[AfricaRealities.com] ALL PERPETRATORS OF THE 1994 RWANDA GENOCIDE MUST ANSWER FOR THEIR ATROCITIES

FDU – Mouvement National

FDU – National Movement

I N K U B I R I

Uburinganire . Ubwisanzure . Amajyambere

Equal Rights . Freedom . Social Progress

Egalité . Liberté . Progrès Social

PRESS RELEASE

ALL PERPETRATORS OF THE 1994 RWANDA GENOCIDE

MUST ANSWER FOR THEIR ATROCITIES

"Those responsible for mass killings or genocide must be held accountable for their actions in order to end impunity and ensure justice for the victims". This statement from Dr. Sam Kutesa, President of the UN General Assembly, was made on his behalf by His Excellency Nicholas Emiliou,UN permanent representative of Cyprus, during the UN ceremony to commemorate the Rwandan genocide, at the UN headquarters on 7thApril, 2015.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on his part said that the world must make use of the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda to look back on the past – and to squarely confront the challenges of the present, renewing the collective resolve and summoning the courage to prevent such atrocities from happening again.

These are important statements from the two most important officials of the world body. We should indeed rejoice that the United Nations is recommitting itself to making sure that those who are actually responsible for committing genocide and mass killings in Rwanda will all be held responsible.

Under chapter II of its political program, our political party, FDU-National Movement-INKUBIRI, our stand is articulated as follows:

On genocide: "We recognise and condemn (the Rwandan genocide) genocide against Tutsis. Genocide is the negation in extreme, of a right to life for others that each and everybody must recognise, empathise and condemn. In April, 1994, Tutsis living in Rwanda were victims of genocide in what was referred to as the final solution because they were made sacrificial lambs by a regime in crisis. (...)"

On war crimes and crimes against humanity: "We recognise and condemn crimes against humanity.

Before, during and after genocide, RPF rebels massacred population in the zone under their control. Even after taking over power in July, 1994, they continued massacres of the population.(...)"

Listening to the statements by Their Excellencies Sam Kutesa and Ban Ki-moon,however, bring to mind a few questions:

1. Who is responsible for shooting down the presidential plane carrying Presidents Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi? Corroborated eye witness reports have confirmed and reconfirmed that President Kagame gave the orders to shoot down the presidential jet. The Rwandan genocide was sparked by the act of downing the plane that was carrying the two presidents from Dar es Salaam Heads of State Meeting on peace in the sub-region. It has been twenty one years ever since and there has never been an international inquiry to establish officially who is responsible for the death of two heads of state and plunging Rwanda and the entire great lakes sub-region into mayhem?

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) established in November, 1994, throughout its life, research and processes has not been able to indict any member of RPF, an organization that is responsible for the death of millions for the period spanning the start of its rebel campaign in 1990 to date.

If the UN is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of Rwandan Genocide are punished, one would assume that the only logical approach would be to establish who pulled the trigger since; through this discovery the world would know the role of each protagonist in the conflict in order to establish responsibility of Rwandan Genocide and associated crimes. Why is the UN silent on who shot down the Presidential plane after twenty-one years? It behooves belief that two presidents of two UN member countries were killed in a war criminal manner and no investigations were carried out to establish responsibility. It put UN credibility in disrepute since by its behavior, does not inspire confidence in its impartiality.

2. Dr. Sam Kutesa, the President of the General Assembly said that those responsible must be held accountable for their actions in order to end impunity and to ensure justice for the victims. We believe that 'justice for victims' means 'justice for all victims'. This being the case, again the presumption would naturally and logically be that both parties to the conflict that begot genocide and mass crimes, have to be examined to establish their role in committing genocide and mass crimes. The two parties to this said conflict are; the then Rwandan government of Habyarimana and by extension, the transitional government of President Theodore Sindikubwabo on one part and, the Rwandan Patriotic Front of President Kagame, on the other.

To date, only the vanquished side of the conflict has been investigated, charged, tried and judged. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) has never been investigated even if their crimes during this same periodhave been denounced and the UN and indeed the international justice system is not without probable cause to believe RPF and its leadership were grossly complicit in the commission of Rwandan genocide and mass crimes. It begs the question then, how else can we ensure justice for all victims of crime if not all perpetrators are indicted? How can victims of RPF crimes get justice unless RPF and its leaders are held accountable for their crimes?

3. Since the mission of ICTR was to prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations committed in the territory of neighboring states, between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994, at what point did the UN through ICTR decide that these crimes were all committed by one side to the conflict and therefore there was no need to investigate RPF leadership?

Since Rwandan Patriotic Front took over power in Rwanda, many crimes justifying international intervention have been committed by RPF government both in Rwanda and neighboring countries. The international community has all along kept silent just as it kept silent as genocide was taking place. Why would then the Rwandan people believe expressions of 'good intentions' and 'ensuring justice' and 'making sure what happened does not happen again'? Is it not because of this impunity of RPF leaders during genocide that emboldened them to commit all the other crimes they have committed since after genocide such as:

- Kibeho massacres of April 1995 in which 8,000 Hutu IDPs were decimated;

- Calling people for 'meetings' across the country side and instead shooting all of them to death at close range and with helicopter gunships;

- The crimes against humanity or possibly genocide and war crimes in DR.Congo as detailed in UN Mapping Report of October 2010 in which at least 250,000 Hutus were systematically exterminated;

- Political assassinations that happen on a regular basis both on the Rwandan soil and in other countries where persecuted Rwandans run for protection, just to mention a few.

On a regular basis, innocent people in Rwanda are killed through different gruesome ways. The most recent being a civilian businessman, Assinapol Rwigara, wrapped in a body bag while still alive by the Rwandan national police, after having been beaten and conveniently placed at the scene of a staged accident? Opposition politicians, journalists, human rights workers and civilians are murdered at will in brazen ways. Rwandan on a daily basis cry to the international community to come to their rescue but instead, the international community responds by rewarding president Kagame and his government with international awards and praises.

It is befitting to remember Victims of Rwandan genocide but it awfully and woefully sounds hollow when words do not match actions. It is the case with Rwanda genocide and UN and international reaction to it and to its aftermath.

Done in Montreal, 15 April 2015

FDU-National Movement-INKUBIRI

External Relations Commissioner

Deo Lukyamuzi

+32465551485

inkubiri1@inkubiri.org

###

"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.

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