Rwanda: Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza yakatiwe igifungo cy'agasomborotso cy'imyaka umunani
Ikimenyetso kiragaragaye: mu Rwanda nta
butabera buharangwa!
Ntawe ugishidikanya
ko ubucamanza mu Rwanda
bubogamiye ku butegetsi bwa Perezida Pahulo Kagame ko kandi budashishikajwe
n’ubutabera. Mu gihe urubanza rumaze, ntitwahwemye kubereka ko Urukiko Rukuru,
rutigeze rwemera ibimenyetso byagiye bitangwa n’ababuranira Madame Victoire
Ingabire, bagaragaza ko ari umwere mu byo aregwa. Ahubwo Urukiko Rukuru rwihaye
ubushobozi budafite, bwo kwakira ibirego by’ibikorwa bishobora kuba byarabaye mbere y’uko itegeko
ribihana rijyaho, cyangwa se kwakira ibirego rudafitiye ubushobozi.
Byagaragaye ko
impapuro zitemewe zavuye mu Buholandi, zigenewe kwerekana imikoranire hagati ya
Madame Victoire Ingabire n’umutwe w’inyeshyamba FDLR, ari impimbano.
Umushinjacyaha ntiyigeze ashyira ahagaragara ibimenyetso bihama Madame Victoire
Ingabire. Kuba Urukiko Rukuru rwaragiye rwirengagiza ibyo rugezwaho
n’ababuranira Madame Victoire Ingabire, kuba
urubanza rutagendera ku mategeko agenga imiburanishirize y’imanza, no kuba
Urukiko Rukuru rwiha uburenganzira bwo kwakira
ibirego by’ibikorwa byabaye itegeko ribihana ritarajyaho, ibyo byose
bigaragaza ko Urukiko Rukuru rwashyize inzitizi mu rubanza rwa Madame Victoire
Ingabire.
N’ubwo ubutegetsi
bwa Pahulo Kagame bwateganyaga ko urubanza rwa Madame Victoire Ingabire rujya
mu rwego rw’imanza zisanzwe, byagiye bigaragara kenshi ko ubutegetsi bwivanze
muri ruriya rubanza.
Kuba umutangabuhamya Michel Habimana, wari waje gushinjura Madame
Victoire Ingabire, ahohoterwa mu buroko, avoka we umuburanira adashobora
kumugeraho, kandi urukiko rutabizi, ibyo byatumye Madame Victoire Ingabire ava
mu rubanza ku mugaragaro kw’italiki ya 16 Mata 2012. Michel Habimana yaje
gusobanurira urukiko ibyamubayeho, n’ukuntu icyumba yarimo cyajagajazwe. Mu
gusaba kugira icyo ageza ku rukiko, Madame Victoire Umuhoza yasobanuye ko
ibyabaye kuri Michel Habimana birenze urugero, ko hari inzitizi nyinshi
zagaragaye mu rubanza rwe, ko nta kizere afite ko abatangabuhamya bandi
bazahabwa urubuga bahabwa n’amategeko bwo gushinjura uregwa. Yafashe rero
icyemezo cyo kutazongera kwitaba urukiko, kubera ko abona nta butabera ashobora
kubona mu Rwanda; kubera
ko ubucamanza bubogamye kandi butigenga.
Ibyaha Madame
Victoire Ingabire, umuyobozi mukuru wa FDU-Inkingi, aregwa, birimo guhungabanya
umutekano wa Leta, kubiba amacakubiri, n’ingengabitekerezo ya Jenoside,
byagaragaye ko ari umugambi w’ubutegetsi wo kumucecekesha burundu, kubera ko
atavuga rumwe n’ubutegetsi.
Mu by’ukuri, uru rubanza ni urwa politiki.
Madame Ingabire
Victoire arazira ko yatinyutse kuvugira ku butaka bw’u Rwanda ko
ubutegetsi bwa Pahulo Kagame burenganya rubanda ibi birenze urugero, ko hagomba
ubwiyunge mu Banyarwanda, ko hifuzwa ubutabera
burengera abiciwe bose, ko kandi abantu bose bagize uruhare mu bwicanyi
bwabaye, babiryozwa. Ubutegetsi rero bugamije gutera ubwoba abandi Banyarwanda
bafite igitekerezo cyo guhaguruka nka Madamu Victoire Ingabire, bakiyemeza
guhangana n’ubutegetsi bw’igitugu bwa FPR. Ubutegetsi buragaragaza ko butemera
na gato kugirana imishyikirano n’amashyaka atavuga rumwe nabwo, mu miyoborerere
y’igihugu.
Kuri FDU-Inkingi,
biragaragara ko ubutegetsi bwa Kigali
butazigera bufungura ku bwende bwabwo urubuga rwa politiki. Nyuma y’imyaka
ibiri n’igice irenga ishyaka ryacu FDU-Inkingi ryatse kwemerwa nk’ishyaka
ryemewe mu gihugu, kugeza magingo aya, ubwo burenganzira bukaba butaratangwa,
biragaragara ko ishyaka ryacu ritazigera ryemerwa n’ubutegetsi bwa Prezida Pahulo
Kagame. Kuva Leta icira Madamu Victoire Ingabire igihano gikomeye cyo gufungwa,
kandi yariyatashye yimirije imbere kwandikisha ishyaka no kwiyamamariza mu
mwanya wa Perezida y’igihugu, ubutegetsi bwa Perezida Pahulo Kagame buragaciye
ku mugaragaro kandi ku buryo budasubirwaho, ko inzira ya demokarasi, inzira
y’ubutabera, ukwishyira ukizana n’ubwiyunge ku Banyarwanda, ntacyo bububwiye na
gato. Tukaba dusaba abantu bose bakunda amahoro kandi bifuza ko imihererekane
y’ubutegetsi mu Rwanda yagenda
mu nzira ya demokarasi, ko bamagana iyi mikirize y’urubanza.
Ubutegetsi bwa
Kigali, yego bumaze gushyira ku kagozi Madamu Victoire Ingabire rumucira
igihano cy’igifungo kiremereye, ariko buribeshya ntibushobora kuvutsa Abanyarwanda
ukwizera Madame Victoire Ingabire yabibye mu Banyarwanda, azanakomeza kubera
urumuri.
N’ubwo bigaragara
ko ubutegetsi bw’i Kigali
bushyira imbere ingufu, bugamije kurwanya igitekerezo cyose kigamije gukemura
mu bwumvikane ibibazo bya politiki, FDU-Inkingi ntizagwa muri uwo mutego.
Inzira y’ingufu no kumena amaraso ntizigera iba inzira ya politiki yacu. Ni
ubutegetsi bwa Kigali
buzayidushoramo, sitwe tuzayihitamo. N’ubwo Perezida Pahulo Kagame yagaragaje
kenshi ko adatinya kumena amaraso kugirango akomeze politiki ye y’igitugu, FDU-Inkingi
irahamya ko akaga Abanyarwanda bagize karenze kamere; amaraso yamenetse ni
menshi. FDU-Inkingi iharanira ko isimburana ry’ubuyobozi bw’igihugu bukorwa
binyuze mu nzira y’imishyikirano. FDU-Inkingi irasaba Perezida Kagame kwemera
mu mutuzo imishyikirano n’andi mashyaka ya politiki arwanya imitegekere mibi
y’igihugu yagize akarima ke.
Niyo mpamvu FDU-Inkingi
ihamagariye Abanyarwanda ku buryo buranguruye kwima amatwi ingamba zose zizakoreshwa
n’ubutegetsi na ba rutwitsi batazatinda kwigaragaza, buririye kuri iyi mikirize
iteye isoni y’uru rubanza n’uku gufunga urubuga rwa politiki, ngo barohe mu
ntambara Abanyarwanda kugira ngo bagume cyangwa bajye ku butegetsi. Nyabuneka Banyarwanda
mushishoze, inzira y’intambara no kuvusha andi maraso, ku bantu bazi Leta ya
Kagame, ni yo mahirwe ye. Si inzira yo kubohora abaturage twe dushobora
guhitamo ku bwende bwacu kuko tuzi ko yagumisha Abanyarwanda ku ngoyi igihe
kirekire aho kubagarurira agaciro.
Igihe cy’impindura
y’ubuyobozi bw’igihugu cyageze. Prezida Pahulo Kagame ari mu mayira abiri kandi
niwe uzagena inzira ahitiyemo abanyarwanda. Ashobora guhitamo inzira
y’imishyikirano n’amashyaka ya politiki atavugarumwe na Leta ye kugira ngo
tugenere hamwe imiyoborere y’ubuyobozi bw’igihugu: icyo gihe azaguma ku
butegetsi. Ashobora na none guhitamo gukurura Abanyarwanda mu ntambara. Ni amahitamo ye, ariko amenye ko icyo gihe we na hehe n’ubuyobozi
bw’igihugu.
Intabaza yavuze,
Mwidishyi!
Bikorewe i Lausanne mu
Busuwisi, tariki ya 30 Ukwakira 2012.
Dr. Nkiko Nsengimana
Umuyobozi wa Komite Mpuzabikorwa ya FDU-Inkingi
Rwanda: Le verdict brutal et sans concession: Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza condamnée à 8 ans de prison
La preuve est définitivement
faite: la justice rwandaise ne marche
pas
Pour qui doutait encore du manque d’équité et du
manque d’indépendance de la justice rwandaise vis-à-vis du régime de Paul
Kagame, que les yeux se dessillent. Tout au long du procès nous n’avons pas
manqué de vous montrer combien la Haute Cour, faisant fi de la procédure
judiciaire et des preuves nettes d’innocence présentées par la défense, a
persisté dans ses errements et s’est déclarée compétente pour juger des faits,
non prouvés et contestés par ailleurs par la défense, qui se seraient déroulés
avant que la loi les réprimant n’existât ou des faits qui auraient été commis
en dehors du territoire de compétence de la Haute Cour. Même le pourvoi illégal
de documents venus des Pays Bas, censés montrer la collaboration de Madame Victoire
Ingabire avec la rébellion armée des Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), s’est révélé être une baudruche.
Le Procureur n’a pas fourni, au-delà de tout doute raisonnable, les preuves de
culpabilité de Madame Victoire Ingabire. En ne considérant pas les témoignages
et les entorses graves à la procédure présentés par la défense, de surcroît, en
ne respectant pas les principes juridiques élémentaires de non rétro-activité
de la loi pénale et de la compétence territoriale, la Haute Cour a failli à
dire le droit et a renié à Madame Victoire Ingabire tout droit à un procès
équitable.
Alors que le régime voulait faire du procès de Madame
Victoire Ingabire un acte banal de justice de droit commun, il a été pris, à
plusieurs occasions, en flagrant délit de la manipulation de la justice. En
effet, la décision prise le 16 avril 2012 par Madame Ingabire de se retirer du
procès est venue au moment précis où, contrairement à la procédure, un des
témoins de la défense, Monsieur Michel Habimana, venait de subir des menaces et
des interrogatoires illégaux musclés en prison, en l’absence de son avocat,
sans autorisation de la Cour. Et, quand, le lendemain, le témoin est revenu à
la Cour rapporter l’incident, en l’informant en même temps que sa cellule avait
été fouillée de fond en comble, Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza a demandé à la
Cour de pouvoir s’exprimer. Au vu de l’extrême gravité du fait rapporté,
considérant ce fait comme certainement prémonitoire des obstructions futures
aux dépositions des autres témoins attendus pour sa défense, en plus des
irrégularités accumulées tout au long du procès, Madame Victoire Ingabire s’est
levée pour annoncer à la Cour, qu’elle avait perdu toute confiance en
l’institution judiciaire et qu’elle se retirait définitivement du procès. Elle
venait de donner la preuve par neuf que la justice rwandaise ne fonctionnait
pas et qu’elle était sous l’emprise totale du pouvoir exécutif.
Le procès intenté par le
pouvoir contre la Présidente des FDU Inkingi est un procès politique
Les faits reprochés à la Présidente des FDU-Inkingi
d’atteinte à la sûreté de l’Etat, de divisionnisme, de négationnisme, se sont
révélés être des montages destinés à condamner coûte que coûte une opposante
politique qui dérange. Il n’existe plus aucune ombre d’un doute: le procès
intenté par le pouvoir contre Madame Victoire Ingabire est un procès éminemment
politique. Madame Victoire Ingabire dérange à cause de son parti pris pour la
réconciliation et pour une justice rendue à toutes les victimes et à tous les
bourreaux; elle dérange pour son combat résolu contre la dictature du général
Paul Kagame. En condamnant une personne innocente à une aussi lourde peine, en
plus pour des faits qui relèvent exclusivement de la politique, le pouvoir
cherche à réprimer toute opinion dissidente et ainsi maintenir la population
dans la peur et dans la soumission, sous son emprise totalitaire. En même
temps, le régime de Kigali a donné à l’opinion nationale et
internationale un signal sans ambiguïté qu’il n’était certainement pas prêt à
ouvrir le moindre espace politique et à entrer en dialogue avec son opposition
politique.
Les FDU-Inkingi restent
toujours attachées au règlement pacifique des différends politiques
Il est à présent acquis pour les FDU-Inkingi que le
régime rwandais n’ouvrira pas, de son gré, l’espace politique. Après deux ans
et demi de demande d’enregistrement du parti sans succès, il est désormais
clair que le Président Paul Kagame n’agréera jamais les FDU-Inkingi. En
condamnant à une peine de prison Madame Victoire Ingabire, laquelle était
rentrée au pays avec la mission de faire agréer les FDU-Inkingi et de se
présenter aux élections présidentielles, le régime rwandais opère une rupture
politique essentielle qui devrait être condamnée par tous les acteurs nationaux
et internationaux, tant de la société civile que du monde politique, épris de
paix et soucieux de la transition démocratique au Rwanda.
Le pouvoir vient de condamner Madame Victoire
Ingabire à une peine d’emprisonnement, mais il ne peut pas emprisonner
l’espérance qu’elle a suscitée et qu’elle incarne désormais. La Présidente des
FDU-Inkingi a tracé le chemin de l’émancipation que le régime ne pourra plus
barrer, ni indéfiniment, ni impunément.
Même si la formation politique des FDU-Inkingi constate
une fois encore la propension du régime de Kigali à privilégier la force dans
le règlement des conflits politiques, nous ne nous laisserons pas démontés par
le secret espoir du régime rwandais de nous entrainer dans la voie de la
violence. La violence ne sera jamais notre choix politique. Elle nous sera
imposée par le pouvoir de Kigali. Même si le général Kagame a montré par le
passé qu’il pouvait tolérer n’importe quel prix humain pour l’accès ou le
maintien au pouvoir, pour les FDU-Inkingi, les dégâts humains induits par la
tragédie passée de notre peuple sont déjà considérables qu’il convient de se
garder d’en créer de nouveaux, car les conséquences humaines seraient plus
incommensurables. Les FDU-Inkingi restent attachées à la voie de la négociation
et continueront à le demander, envers et contre tous, afin d’assurer une
transition paisible de notre pays vers la démocratie et vers la
réconciliation. Les FDU-Inkingi espèrent
que le général Kagame saisira cette perche tendue pour accepter sans contrainte
des négociations avec son opposition politique.
L’heure est encore au choix
possible pour le Président Kagame
Nous lançons un appel solennel au peuple rwandais
pour qu’il ne cède pas aux sirènes va-t-en-guerre pressés qui, devant cette
impasse de fermeture de l’espace politique, ne tarderont pas à se manifester et
chercheront à l’entrainer dans la lutte armée pour se maintenir ou accéder au
pouvoir. Une telle aventure, destinée à attirer une clientèle crédule,
servirait, à regarder de près, à légitimer plus le pouvoir en place qu’à offrir
des possibilités réelles de libération populaire.
L’heure est encore au choix possible pour le
Président de la République Paul Kagame. Ce dernier peut décider de rester au
pouvoir par les négociations, que nous lui demandons d’ouvrir avec son
opposition politique. Le Président Paul Kagame peut aussi décider de partir par
les armes qu’il nous aura lui-même imposées.
Il est minuit moins cinq passé, Docteur Schweitzer!
Fait à Lausanne, le 30 Octobre 2012.
Pour le Comité de Coordination des FDU-Inkingi
Dr. Nkiko
Nsengimana
Coordinateur
Rwanda: 8-year prison sentence for Political prisoner Ingabire
Kigali, 30 October 2012
Finally the High
court issues ruling in Ingabire political case: 8 years in prison for genocide
ideology and conspiracy against the government by use of war and terrorism.
This kangaroo ruling is “politically and intellectually dishonest” and so
poorly formulated but the political prisoner Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza,
FDU-Inkingi Chairperson, is not filing an appeal because she has totally lost
confidence in this judiciary circus. By giving orders to the judicial to
sentence Madame Victoire Ingabire to 8 years behind bars, President Paul
Kagame's regime has missed the last corner for any chance of reconciliation,
unity and stability in this country. Rwanda will never be the same.
The prosecutor's key witnesses all pleading guilty after questionable detention
in military intelligence facilities receive the following sentences: Vital
Uwumuremyi 4 years 6 months, Tharcisse Nditurende and Noel Habiyaremye 3 years
6 months, Jean Marie Karuta 2 years 7 months.
This is a conclusion of a long chapter of hope
that the current dictatorship would understand how important peace, genuine
unity and sustainable reconciliation are. The sentence comes amidst unrelenting
interferences of President Paul Kagame and his government which has been
shifting goals hoping to psychologically erode the moral of the political
prisoner. She was arrested in October 2010 and charged with forming an armed
group with the aim of destabilising the country, complicity to acts of
terrorism, conspiracy against the government by use of war and terrorism,
inciting the masses to revolt against the government, genocide ideology and
divisionism.
According to
international human rughts organisations, the process was marred by
intimidation, interferences and unfairness. On 8 October 2012, Amnesty
International wrote that "the trial of opposition politician, Victoire
Ingabire, provides another example of where judges have failed to probe the
detention conditions of defendants.(...) The court prevented Victoire
Ingabire’s defence team from asking questions about detention conditions in
Camp Kami, as the co-accused themselves had not lodged a complaint. They were
unable to clarify if the co-accusers’ evidence may have been coerced or
induced. The court made no efforts to obtain notes taken during the
interrogations of the co-accused at Camp Kami, even though they might have
contained exculpatory information potentially instrumental to Victoire
Ingabire’s defence, such as indications that the statements were not made
voluntarily..."
We call upon
members of FDU-Inkingi, all members of the opposition and all Rwandans to
remain calm and to get ready for the day to march until freedom is won. Until
our last breath, we will not give up.
FDU-Inkingi
Interim Vice President
Boniface Twagirimana.
Rwanda: A brutal and uncompromising verdict: Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza was sentenced to 8 years in prison
The Rwandan justice system is
broken.
All of you who might still
doubt the unfairness and the lack of independence of the Rwandan justice system
with regard to the regime of Paul Kagame, open your eyes. Throughout the trial,
we tirelessly showed you how the High Court, by violating basic judicial
procedures and evidence of innocence presented by the defense, persisted in its
wanderings and declared itself competent to judge the facts all of which were
unsubstantiated and were contested by the defense, the facts that apparently
occurred before the law repressing them was enacted or the facts that have been
committed outside the jurisdiction of the High Court. Even the illegal
acquisition of the evidential documents from the Netherlands, which were
supposed to show the collaboration of Madame Victoire Ingabire with the armed
rebellion of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), turned out
to be a windbag. The
Prosecution failed to provide, beyond any reasonable doubt, the evidence of
guilt for Madame Victoire Ingabire. By refusing to consider the testimonies and
breaches to the judicial procedure that were presented by the defense team, and
moreover, by violating the basic legal principles of non-retroactivity of
criminal laws and jurisdictions, the High Court failed to interpret the law and
therefore denied to Madame Victoire Ingabire the right to a fair trial.
While the Kigali regime wanted to transform the trial
of Madame Victoire Ingabire into banal act of criminal law, on several
occasions, it was caught in a flagrant meddling into judicial proceedings.
Indeed, the decision of April 16, 2012 by Madame Ingabire to withdraw from the
trial came in at the right moment, when in grave violation of basic judicial
procedures, one of the defense witnesses, Michel Habimana, had suffered
intimidations and illegal interrogations in prison, in the absence of his
lawyer, and without proper authorization from the Court. The next day, when the
witness returned to the Court, he reported the incident and informed the court
that his cell was searched from top to bottom. Therefore, Madame Victoire
Ingabire requested the Court the right to speak. In view of the extreme gravity
of the above reported incident and considering the facts as obviously prescient
of future obstructions to the expected testimonies from other witnesses in her
defense, and keeping in mind several irregularities accumulated throughout her
trial, Madame Victoire Ingabire told the Court that she had completely lost
confidence in Rwanda’s judiciary and that she was permanently withdrawing from
the trial. By doing so, she irrevocably proved that the Rwandan justice system was
broken and that it was under the total control of the executive.
The lawsuit against the Chairperson of FDU Inkingi is
politically motivated.
The allegations against the Chairperson of
FDU-Inkingi including, endangering the state security, divisionism, and
genocide denial, have been proven to be fixtures aimed at absolutely condemning
a disturbing political opponent. There is no longer any doubt: the lawsuit
initiated by the Kigali regime against Madame Victoire Ingabire is a highly
political trial. Madame Victoire Ingabire disturbs the Kigali regime because of
her strong commitment to reconciliation and justice for all victims and all
perpetrators; she distrurbs because of her resolute struggle against the
dictatorship of General Paul Kagame. By condemning an innocent person to such a
lengthy prison term solely on facts that exclusively relate to politics, the
Kigali regime intends to suppress any dissenting voice and thereby keep the
population in fear and submission under its totalitarian grip. At the same
time, the Kigali regime has sent a clear signal to national and international
public opinion that it certainly was not ready to open any political space and
engage in dialogue with its political opposition.
FDU Inkingi remains strongly committed to peaceful
struggle.
It is now clear for
FDU-Inkingi that the Kigali regime will never willingly open up the political
space. After two and a half years of unsuccessful application for the
registration of our party, it is now clear that President Paul Kagame will
never register FDU-Inkingi. By condemning to prison term Madame Victoire
Ingabire, who had returned home with the mandate of registering FDU-Inkingi and
standing in the presidential elections, the Rwandan regime has caused a major
political shift which must be condemned by all national and international
stakeholders including civil society and political activists that love peace
and are concerned about democratic change in Rwanda.
The Kigali regime has just
sentenced Madame Victoire Ingabire to prison term, but it will never reverse
what she has already accomplished and the hope she now embodies. The
Chairperson of FDU-Inkingi has built the path to emancipation which the Kigali
regime can no longer block, neither indefinitely nor with impunity.
Even though the political party FDU-Inkingi notes
once again the propensity of the Kigali regime to favor the use of force to
settle political disputes, we will not let ourselves be torn apart by such a
secret hope of the Rwandan regime which aimed at leading us into violence.
Violence will never be our political choice. Such a violent path would be
imposed upon us by the current regime in Kigali. While General Kagame has shown
in the past that he could tolerate any human cost to access or hold on power,
for FDU-Inkingi, human damages caused by the past tragedy in Rwanda are already
considerable enough so that we should all use caution not to add on new ones,
because if we did human consequences would be more immeasurable. The political
party FDU-Inkingi remains committed to negotiations and will continue to
request them, against all odds, to ensure a peaceful transition of our country
towards democracy and reconciliation. The party FDU-Inkingi hopes that General
Kagame would seize such an opportunity to accept, without any restrictions,
direct talks with his political opposition.
The choice is still up to President Paul Kagame.
We launch a solemn appeal to all of the Rwandan
people not to succumb to warmongering sirens which, owing to such an impasse
resulting from the closing of political space, may soon come forward and try to
lead us into the armed struggle in order to hold on or ascend to power. Such an
adventure which is meant to attract gullible customers, would serve in reality,
to legitimize the current regime instead of stirring up the real possibilities
for a genuine popular liberation.
It is still up to President
Paul Kagame. He may decide to remain on power through negotiations in which we
are asking his regime to engage with his political opposition. President Paul
Kagame may also decide to step down by force, a path that he would have himself
imposed upon us.
The
clock is ticking, Dr. Schweitzer!
Done in Lausanne, Switzerland, on October 30, 2012.
For
FDU-Inkingi Coordinating Committee
Dr. Nkiko Nsengimana
Coordinator
Rwanda : le jugement de l’opposante Ingabire, « moment historique », selon son parti
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Le parti non encore agréé de l’opposante rwandaise Victoire Ingabire a qualifié de « moment historique » son jugement prévu pour mardi, dans un procès pour complicité de terrorisme, propagation de l'idéologie du génocide, sectarisme et divisionnisme, atteinte à la sûreté intérieure de l'Etat, création d'un groupe armé avec l'intention de provoquer la guerre.
« Ce moment est historique dans la lutte pour la démocratie, la justice et les libertés au Rwanda (…) Un jour dont nous nous souviendrons tous »,affirment dans un communiqué en anglais, les Forces démocratiques unifiées (FDU), qui disent ne pas douter du verdict.
« Le régime de Paul Kagame a décidé de condamner le leader de l’opposition », souligne le texte. « En ce moment particulier de notre histoire, les FDU appellent tous les Rwandais, les membres et les amis du parti à rester calmes et regarder à l’horizon le vent du changement » », poursuit ce communiqué.
« La voie de la communauté internationale n’a pas été suffisamment forte pour sauver une mère innocente des dents d’une justice fantôme politisée », regrettent les FDU, saluant « le courage et la détermination de l’accusée ».
« Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza est un héros vivant », ajoute le texte.
Le Parquet a requis la perpétuité contre Mme Ingabire qui rejette les accusations portées contre elle et boycotte son procès. L'accusation a affirmé disposer de preuves de transferts d'argent de Mme Ingabire au profit des Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), une rébellion hutu rwandaise qui multiplie les exactions dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) et que Kigali qualifie de "terroriste".
Partie suivre une formation aux Pays-Bas peu avant que n'éclate le génocide des Tutsi en 1994, Mme Ingabire n'est revenue au Rwanda que début 2010. Elle avait cherché, en vain, à se présenter à l'élection présidentielle rwandaise.
Paul Kagame, dont le Front patriotique rwandais (FPR, ex-rébellion) a stoppé le génocide, avait été réélu avec 93% des voix.
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Blood stains Rwanda's seat in the UN
25.10.2012
The EU could – and should – do more to hold Rwanda to account for fuelling the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda is a darling of donors, including the European Union. Its roads are being paved, poverty is being fought valiantly and child mortality is declining. All in all, it is a good case study for enthusiasts for the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.
This happy picture has, however, been tainted by Rwanda's involvement in the rebellion that is plaguing the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A UN report in June confirmed that Rwanda was providing extensive support not only to the recently established M23 rebel group but to others too. Rwanda's response has been to protest its innocence and claim there is an international plot to discredit its government.
The implausibility of that claim is accentuated by its record of violent intervention across its borders – four times since 1996, most recently in 2007, when it backed rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda.
So it might come as a surprise that Rwanda now has a seat on the UN Security Council as one of its non-permanent members.
Stranger still is that some international donors have barely changed their position towards Rwanda. Although Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands have suspended budgetary aid to Rwanda, other Western powers have not followed suit. The UK first suspended all budget support and then re-established half its aid, citing the need to continue to support Rwanda's poorest citizens. The US has suspended a token $200,000 (around €160,000) of military aid. And the EU has done little other than to tell both Rwanda and Congo that securing peace in their region is primarily their own responsibility.
But Rwanda is not the only one responsible for the situation. As part of the 2009 agreement that ended the last conflict, the EU, among others, pushed for the speedy integration of armed rebel groups into the ranks of the Congolese army. Although a necessary price for peace, this effort has come back to haunt the DRC. Rather than breaking down rebel units, their chains of command were left intact, several former rebel leaders were promoted, and soldiers remained stationed in areas where they had operated as rebels. Deserters from these units now form a major part of M23 rebel forces.
The EU's subsequent efforts to ensure a lasting peace in the DRC have been heavily criticised: for a lack of effective co-ordination with other donors; for an unclear strategy; for failing to deliver aid to the neediest; and for inadequate monitoring of progress. Arguably, its work has been undermined by aims pursued individually by EU member states. Today, with no sign of the conflict abating and Rwanda's continued interference in the DRC, we see the results of the imperfect 2009 solution.
But the Congolese government too should be held to account. Its system of governance is undemocratic, authoritarian and untransparent, and favours patronage networks that contribute to a dysfunctional state. Its track record on democracy promotion and justice is deteriorating steadily. Its indifference to reform over the past decade has provided fertile ground for the M23 rebellion and nourished grievances.
All this is a sign that the EU's approach to aid-giving, which is based on strengthening state institutions (in part by channelling support directly into the budget), may need to be reviewed in situations where institutions are unco-operative. Short-term efforts to address the crisis only in security or humanitarian terms, whilst valuable, have also proved insufficient.
Rather than waiting until the UN Sanctions Committee meets in November, as it has announced it will, the EU needs to take a stand now. It must lead other donors – including its own member states – in stepping up diplomatic efforts, and demand that, as a member of the Security Council, Rwanda lives up to international peace and security standards.
It must also be ready to suspend its aid to Rwanda, and condition institutional aid to the DRC on satisfactory progress towards political reform. Both measures can pave the way for further steps to address the long-term causes of instability between the two countries.
Marta Martinelli is a senior policy officer for African issues at the Open Society Institute – Brussels. She previously worked in a range of peace-building roles in the Great Lakes
© 2012 European Voice. All rights reserved.
Rwanda: Message à Mr. Paul Kagame re: Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
A Monsieur Paul Kagame,
Président du Rwanda.
Monsieur le président,
A la veille de la condamnation de Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, je tiens à envoyer ce message (je suis sûr qu'il a des gens qui suivent les échanges sur ce forum et qui le lui transmettront):
Monsieur le président,
Vous avez ordonné l'arrestation et l'emprisonnement de Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza et vous savez pertinement qu'elle n'a rien à voir avec les charges que vous avez demandé de fabriquer contre elle. Ceci a été un acte de lâcheté de votre part. En votre qualité de général et numéro 1 du pays, vous vous débattez contre une femme, une mère de famille, sans arme, sans argent, qui à peine rentre de son exil... tout simplement par peur de l'affronter dans des élections démocratiques. C'est très lâche et vous n'êtes pas un gentleman.
Si demain vous maintenez votre décision d'ordonner la prison à perpétuité contre Madame Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, vous aurez raté une dernière occasion de sauver votre honneur si vous en avez encore. Oui vous avez le pouvoir de l'emprisonner et vous pensez que tout le monde va vous craindre? Mon oeil, c'est juste l'inverse qui va se produire. A partir de demain si vous maintenez votre décision, vous allez vous rendre compte de votre bêtise.
Vous estimez que l'Amérique est très occupée par des élections et que les médias seront distraits ... comme vous avez pensé en ordonnant l'assissinat de votre frère d'arme Kayumba Nyamwasa pendant la coupe du monde de football en Afrique du Sud. Vous serez surpris. Les foudres vont s'abattre contre vous, vous serez lâché par tout le monde même par vos derniers amis (Blair, Bill, etc ...) par ce que malgré tout ce sont des gentlemen.
Un conseil, laissez Madame Victoire en paix, notre Victoire à nous, battez vous contre les hommes de votre rang svp ... Si vous persistez à vous battre contre une femme, rentrez chez vous, fermez la porte, éteignez la lumière, il y en a une qui vous attend, à la maison chez vous.
Monsieur le Président, ce message est adressé à vous, et à vous seul, que les autres s'abstiennent.
A bon entendeur, salut.
Oscar Nkurunziza
DHR yahoo Group
29-10-2012
Articles de la même série:
Patrick Mbeko on the admission of Rwanda to the United Nations Security Council
Etienne Tshisekedi, leader of the Congolese opposition party UDPS
The declaration of Etienne Tshisekedi about M23 and Rwanda interference in DRC, at the end of his discussions with Francois Hollande on October 12, 2012, reminds of another politician, Faustin Twagiramungu, former Rwandan prime minister, who announced in 1992 that the problem his country had while the Rwandan Patriotic Front occupied part of his country, was not the invasion from Uganda by the rebel group, but the leadership of Juvenal Habyarimana, former president of Rwanda who was assassinated by Paul Kagame on April 6th, 1994 by ordering the shooting down of his aeroplane. The rest that followed is history.
Rwanda joins the Security Council of the United Nations, despite its involvement in the destabilization of the Democratic Republic of Congo, through its proxy puppets. Congolese people are outraged. They may be right, but the problem is that the same Congolese are cheering Etienne Tshisekedi’s declarations, while answering a question of a journalist who asked him whether DRC had been attacked. He said: “DRC is not attacked; there is only a leadership problem, if a country operates like an open ground, where anyone can enter as they want…so the problem is elsewhere; it is all about leadership; this to say that the country has not been attacked, that’s the individual who was here [Laurent Desire Kabila?] who was also a traitor, who had signed agreements that we did not know about …”
These statements speak volumes. DRC is not under attack! Put yourself in the place of all these foreigners who follow the news about DRC and listening to such statements. Even one Cameroonian friend railed while hearing that. Imagine for a moment that Rwanda brandish this statement to clear itself of its involvement in the DRC to the UN. What can we say if a Western official brandish such declaration against Congolese allegations of attack by Rwanda? How can one trust someone who has no expertise of major issues that their country faces? Mind you, Etienne Tshisekedi does ever accuse Paul Kagame of Rwanda in his statements? Last year, during the electoral campaign, he said on RFI that insecurity in the East is due to the presence of Mai Mai who came with Kabila.
Frankly unbelievable! But let me tell you an anecdote, dear friends. Three weeks ago, I was discussing with Helmut Strizek, a German political scientist and expert with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). At one point, the gentleman told me this: “You know, Tshisekedi gets along well with Kagame. He even told me that Rwanda has never been the problem in the Congo … ” While listening to Tshisekedi’s statements at the end of his meeting with Hollande [in Kinshasa], my conversation with Strizek came straight back to my mind. I was somehow surprised even though I know that in 2002, Kagame hosted Tshisekedi gracefully.
The question I ask myself is this: how far will Congolese people continue to be accommodating and complacent to its political elites? Why are we so sectarian and blind supporters? A people that has made one man its ideal will ultimately disappear. I have great respect for Mr. Tshisekedi but I think it’s time for Congolese people to turn the page. There must be a renewal of the current political class.
Political leadership at the highest level is neither a simplistic game for narrow minds nor a series of mediocre films for lazy viewers. In politics, it is not always enough to watch the scenery to understand the movie or read the story to understand the role of actors. It may happen that the actors themselves do not necessarily understand the meaning of their role in the scenario.
One may think that this piece is not particularly focused on
Faustin Twagiramungu, former Rwandan prime minister, with Alexis Kanyarengwe, former RPF chairman, both Hutu [that RPF which is Tutsi] who were used to gain power in Rwanda, where 85% of the population is Hutu.
Rwanda getting its seat on the UNSC. But think about it. If those [148 votes out of 193] who supported its admission had the same views as Etienne Tshisekedi, I hope now you can get my point that everything here is about that seat. I agree with Patrick Mbeko on the necessary renewal of African elites. I would even go a little bit further: we [Africans] need to create a social and political framework [at national and pan African levels] to identify, nurture, and promote the right leaders for our countries and continent. And such structure demands to be relatively independent and neutral from politicians. To illustrate my argument on the required renewal of African politics, let me give an example. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison and became the first Black president of his country, he was hailed as a living legend. He was invited to lead on many peace initiatives around the world, Northern Ireland, Burundi, etc. His country sold weapons to Rwanda that helped invade DRC. And his overall attitude towards Rwanda’s Paul Kagame from 1994 onwards, plus the pursuit of South African national interests in the Great Lakes region, enabled the situation that we see today in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Had South Africa of Nelson Mandela been out the Great Lakes region affairs, the situation would probably be different. But because Mandela international status was not questionable, it was used at the expense of today 8 millions of Africans and the repression of 10 millions of Rwandans by Paul Kagame’s regime. One might think that this is an exaggeration of considering that Mandela had much to do with what is happening in the region; but there are many interconnections which are not always obvious, but while being significant in their impacts. Etienne Tshisekedi is legendary in Congolese politics so much so that it would be seen as inappropriate to question his stand on certain issues. Patrick Mbeko is pointing at his position on Rwandan involvement in DRC. In the same way the position of the former Rwandan former prime minister Faustin Twagiramungu on RPF deepened the Rwandans’ suffering, lets hope Congolese people will be more wiser about their venerated leader Etienne Tshisekedi with his views about Rwandan interference in DRC affairs.
UN Security Council condemns ‘any and all outside support’ to M23 armed group in eastern DR Congo
Amb. Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala presides over the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
19 October 2012 – The United Nations Security Council today reiterated its condemnation of and demand for an end to all external support being provided to armed groups – in particular the group known as the March 23 Movement (M23) – which have been destabilizing the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over recent months.
“In this regard, the Security Council expresses deep concern at reports indicating that such support continues to be provided to the M23 by neighbouring countries. The Security Council demands that any and all outside support to the M23 as well as other armed groups cease immediately,” Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala, which holds the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of October, said in a presidential statement.
“The Security Council calls upon all countries in the region to condemn the M23, as well as other armed groups, and to cooperate actively with the
Congolese authorities in disarming and demobilizing the M23 as well as other armed groups and dismantling the M23 parallel administration,” the statement added.
The DRC’s eastern provinces of North and South Kivu have witnessed increased fighting over recent months between Government troops and the M23, which is composed of soldiers from the DRC’s national army who mutinied in April.
In addition to the violence leading to an alarming humanitarian situation, marked by rape, murder and pillaging, the fighting has displaced more than 300,000 people, including many who have fled to neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, as well as within DRC.
Peacekeepers from the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO) have been aiding the DRC’s Government troops in their efforts to deal with the M23. Earlier this week, six UN peacekeepers and a local interpreter were wounded in an overnight ambush while returning from a patrol with 12 other peacekeepers near Buganza in North Kivu province after finding the bodies of four civilians.
As well as expressing deep concern regarding the deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC – caused by the M23 as well as other armed groups – the Council also condemned the M23’s attacks on civilians, humanitarian actors and UN peacekeepers, and its abuses of human rights, including summary executions, sexual and gender based violence and large-scale recruitment and use of child soldiers.
It called for perpetrators, including individuals responsible for violence against children and acts of sexual violence, to be apprehended, brought to justice and held accountable for violations of applicable international law.
“The Security Council expresses its intention to apply targeted sanctions against the leadership of the M23 and those acting in violation of the sanctions regime and the arms embargo and calls on all Member States to submit, as a matter of urgency, listing proposals to the 1533 Committee,” according to the Council’s presidential statement.
The Council’s 1533 Committee deals with an arms embargo which applies to non-governmental entities and individuals operating in eastern DRC, as well as targeted travel and financial sanctions.
In the presidential statement, the Security Council stressed the urgency of constructive engagement and dialogue between the DRC and its neighbours, especially Rwanda, and the need to address the underlying causes of the conflict in eastern DRC.
It welcomed the efforts of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, as well as of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), to restore peace and security to the area.
The ICGLR held a meeting at which it discussed the issue of eastern DRC in Kampala, Uganda, last week.
“The Security Council takes note of the decisions by the ICGLR and the AU regarding the deployment of a ‘Neutral International Force’ in eastern DRC and takes note of the ongoing coordination efforts between these organizations and the United Nations to clarify the objectives, modalities and means of the proposed Force in relation to MONUSCO,” according to the Council statement.
In September, the ICGLR launched, in the eastern DRC town of Goma, the so-called Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM). First discussed in June, the mechanism is a technical body, comprising experts from both DRC and Rwanda and those of the UN and AU, to address DRC-Rwanda border security issues.
“It further welcomes,” the Council statement read, “the support provided by MONUSCO to the EJVM and encourages, in coordination with ICGLR members, the participation of MONUSCO, as appropriate and within the limits of its capacities and mandate, in the activities of the EJVM and the reporting on any flow of arms and related materiel across borders of eastern DRC.”
The Council also called on the Secretary General to continue his ‘good offices’ and to explore, when appropriate, further high-level diplomatic mechanisms to facilitate dialogue between relevant parties, including on the underlying causes of the conflict in the African country’s east.
In addition to other methods, the UN chief uses his ‘good offices’ – steps taken publicly and in private, drawing upon his independence, impartiality and integrity – to prevent international disputes from arising, escalating or spreading.
MONUSCO, with 19,000 uniformed personnel, is the latest iteration of UN peacekeeping missions that have helped to bring stability and civilian elections to the vast nation after it was torn apart by civil wars and rebel movements. Outside of the east, much of the country has achieved a measure of stability.
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