FDLR's response to the article "Congo’s Militias Lure Former Rebels From Burundi"

By Callixte Mbarushimana
Executive Secretary of the FDLR
Paris, August 27, 2009

The FDLR refute the false information published by journalists KRON JOSH and JEFFREY GETTLEMAN in “The New York Times” on August 21, 2009 that the FDLR are a movement "of Hutuism", recruit Burundians in their army and exploit the wealth of the DRC.

The Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda ( FDLR ) categorically deny the false and outrageous content of the article entitled "Congo's Militias Lure Former Rebels from Burundi", published by JOSH KRON and JEFFREY GETTLEMAN in the newspaper “The New York Times“ of August 21, 2009 that the FDLR would be a movement "of Hutuism" that would recruit Burundians in its army and exploit the wealth of the DRC like gold and diamonds mines that it would use to pay its recruits.

The FDLR inform the public and the media that they are a movement open to all Rwandan women and men who want to be its members regardless of their ethnic, religious or regional background.

The FDLR have never and will never have a program of recruiting foreigners to join their armed forces "Abacunguzi" because they are currently in sufficient numbers to meet the challenges that the FDLR could be faced with in achieving their objective which is and remains the liberation of the Rwandan people from the yoke of the fascism of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) .

The lies spread by these two journalists of The New York Times that the FDLR would exploit gold and diamond mines and pay $ 500 for each new recruit are shameful, groundless and unacceptable.

The FDLR remind everyone, including these merchants of lies of another age, that Abacunguzi fighters are united only by the ideal of freeing the people, of Rwanda of all ethnicities, from the yoke of a clique of criminals organized in the RPF-Inkotanyi currently in power in Kigali and helped by international lobbies. No Umucunguzi is paid for his/her mission and no Umucunguzi is and will ever be engaged in the exploitation of wealth of the DRC or of any other foreign country.

The FDLR remind the public and the media that there are many ill-intentioned individuals, some working for the Kigali regime and its international lobby, who spread lies in order to show that the FDLR would be the source of insecurity in the African Great Lakes Region and thereby legitimize the unjust and unnecessary ongoing war that warmongers and their international criminal lobbies have again imposed on peace-loving peoples of the African Great Lakes Region in order to maintain a permanent chaos and become masters of the enormous wealth of this area.

The FDLR warn the public and the media of the stories fabricated by some politicians, some international institutions authorities, journalists and other individuals in order to tarnish the reputation of the FDLR when pressure on the criminal Kigali regime to accept unconditional direct talks with the FDLR is becoming increasingly untenable for that regime.

The FDLR remain convinced that only the truth and not falsehood can free man, and reiterate their call made to journalists and politicians to stop spreading hatred and lies but to work to bring out the truth about the Rwandan tragedy that is the source of insecurity and perennial hegemonic wars that continue to afflict the African Great Lakes Region, and that since 1 October 1990.

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Congo’s Militias Lure Former Rebels From Burundi