Nairobi, 20th April 1995
PRESS RELEASE
The food situation and living conditions of rwandese refugee in general in camp in Zaire, Tanzania and Burundi are increasingly becoming disastrous.
Millions of people, particularly the most vulnerable, such as children, women and elderly persons, are the most affected.
The solution to this deplorable conditions lay in the quick, voluntary and organized return to Rwanda, in a peaceful and honourable manner.
In this vein, rwandese refugees have launched on April 3rd 1995 in MUGUNGA-ZAIRE, the Rally for the Return and Democracy in Rwanda (
RDR ), an autonomous and independent organisation.RDR is open to all rwandese irrespective of their ethnic, political, regional, religious and professional background.
RDR has the following objectives:
1. To do everything possible, for the quick return of refugees, in a peaceful and honourable manner.
2. To strive for dialogue, peace and national reconciliation
3. To represent and defend the interest of rwandese refugees, as well as all rwandese exclude from the governance of the country.
4. To contribute in throwing light on the tragedy of the rwandese people, in view of achieving a fair justice inside Rwanda and the impartiality of the International Tribunal on Rwanda.
Rally for the Return and Democracy in Rwanda is of the view that it is overdue to put an end to the vicious cycle of killings, massacres and all sorts of revenges as it happened during the war and is still continuing uptodate.
In this spirit, rwandese refugees strongly condemn the raid and subsequent destruction of a camp for displaced people in Mubuga-GIKONGORO, that took place on April 18, 1995.
RDR invites the International Community as well as all people of goodwill, to condemn with the same vigour, the raid by Rwandese Patriotic Army on the rwandese refugees camp of Birava on the shore of lake Kivu in Zaire, on April 11, 1995. During this raid that went on for over two hours, 37 persons, among which defensless women and children, were cowardly killed, and more than 20 people were abducted and are still missing.
The raid was preceded by media campaign on alleged military training in refugee camps in ZAIRE, allegations frequently denied by Zairian authorities, UNHCR and some NGOs who operate permanently in camps.
It was also preceded by verbal attacks and intimidation against UNAMIR and expulsion of some NGOs, in order to deter them from testifying on the numerous human right violations going on in Rwanda.
In actual fact, the Kigali government wants to internationalise the conflict, and justify its demand for the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on Rwanda by the security council in May last year, so that RPA can stockpile arms instead of investing in more productive sectors and the satisfaction of the primary needs of the people.
The Kigali government remain adamantly opposed to the numerous calls for political dialogue made by refugees.
In contrary, it reacted by blocking a convoy of sixty lorries of WPF loaded with food relief meant for rwandese refugees in Zaire, so that they can starve. This situation would ultimately recreate insecurity in camp that had subsided, thanks to the work of self rule organisations by refugees themselves.
The rwandese refugees make a passionate appeal to UNHCR, WFP, EEC, UNO and other donor countries, in order to exert the necessary pressure on the Kigali government, so as to avoid an imminent disaster whereby millions of people would starve.
RDR requests Head of States of the sub-region to convene a summit meeting and reexamine the question of refugees in the great lake region.
RDR is ready to give its contribution towards a search for a durable peace, by addressing once for all, the root causes of the calvary of the rwandese people.
For
RDRDr Innocent BUTARE
Executive Secretary