri Jenoside. Yabonye abayoboke I Cyangugu(http://www.igihe.com/politiki/amateka-y-isi/article/rtlm-yasabye-kiliziya-kuyifasha) giha Moniteri Tom Ndahiro ijambo kugira ngo yirize, yigaragure, yigire nyamukubitwa, yerekane ariko anivuguruza kuri buri jambo, ko rwose FPR yikundiraga padiri Evariste (umupadiri wizewe na Leta!) kurusha Kiliziya gatolika n’umuryango wamwibarutse! Mu buriganya yiringira we wenyine, ngo arasanga nta wundi wagirira Padiri Evariste nabi uretse Abapadiri bashinze leprophete kuko nyine aribo bakoze icyaha cyo guhoraga bamuburira ngo agenze make, hato atazasoza nka wa mugabo wahetse impyisi, abamugira inama yo gukiza amagara ye akabima amatwi, uko byagenze ibara umupfu.

Naje gutungurwa gato n’Inkuru yasohotse mu kinyamakuru Imirasire.com cyatinyutse gushyira mu majwi Padiri Thomas Nahimana , Umuyobozi w’Ishyaka Ishema ry’u Rwanda, ngo arakekwa mu bishe Padiri Evariste Nambaje. Nibwo nabonye ko igihugu cy’u Rwanda kigeze kure kubi, binyibutsa wa mu gani ngo “iyo inzu ishizemo inyana, imbeba zikinagura mu kirambi “. Abanyarwanda nibakureyo amaso burundu, igihugu kiyobowe n’impumyi zigeretseho no kuba inkozizibibi ! Ubeshya we ntagerageza no gushyiramo akenge !

Nguwo Alphonse Munyankindi, wagurishije ikinyabinyoma Imirasire.com kuri FPR

(Tuzababwira ibye mu nkuru yacu itaha)

Muri kwa kwihuta ariko wayobye, Ikinyamakuru Imirasire (http://www.imirasire.com/Amakuru-Yose/Amakuru-Mashya/Mu-Rwanda-22/article/abagize-uruhare-mu-rupfu-rwa-padiri-nambaje-evariste-batangiye-gukekwa) kiragira ati :

Muri iyi minsi, urupfu rwa Padiri Nambaje Evariste, abantu bakomeje kugira byinshi baruvugaho, ariko abantu bakurikiranira hafi politiki yo mu Karere k’ibiyaga bigari, hari abavuga ko yaba yaragambaniwe na na Padiri Nahimana Thomas uyobora le Prophete ubu wibera hanze y’igihugu akaba anagaragaza ko arwanya umutegetsi bw’u Rwanda kandi nawe akaba akomoka mu ntara y’Iburengerazuba.

Hashize iminsi mu bitangazamakuru bitandukanye byo mu Rwanda, bitangaje ko Padiri Nahimana Thomas ashaka kugaruka mu Rwanda kwiyamamariza umwanya wo kuzayobora u Rwanda.

Bivugwa ko Padiri Nambaje Evariste yarwanyaga cyane Le Prophete avuga ko urwo rubuga rusebya igihugu kandi akavuga ko iyobowe na Padiri Nahimana Thomas bityo ngo bituma amugambanira aramwicisha ariko uwamwishe azagaragazwa n’inzego zishinzwe umutekano cyangwa se Urukiko.

Muri make Padiri Thomas Nahimana arakekwa mu bishe Padiri Evariste kubera ko :

(1)Ayobora ikinyamakuru Leprophete.fr

(2)Arwanya “umutegetsi” bw’u Rwanda

(3)Akomoka mu ntara y’Iburengerazuba

Impamvu nyamukuru akekwa ni yo ya nyuma :

(4)Arashaka kugaruka mu Rwanda kwiyamamariza umwanya wo kuzayobora u Rwanda

Ngibyo ibimenyetso bishingirwaho hemezwa ko Padiri Thomas Nahimana yaba yaragambaniye mugenzi we. Inkuru igasozwa igira iti: “Ariko uwamwishe azagaragazwa n’inzego zishinzwe umutekano cyangwa se urukiko”.

Ntiturambirwe gutegereza, mu minsi mike izo nzego zishinzwe umutekano cyangwa se urukiko nazo zizafata umwazuro zishingiye ku “ bimaze iminsi bivugwa n’binyamakuru binyuranye”.

UMWANZURO

Ikimwaro nticyica . Niba Padiri Thomas Nahimana ashaka kugaruka kwiyamamariza umwanya wo kuyobora u Rwanda, uwo bari kuzahangana ni Padiri Evariste Nambaje ? Bityo kumwica bikaba hari ikibazo bikemuye ? Inkotanyi ziranze zibaye umuti w’amenyo ni ukuri !

Ubu se Leta iyobowe n’abantu bakora batya, nayo ikwiye kwitwa Leta ? Iyi niyo Depite Mujawamariya yasabaga rubanda ngo ruyigire icyizere ? Leta yica abenegihugu, ikaqbatsinda mu gihugu imbere, ikambuka n’ imipaka ikajya kubanigira mu buhungiro, ntikwiye gufatwa nk umutwe wi‘iterabwoba ikongerwa ku rutonde rwa bene iyo mitwe, ikarwanywa ityo n’Umuryango mpuzamahanga ? Ni nde Munyarwanda utahaguruka ngo atange umuganda we mu kurwanya ingirwa-Leta nk’ iyi yazambije igihugu ikimakaza akarengane, iterabwoba no “gutekinika”amadosiye hagamijwe kugirira nabi rubanda …. Uyayirwanya yaba atarutwa na ya nkingi yitwa Mbonabihita?

FPR-Inkotanyi imaze imyaka ikabakaba 25 ishyidika umuriro w’ umujinya mu mitima y’Abanyarwanda, ahanini biturutse ku KARENGANE n’iterabwoba ihoza kuri rubanda. Ubu twese dukwiye kwibaza tuti umunsi urugomero rwahombotse rubanda ntizamira bunguri abo bagizi ba nabi bafashe u Rwanda n’abarutuye ho ingwate ? Reka tubihange amaso.

BIRACYAZA……

Shema Jeremie,

Umutaripfana w’Ishyaka Ishema i Kigali.

Source: http://leprophete.fr/news.php?id=461#.Uy5TMfTuLBs

US Congress writes to John Kerry about Kagame’s persistent criminal actions against his dissidents

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On 11 March 2014, Edward R. Royce, chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs in the US Congress wrote to the Secretary of State John Kerry highlighting the Congress concerns about Kagame’s criminal actions against Rwandan politicians opposed to his government.

Twenty years have passed that US have been an unconditional sponsor of the Rwandan government because Kigali plays an important role in the defence of American interests in the Great Lakes region even beyond, particularly through UN peacekeeping missions where involvement of Rwandan soldiers benefit more Kagame and US than ordinary citizens. The US backing of RPF has been costly in terms of millions of lives that have been wasted since 1990 in Rwanda and 1996 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The question that could be asked is this: Is US now realizing that time has come for regime change in Rwanda? The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs is in his letter saying to the Secretary of State that,

“President Kagame’s actions are louder than our words.”

Does the Congress want that Obama government do more than condemning? Time will tell if this is not another political game of saying one thing but doing the opposite.

From the Media Contact at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs:

Calls for reassessment of relations with Kigali

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry to express his concern for the safety of those speaking out against the Kagame regime in Rwanda. Specifically, the Chairman urged Secretary Kerry to reevaluate U.S. engagement with Rwanda, including future assistance.

In the letter to Secretary Kerry, Chairman Royce wrote: “I appreciate the State Department condemnation of President Kagame’s remarks and expressions of concern about the “succession” of politically motivated murders of prominent Rwandan exiles. Yet, President Kagame’s actions are louder than our words. Legitimate opposition figures rightly fear for their lives. Allowing President Kagame’s violent rhetoric and the slaying of dissidents abroad to go unchecked will only embolden the regime. Toward that end, I encourage you to closely reevaluate U.S. engagements with Rwanda and take into account these troubling actions when considering future assistance.”

The signed letter to Secretary Kerry is available HERE.

The text of the letter follows:

March 11, 2014

The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I am writing to express my deep concern over the numerous attempted attacks and killings of Rwandan dissidents living outside that country. Any functioning and responsible democracy allows the voices of opposition to be heard. Yet in Rwanda there is a systematic effort to silence – by any means necessary – the voices of those who question the regime in Kigali.

As you know, Patrick Karegeya, a prominent Rwandan opposition figure and former high ranking government official, was killed in South Africa earlier this year. Last week, armed gunmen attacked the home of another popular Rwandan opposition figure in South Africa, Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa. This latest attack marks the third assassination attempt against Kayumba in recent years, and has led to the expulsion of Rwandan diplomats from South Africa. Paul Rusesabagina, the well-known Rwandan humanitarian and anti-genocide activist, has told me of attempts to intimidate and threaten him. Karegya’s murder and the numerous assassination attempts on Kayumba are just the most recent examples of the many Rwandan dissidents who have been killed, exiled, tortured, and unjustly imprisoned over the years.

Rather than condemning targeted attacks against popular opposition figures, President Paul Kagame publicly celebrates them, many times falling just short of taking personal credit. Even while denying accusations of official involvement in the Karegeya assassination, President Kagame told the press, “I actually wish Rwanda did it. I really wish it.” Consistently in public remarks, President Kagame indicates that there will be “consequences” for those who question his authority. During an official visit to Rwanda by Maina Kiai, a U.N. Special Rapporteur tasked with examining a country’s freedom of peaceful assembly, found that “peaceful public disagreement with the [Rwandan] government is equivalent to criminality.”

I appreciate the State Department condemnation of President Kagame’s remarks and expressions of concern about the “succession” of politically motivated murders of prominent Rwandan exiles. Yet, President Kagame’s actions are louder than our words. Legitimate opposition figures rightly fear for their lives. Allowing President Kagame’s violent rhetoric and the slaying of dissidents abroad to go unchecked will only embolden the regime. Toward that end, I encourage you to closely reevaluate U.S. engagements with Rwanda and take into account these troubling actions when considering future assistance.

While I am cognizant of the strategic role Rwanda’s security forces play in peacekeeping missions throughout the continent, this should not blind us to the regime’s attempts to violently close the political space for opposition voices. As we prepare to mark the twenty year anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda – which claimed the lives of over 800,000 people in just three months and sparked a regional conflict that has yet to be resolved – the friends of Rwanda must ensure that we do not, once again, miss the warning signs of political dysfunction and repression. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to working with you to ensure that Rwandan dissidents can speak freely without fear for their lives.

Sincerely,

EDWARD R. ROYCE
Chairman

Source: http://therisingcontinent.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/us-congress-writes-to-john-kerry-about-kagames-persistent-criminal-actions-against-his-dissidents/

How UN didn’t want you to know facts about Rwanda genocide

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French Judge Bruguiere whose attempts top have President Kagame charged with the assassination of Presidents Habyarimana and Ntaryamira were thwarted by Kofi Annan, among others.

In exactly a month from today, the people of Rwanda will commemorate 20 years since the start of the 1994 genocide that showed the limits to which man can go to eliminate each other. Close to a million people are said to have been massacred in 100 days of frenzied, human degradation by two tribes speaking the same language.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been celebrated, wined and dined the world over as the person who brought to an end this carnage and who has since built “a strong and democratic country”. But what is the real story behind what happened in Rwanda on 7 April 1994?

Starting today, The London Evening Post is going to go “behind the scenes” and try to expose what really happened that day. In addition to talking to renowned world academics, we will talk to the people who were there that day and try to go through what happened and how it came about.

We start today with an exclusive interview with Prof Peter Erlinder, professor of law at William Mitchell Law College in St Paul, Minnesota. Author of The Accidental Genocide, Prof Erlinder was arrested in Rwanda in May 2010 while working as a lead defence council for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). He was detained for 21 days after he had travelled to the country to defend then presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza against charges of ‘genocide ideology’. He was charged with ‘genocide denial’ and only released after he faked an attempt to commit suicide, something that the Kagame regime would not permit to happen on his watch.

In this exclusive interview, Prof Erlinder exposes the depth to which the international community has gone in trying to protect the Rwandan government by hiding what exactly happened in Rwanda 20 years ago next month. He exposes what happened when former Rwandan and Burundian presidents Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira lost their lives when their private jet was shot out of the sky when approaching it final destination in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, after talks with the now ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) in neighbouring Tanzania.

Prof Erlinder reveals in his book secret documents that he says the UN wanted kept out of the public eye for, can you believe it, 100 years. That’s precisely a time when most of us living today would not be alive any more. The rest is all told here in the interview.

Prof Peter Erlinger appears in court in a prison garb during his imprisonment in Kigali

The London Evening Post: You say your book – The Accidental Genocide – is the original version made out of UN documents – explaining day-by-day events that followed the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and after. Please, explain more on this.

Prof. Erlinder: During the ICTR Bagosora et al trial, I put thousands of pages of original UN documents into evidence that I was able to find in UN files that were not supposed to be released for 100 years. The UN had dozens of persons reporting daily from Kigali and other places in Rwanda and Dallaire [Roméo Dallaire then UNAMIR Commander] met regularly with Kagame…These documents tell a completely different story than Kagame and the RPF told about the 4 year war and the 100 days of the “genocide”. As a result, ALL leaders of the Habyarimana government and military were found not guilty of long-term planning of genocide or any other crimes BEFORE the assassination…. this means the mass violence was a reaction to the killing of the president…. NOT planned killing by a “genocidal government.” The book explains how the mass killing in Burundi in the months before…. made Rwandans susceptible to fear of RPF…and the military superiority of RPF made the fear real.

The LEP: What was the primary objective of the original book?

Prof. Erlinder: To make the evidence that is already on the record at the UN Tribunal for Rwanda that acquitted the members of the Habyarimana government and military of long-planned conspiracy to commit crimes against civilians, including genocide, accessible to the general public using the original documents.

The LEP: You have persistently rejected the official version about the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Why?

Prof. Erlinder: Because I was given access to documents in the UN archives that no other defence lawyer had…and got access to U.S. government documents, which are available to researchers; the documents require a different conclusion than the victors in the four-year war for power in Rwanda would prefer. Before the Chief UN Prosecutor told the UN Security Council in 2003 that Paul Kagame assassinated President Habyarimana, I got access to these documents…. I believed the same story as everyone else. The evidence changed my mind and the ICTR judges agreed. Please see the Appeals Chamber Judgement of December 11, 2011. Bagosora was found innocent of all crimes except for April 7, 8, 9…and Kagame said he was the “architect” of the genocide…but there was no evidence to support the claim.

The LEP: The public, which is the majority, would say that you’re on a different page [knowledge about Rwanda Genocide] from what they know or have been told. Are you suggesting the public are disconnected from the truth?

Prof. Erlinder: After every war the winners tell the story – this is normal. The public has heard the Kagame/RPF story repeatedly for 20-years. UN and USG (United States Government) documents created at the time events were occurring tell a completely different story. What is different this time is that documents that were to be secret for 100 years have been exposed, and have been put into evidence in the ICTR to acquit the losing side.

The LEP: Who is fighting to see that he status quo remains as has been told?

Prof. Erlinder: Certainly the Kagame/RPF side that won the war wants to see that their story dominates. But they were created and supported by the U.S./U.K…, which have an interest in the story remaining the same. In 2003, UN Prosecutor Carla del Ponte was removed from her UN position by the U.S./UK when she insisted on prosecuting Kagame for killing Habyarimana and starting the genocide…. according to her own book (Madam Prosecutor) published in 2009.

The LEP: You mention about people in authority who have conspired to hide the truth. How are you prepared if they file a civil suit against you?

Prof. Erlinder: In the US courts, truth is a defense. All of the statements and conclusions in my published work are supported by documented sources from USG, the UN or sworn testimony. I merely accumulate and present evidence that is already on the record – which is what makes the publication important, not what I say.

The LEP: As a human rights lawyer; what is your comment about how justice has been delivered to the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide?

Prof. Erlinder: The UN Tribunal has only prosecuted the crimes of those who lost the war. The UN Tribunal was supposed to be a neutral body. This means the Rwanda War was the only war in history in which only ONE side committed crimes OR the UN Tribunal was really a Victor’s Tribunal…. like Nuremberg and the Tokyo Tribunal. My objection is that it should be recognized AS a victor’s tribunal…. and should NOT be sold to the world as something it was not.

The LEP: What would you like to see with regards to the dispensing of justice?

Prof. Erlinder: Equal treatment for both sides in the Rwandan War and all national and international conflicts. This means treating leaders of powerful and weaker nations equally. The ICC (the International Criminal Court) has prosecuted only African leaders when it is plain that leaders of major powers such as the U.S. U.K, Russia, China, and France are at least as culpable. We have not yet reached the point in history when the “rule of law” means the same for all leaders.

The LEP: People would say that you’re on the wrong side. What would you tell such individuals who think, Prof. Peter Erlinder is on the wrong side about the 1994 Rwanda Genocide?

Prof. Erlinder: The evidence put before the ICTR judges caused them to agree with my analysis about whether there was a long-planned genocide by the Habyarimana government. I have no opinions of my own. I examine evidence and make conclusions based on the evidence. It was UN Chief Prosecutor and the evidence that changed my mind…. when others have carefully examined all of the evidence, they might change their minds too. But this is difficult because the emotions are so strong and it is much easier to respond emotionally than to do the difficult detailed research – which is why the book is based on historical records, not my opinions.

The LEP: Given the dangers meted to you in Rwanda [experience], what you witnessed and what you’ve gone through as a result of your being involved in Rwanda issues at a level of an attorney in courts, why not just let it go to avoid being hunted by Kagame’s regime and secret agents?

Prof. Erlinder: I believe we all have a responsibility to history, to speak the truth and have to account to our actions to the infinite. If one happens upon the truth based on evidence and does not speak, no religion in the world can respect that person.

The LEP: Many people around the world see and consider President Paul Kagame as a saviour who stopped the genocide. In your own words-based on the UN documents you have gone through, how would you describe Kagame to a person who has never had a chance to look at what you have seen?

Prof. Erlinder: My book has a copy of the confession of Paul Kagame’s Chief of Staff Dr. [Theogene] Rudasingwa. He admits he was part of a 20-year cover-up of the killing of Habyarimana. Former Chief UN Prosecutor Del Ponte has called for his prosecution openly since 2002. The Chief UN Investigator Michael Hourigan called for his prosecution in 1997. All of these facts have been covered-up…but they have long been in the public record. Mr. Kagame tried to assassinate me in 2010 because I put this evidence in the ICTR record. I think he knows already.

The LEP: Since you published The Accidental Genocide, have you received some kind of threats from Rwanda or from Kagame’s allies? If yes, who are they or what kind of threats did you receive?

Prof. Erlinder: I have been the subject of a personal “Wanted Dead or Alive” order directly from Mr. Kagame since October 1, 2010 after I escaped from Rwanda by pretending I had attempted suicide. This order was given to all ambassadors, military attaché’ and military leaders. The book has only refreshed the standing order, I imagine.

The LEP: Has anybody ever contact you to stop the publication of The Accidental Genocide? If yes, who and when?

Prof. Erlinder: No, the method of publication has been taken with precautions.

The LEP: How do you manage to live this kind of life; watching your back all the time?

Prof. Erlinder: As the information I have become more public and better understood, I become less important as an individual threat to Kagame. But, it is necessary to take precautions.

The LEP: With such evidences of the Rwanda Genocide coming into public domain, do you see in future; individual (s) taking responsibility to account for the atrocities? If your answer is ‘no’ or ‘yes’, why?

Prof. Erlinder: In my opinion, Rwanda’s future lies in both sides taking responsibility and both sides mourning their losses. A South African-style Truth and Reconciliation process is more likely to permit Rwanda to heal than a criminal tribunal process, which will never get the balance exactly right. MOST important, the US and the UK MUST acknowledge the responsibility for creating and arming the RPF and manipulating the ICTR to make it appear that; the Hutu committed all crimes. Demonizing a whole people is a form of “political genocide” that must be exposed and denounced as well. THIS is what the US and UK have done in assisting the cover-up of RPF crimes.

The LEP: You mean, Mr Paul Kagame issued an order mandating his all-inclusive ambassadors around the world to have you killed or kidnapped?

Prof. Erlinder: This is the report I received from a high-ranking military officer who has defected from the RPF who claimed to have been present at the meeting whose rank was such that he would have been at the meeting, the report was received person to person within days of the meeting from another defector who I know personally. I must take it seriously just as Gen Nyamwasa [survived two attempt assassination] and Col Keregeya [his body was discovered on New Year’s Day].

How UN didn’t want you to know facts about Rwanda genocide

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