POLITICAL IMPASSE: KAGAME ADMINISTRATION DERAILS OPPOSITION CONSTITUTIONAL CONGRESS FOR THE SECOND TIME

By Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
Chair
UDF-INKINGI
March 12, 2010

We are sorry to inform Rwandans and friends of Rwanda that our Constitutional Congress scheduled in Kigali on 12 March 2010 is for the second time torpedoed by President Kagame administration. We express our deepest apologies to hundreds of delegates who travelled from all over the country for all the inconvenience and the humiliations endured.

This is an unacceptable political impasse imposed by the regime to the Rwandan population. On top of other documented threats and political harassments, the regime is confirming its resolve to seal off the political space. Under visible pressure the municipal administration failed to allow the congress that was supposed to convene on 26th February 2010.

In violation of article 5 of the Organic law n° 19/2007 of 04/05/2007 modifying and complementing organic law n° 16/2003 of 27/06/2003 governing political organizations and politicians the Mayor of Nyarugenge (Kigali) ordered, in a letter dated 05th March 2010 that the meeting will be authorized only if the National police confirm that it will carry out its duty to ensure security of the meeting. In a chicken or the egg dilemma, the police informed us officially in a letter dated 10th March that it’s not their business to authorise political meetings and therefore can’t discuss security details as long as there is no licence to convene issued by relevant administration. The municipal administration pretends to be under confusing instructions from the Ministry of Local Government, referring to a non existing law transferring the licensing of political meetings to the national police or other security services. Stated thus, the problem seems trivial.

The government should understand that peaceful political activities and opposition parties are not a threat to national security. There is no state of emergency backing plans to put political and civil rights under the police or security apparatus diktat. Obviously the regime is buying time to shy away from any serious competition. All those deceiving manoeuvres endanger the credibility of the looming presidential election and consequently the legitimacy of the results. The country will slide deeper into a volatile transition.

This is happening in a background of an unpredictable security situation with the arrest of an opposition political figure, Deogratias Mushayidi,; arrests or exile of some senior military officers; explosion of grenades in the Capital city; night military road blocks; serious threats against international Human Rights observers.

Taking into account the obvious lack of goodwill from the government to open the shrinking political space;

Disappointed by a lack of pressure from the main partners of Rwanda and the international community on the political impasse and the deterioration of the security situation 4 months before the 2010 controversial presidential election;

Determined to pursue our non-violent struggle for democracy in our country,

The UDF INKINGI has decided to appoint a provisional executive committee as follows:

- Ms. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, Chair

- Mr. Boniface Twagirimana, Vice President

- Mr. Sylvain Sibomana, Secretary General

- Ms. Alice Uwera, Treasurer

- Ms. Madeleine Mukamana, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender

- Mr. Pascal Ntirenganya, Economic Affairs

- Mr. Gratien Nsabiyaremye, Youth and Community Development

Related Materials:
Rwanda: FDU-Inkingi Provisional Executive Committee

MEMORANDUM ON THE LOOMING POLITICAL CRISIS IN RWANDA TOWARDS AUGUST 2010 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

POLITICAL MANOEUVERS SABOTAGE OUR CONSTITUTIONAL CONGRESS