July 22,1996

RDR expresses its anger, utter disbelief and indignation at the current horrifying deportation of rwandese refugees in Burundi. Its brutality and the intoxication surrounding it can only highlight the level of complicity between the governments of Burundi and Rwanda in their campaign to humiliate rwandese refugees by denying them their basic rights.

Indeed, in its press release nº80, RDR had warned the international community of the impending deportation, the rwandese government having prematurely let the cat out of the bag, but this distress call fell on deaf ears, and thousands and thousands of refugees are being hurled into trucks and thrown in the hands of RPF soldiers at Akanyaru border post like animals for slaughter.

Others are erring in mountains surrounding the camps, where they are being mercilessly hunt down by the Burundi army and tutsi hooligans without any assistance whatsoever.

Meanwhile, RPF is busy shamelessly claiming that the exercise is voluntary even after strong opposition from UNHCR.

While commending UNHCR for having distanced itself from this barbaric and savage act and promptly condemned it, RDR reminds the Burundi government of its international obligations with respect to the protection of refugees .

Should it fail to do so, it should honourably hand the latter to UNHCR, which could find them an alternative asylum country, instead of throwing them in the claws of RPF.

RDR unreservedly condemns the conniving silence of the international community, notably the UN Security council over this barbaric act by the governments of Rwanda and Burundi, that can only breed and exacerbate ethnic hatred, and encourage RPF in its disgusting policy of humiliating Hutu, especially the elite.

No alibi, no human pretext can be evoked to justify the abandoning of over 160,000 helpless refugees of Kibezi, Ruvumo and Rukiramigabo to the fury of tutsi extremists of Rwanda and Burundi.