April 24, 1997.

According to UN sources, Zairean rebels of Laurent Kabila may have at last yielded to pressure and consented to an international commission of inquiry into the massacres of rwandese refugees by the allied forces of RPF and ADFL.

This is a step forward in the long awaited move to alleviate the agony of rwandese refugees who have been subjected to untold systematic physical elimination by bullets or starvation by the RPF forces fighting the Kabila war against the central government.

Given the fact that RPF has an overwhelming responsibility in those massacres and bearing in mind what happened after the horrendous massacres of Kibeho in April 1995 by none other than RPF, serious precautions must be taken in order to avoid a mere repeat of what the so-called international commission of inquiry into Kibeho massacres did, i.e. to simply whitewash RPF government.

The terms of reference of the commission should include a clear mandate with wide ranging powers and facilities to move freely in the territory held by "rebels" in order to leave no stone unturned in clearing the air over the rampant genocide taking place in Zaire against the hutu population, particularly the rwandese refugees. More specially, the investigating team should go beyond the rebel held territory and record statements from all potential witnesses (i.e. survivors, eyewitnesses etc.) inside Rwanda and outside, and get unlimited access to all suspected mass grave sites, including so called military security zones.

As far as it is concerned, RDR has carried out its own investigations and is ready to share its findings with any serious and truly independant and impartial commission of inquiry.

For the RDR

The Spokesman.

Chris NZABANDORA