Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch



Welcome to
Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch Blog. Our objective is to promote the institutions of democracy,social justice,Human Rights,Peace, Freedom of Expression, and Respect to humanity in Rwanda,Uganda,DR Congo, Burundi,Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya,Ethiopia, and Somalia. We strongly believe that Africa will develop if only our presidents stop being rulers of men and become leaders of citizens. We support Breaking the Silence Campaign for DR Congo since we believe the democracy in Rwanda means peace in DRC. Follow this link to learn more about the origin of the war in both Rwanda and DR Congo:http://www.rwandadocumentsproject.net/gsdl/cgi-bin/library


Saturday, May 28, 2011

London: meeting with Rwandans who deemed to be a disturbance to Kagame regime

By Ruhumuza Mbonyumutwa 

For a month, the news in the Rwandan diaspora is dominated by reports from London that Rwanda harassing several Rwandan-British living there and had even planned to eliminate some of them.

 
Who are these disturbing Kigali Rwanda, what is their background, why do they bother, as they want?

 
Young Hutu refugees who fled the atrocities of the RPF, Tutsi woman survivor of the genocide of 1994, Men and women who fought in the ranks of the RPF, their profiles are diverse but they share in common is that they regularly participate in an association called "PAX", of which the latest was a commemoration organized April 19, 2011 and which has particularly disturbed the regime in Rwanda.To better understand this association, Jambonews met Prudentienne Seward, president and co-founder of the association whose story symbolizes the complexity of the Rwandan tragedy and has inspired the creation of this association.Prudentienne was born in Rwanda in the early 60's a Tutsi father and a mother half Hutu, half Tutsi, which in the tradition of Rwandan Tutsis in fact a full-fledged ethnic group are transmitted by the father.With a nostalgic smile that tells us how people lived in harmony and give us an example of the annual tradition in September of "Ubudehe" which was to help call all the neighbors to come and collect "amasaka .For those with large estates, as was the case for his family they invited all the neighbors come to help cultivate a field, and then "we shared together the" Ikigaye "offered by the owner in thanks "" Hutu or Tutsi, it did not matter, the whole neighborhood together this time of shared joy. "When the RPF launched the war on 1 October 1990, relations with the population have not changed "but simply in the street, I was asked more often for my ID."On April 6, 1994 when President Habyarimana's plane was shot down, Prudentienne was in Butare and that same evening there was panic, "everyone should stay home."From April 6 to 21, she tells us that Butare barriers were formed together by Hutu and Tutsi, who feared that "members of the CDR are murdering Hutu South and members of the PSD party. "She tells us that April 21 is the systematic massacres targeting Tutsis began "with a speech by the Acting President Theodore Sindikubwabo. She says that in retrospect, she questioned the existence of a schedule, because she says "people were heated at the last minute, from 21 April that were heated minds. "Since then, she felt threatened and feared for a moment to another, Interahamwe militiamen could reach it and kill it. It is the mayor of Nyaruhengeri Kabeza Charles who saved his life, he was, we told you it killed by the RPF in Congo.On June 24, 1994, through Oxfam, the association "land men" and especially Chris, her husband, a British citizen, she could be evacuated to Burundi with a group of strangers.In Burundi, she learns the news that the whole family on the side of his father and his nieces were massacred by the Interahamwe.


In August 1994, after the seizure of power by the RPF, Prudentienne decides to return to Rwanda to find his mother and his sister. Believing that peace had returned, she saw a real disappointment "when I thought to find peace, I saw horrible things, the RPF was spirit of putting people in camps, could be felt across the smell of dead bodies and on our way, men were about to be systematically slaughtered. "Prudentienne into the arms of Marara Noble, a former bodyguard of Paul Kagame, left, Jonathan Musonera, right, Rene Claudel MugenziPrudentienne into the arms of Marara Noble, a former bodyguard of Paul Kagame, left, Jonathan Musonera, right, Rene Claudel MugenziShe arrives to join his hometown to find his relatives, and found only ruins and desolation.  

"The militiamen had destroyed our house."Is seeking traces of her mother what had fallen on a man who taught him that his mother, sister and aunt had been killed she was looking for a few days before by the RPF. "A man had just announced the shocking news that a soldier of the RPF in the neighborhood who heard the man spoke" it has come to save you and now you say you were killed " and the soldier shot the man before his eyes.Chris, her husband, who was present at the scene was then expressed angrily, "You're supposed to be the saviors of the people and you are about to massacre them? "And the man was immediately justified before it," Your mother was killed because it is an Interahamwe, it does not kill normal people (abantu bazima).Having heard her husband speak French, the soldiers are restless, chanting "this is a French" and in a panic, they are mounted emergency in the car and were pursued by a jeep pulled in their direction, " but thank god, we were able to escape. "They fled Rwanda and went to live in Angola, or her husband had been appointed deputy representative of Oxfam. 

 In 1995, Prudentienne decided to return to Rwanda in order to bury their loved ones with dignity. From the airport, and officials worry begin aggressively ask him all sorts of questions "How did you survive? "" Your family is still alive? seeing that she had a passport issued in June 1994, an officer exclaimed, "If you survived because you're a Interahamwe."At the end of negotiations, she manages to enter the country without being more worried and she had just buried her mother, she left immediately Rwanda.On April 3, 1996 in Angola, her husband is killed, "caught in an ambush that targeted UN soldiers with whom he was."It's April 6, 1996, she arrived in England where she now lives with her husband's family who hosted.Just arrived in England, she was approached by a group of Rwandans who had heard his story and asked to be part of an association of Tutsi survivors to testify to its history."They wanted me to testify regularly, and I agreed but I told them that my mother had been killed by the RPF, what they told me that, I had no right to talk about it, it was an accident, it was because young RPF who arrived in Rwanda angry. "And she told them that in this case, she could not testify because she told them" no one can stop me talking about all the loved ones they have lost. "There she realized the seriousness of the problem of memory in Rwanda, "I do not want the genocide to be used to divide Rwandans, I do not want my story can be used to oppress other victims" . 

It follows that, in 1998, she made contact with Rene Claudel Mugenzi and allTimes article of Thursday, May 26 entitled "men referred for asking forgiveness for the dead of Rwanda"Times article of Thursday, May 26 entitled "men referred for asking forgiveness for the dead of Rwanda"they founded the PAX project which aims to promote peace, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation between the peoples of the Great Lakes. About Rwanda, it notes that many associations are often mono-ethnic and PAX wanted from the beginning to include all ethnic groups. PAX regularly organizes conferences on memory or commemoration of all victims of Commons.She believes that the biggest problem in Rwanda is that there is no justice. "It focuses on the Mapping Repport while people died in Rwanda by the RPF killed, nobody notices."This rebellion is that "there is a part of that silences victims who have no right to raise its people missing, which is not allowed to discuss it and its dead must stop because this is what prevents genuine reconciliation. "Since it began on PAX, the embassy has tried everything to recruit. "At first it was seduction, explain why it was good to work with them but face my persistent refusal, the tone was full bodied and they were more threatening. "The commemoration, held last April 19 was particularly offended the regime. 

 It was to commemorate "all the victims of the genocide in Rwanda and all other atrocities" that have affected Rwanda since 1959. .What particularly upset many pro-Rwandan regimes who called it a sentence in their invitation that said "the survivors (Hutu and Tutsi), will deliver their stories and share their experience so that everyone understands the pain and the other one goes towards forgiveness and reconciliation. "Since the launch of the invitation was also sent to the embassy, ​​many Rwandans have called and told him that "it was really incorrect and inappropriate to talk of" Hutu survivors. "The ceremony took place without incident and was reported by the BBC Gahuza Miryango. Hutu and Tutsi have listened to each successively their personal stories.After the testimony of Prudentienne, a former RPF soldier, who was a bodyguard of Paul Kagame, Noble Marara spoke and apologized "for being part of a group that brought you much trouble," before the hug to the cheers of the other participants moved.Marara Noble, a former bodyguard of Paul Kagame, during his testimonyMarara Noble, a former bodyguard of Paul Kagame, during his testimonyHutu, Tutsi and former RPF soldiers have each had the opportunity to testify, to tell their story with the aim of enabling everyone to better understand the other.Since that ceremony, the threats intensified, she received multiple stab son attending the Interahamwe and saying that whatever the means used, the RPF will stop their project.It is also three weeks after the commemoration, she heard that Rene Claudel's life was threatened "I was angry, I wondered how they could get there" and when we asked if she was afraid of dying, his response is as spontaneous than immediate "Ntawatinya Gupf, urupfu yararunze" (can not be afraid of death when one has passed the stage of death)Prudentienne is the kind of woman whose story gives every excuse in the world to sink into hatred, and yet day after day struggle for peace and forgiveness.In response virulent than the Kigali government has so far provided to deny the threat of harassment, an argument often came back, why take it away in Kigali Rwandan citizens "not known"?The RPF regime is ethnocentric and racist regime responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Hutu but also an undetermined number of Tutsi. The movement draws its legitimacy from the international genocide that was perpetrated in 1994 against the Tutsi minority. Once an international partner evokes the slightest criticism about violations of human rights or crimes committed by the RPF, the answer as soon as the fuse has found former chief of staff Paul Kagame, Theogene Rudasingwa "Or were you during the genocide against Tutsi? "Intimidated and unanswered, international partners are silent immediately and address other topics.From a standpoint of Rwandan society, the regime in Rwanda attacked with greater virulence anyone dares mention his victims. "Genocidal Interahamwe deniers, supporters of the genocide, Ibigarasha" is the daily lot of insults cashing any Rwandan citizen or foreigner, whatever his background who dares mention the crimes of the RPF.The most cynical attacks are those directed at Tutsi survivors, as Prudentienne called "Interahamwe" or Déo who lost almost his entire family in the genocide of 1994 and that the prosecutor had requested his conviction for "Holocaust denial" .Projects bringing together Hutu and Tutsi and to represent a genuine reconciliation in the eyes of the regime face a real threat to the version of the story he has imposed and on which it sits.Only by dividing society into two camps and Rwanda by stigmatizing his opponents but also more generally throughout the population as genocidal Hutu regime that can maintain this version of history.Lasting peace in Rwanda free spectrum of a new bloody conflict does not pass, however, that the effective reconciliation of Rwandan society, which itself requires the recognition of all victims, justice for all, but also and perhaps above all truth about the causes of the tragedy that befell the entire Rwandan population. Yet so far the regime refuses to take this path for fear that senior executives of the RPF must answer for their actions. 

For these reasons, more than the various groups opposed to the incessant bickering too tiring, associations such as PAX are considered by the government as a threat that must be annihilated at any price because they call into question involuntarily foundations of power. 

Ruhumuza Mbonyumutwa 

See below the invitation of PAX for the ceremony on 19 April 2011:A REMEMBRANCE DAY FOR ALL VICTIMS OF RWANDA GENOCIDE AND OTHER ATROCITIESPAX prompts you to a church service to remember The Victims Of The Rwanda Genocide in 1994 and Other Atrocities That Have Continued to affect sincere Rwanda in 1959, This Will Be Held on Tuesday April 19th from 12:00 PMAT St John's United Reformed Church, Marsh Green Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5PTThe Service Will Be Led By The minister of the Church the Reverend David Skitt.Survivors (Hutus and Tutsis) Will Give Their Testimonies and share experiences, to help all to Understand Each Other's bread and so move Towards forgiveness and reconciliation.There Will After the service refreshments Approximately finishing by 3:00 pm.
Enhanced by Zemanta

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm now not certain the place you are getting your information, but good topic. I must spend some time studying much more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent information I was on the lookout for this info for my mission.

Look into my blog post: uk payday loans online

Anonymous said...

Other same day money loans providers had
called and said that was not achievable they had been wrong; we did near in seven days.
We want much more people like him same day loans for unemployed.
He was always there when I called and if
he was not there his assistant was there to reply any inquiries I had.
They both knew all about what was happening. We even discussed on how we’re going about with our
payday loan.