Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

The San Antonio Declaration by the Rwandan Civil Society in Exile with Regard to Human Rights Situation in Rwanda

By Antoinette Uwimpundu
Spokesperson for WTRR
Women for Truth and Reconciliation in Rwanda
E-mail: auwimpundu47@yahoo.com


San Antonio, Texas
September 19, 2009

Also available in Français.

Texas (San Antonio) - Representatives of the Rwandan civil society in exile met in San Antonio, Texas, on September 19, 2009 at the initiative of WTRR – Women for Truth and Reconciliation in Rwanda – and carefully examined the recent testimony by Ms. Claire Uwamutara as well as the on-going catastrophic human rights situation in Rwanda.

They are profoundly dismayed by the level of cruelty of Rwanda’s state security apparatus, and unreservedly condemn the on-going process of planned elimination of a part of Rwanda’s population as alleged in the testimony, including the widespread violation of human rights by the current regime. That’s why they request an immediate act of salvation by the international community and all those who champion peace, justice and freedom, and submit the following recommendations with a view to rescue the Rwandan people:

1. The allegations brought forth in Ms. Claire Uwamutara’s testimony are so scandalous that they provoke feelings of deep horror and dread. They add to an already long list of alarming elements compiled in multiple reports by human rights defense organizations, independent experts and journalists, all of which show that ethnic discrimination has been set up into a system of government by the Kigali regime, and that genocide continues unabated .

In the face of the monstrosity of these alleged crimes, how can the world afford to remain idle? The Rwandan civil society in exile begs all partners of Rwanda and the western superpowers that continue to support the Rwandan regime to stop turning a blind eye and to put an end to their support without delay.

In addition, given the gravity of its crimes, the Kigali regime under dictator Paul Kagame should no longer be granted membership or a seat within several highly respected international institutions such as the United Nations, the British Commonwealth, the Corporate Council on Africa, the Community of East African Countries, etc. The international community cannot afford to be neutral in the face of crime: it is either for or against the victims.

In other words, it cannot pretend to be unmoved by the horrible crimes under way in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region of Africa, or by the underlying moral teaching in famed Albert Einstein’s wise remark that “the world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”; it must finally resolve to change the vow “never again” into reality.

2. The secretive and skillfully executed ethnic cleansing holding sway over Hutus inside Rwanda as well as the persecution of all who oppose it pose a direct challenge to the moral conscience of all of humankind. It is these inhuman practices that continue to swell the number of Rwandan refugees and to keep millions outside of Rwanda. The Rwandan civil society is grateful to all countries that have welcomed Rwandan refugees on their soil, and urges them to continue to extend to them their brotherly humanity. It calls on them not to give in to pressure brought to bear by the regime in Kigali, and send the refugees back to their killers in Rwanda.

3. The women of WTRR are appalled by the singularly brutal fate awaiting women and children targeted by the Kigali regime as described by Ms. Uwamutara – at a time when the Great Lakes region of Africa especially in North and South Kivu in the DRC is in the throes of a vicious sexual violence flare up that targets the same vulnerable groups – and by lack of action on the part of the international community in front of such barbarity.

These sexual mistreatment acts, which lay bare the extreme sadistic and bestial nature of the criminals, offer yet again added evidence that urgent action is needed to protect vulnerable groups. The Rwandan civil society in exile implores the leaders of the world, most especially women in positions of power, such as Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and other First Ladies of the world’s superpowers, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay, and the president of Amnesty International Irene Khan, to treat as their own not only the scourge of sexual violence in the Great Lakes region of Africa but also the issue of crime that targets a part of Rwandan women in their very essence of procreation.

Compassion towards victims will always be incomplete as long as concrete and exemplary sanctions are absent against the Rwandan regime which, while indulging in self-glory as having the only parliament in the world with women in the majority, has nonetheless launched an all-out war against the woman’s body as denounced by Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton during her recent visit to Goma in DRC, and that’s in addition to availing a safe heaven to perpetrators of those horrible crimes such as ex-rebel leader general Laurent Nkunda.

4. The crimes against humanity and other serious violations of human rights still unfolding in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region of Africa are due to the blanket impunity that has been extended to the war lords at the top of the current Rwandan regime who, ironically, are suspected of having committed war crimes, crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and acts of terrorism, and are under international arrest warrants.

These crimes are an eloquent reminder of the stinging failure of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which has become a tribunal for the vanquished, and unfortunately, a part of the Rwandan tragedy rather than a part of its solution.

That’s why the Rwandan civil society in exile in general, and Rwandan women in particular, request the U.N. Security Council which created the ICTR with Resolution 955 of November 8, 1994, to own up to its responsibilities and ensure that this tribunal fulfills its assigned mission. They also demand that ICTR Prosecutor Boubacar Jallow put an end to his practice of ethnic discrimination against victims to be defended and the suspected criminals to be apprehended. It is only by way of truth, equitable justice, and the respect of human rights that the Rwandan people will achieve genuine reconciliation and build their nation on a solid foundation.

5. In light of Ms. Claire Uwamutara’s overwhelming testimony and on account of the unending recurrence of crimes of war, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and acts of terrorism that have aggrieved Rwanda for the last 19 years, the Rwandan civil society in exile is dismayed that the Rwandan people are still having to grapple with a combination of social, humanitarian, political and economic crises, all of which are the making of the RPF regime of general Paul Kagame and are rarely seen in other parts of the world. It finds that here is a situation that requires originality and audacity of approach for a solution.

That is why it feels compelled to make its position known without ambiguity on the leadership issue in our country. In many respects Rwanda today is similar to South Africa during the time of the contemptible Apartheid regime. Just as it took a special leader named Nelson Mandela to lead South Africans into a new era without racial confrontation, the Rwandan civil society in exile is firmly convinced that it will take no less than such a figure to bring about needed political change in Rwanda without bloodshed.

So it has asked Mr. Paul Rusesabagina, whose heroism during the 1994 Rwandan genocide has won worldwide acclaim, to come to the rescue of the Rwandan people one more time and consider contesting the presidential elections of 2010, thus giving Rwandans the chance of a choice, hope, peace and reconciliation. Mr. Rusesabagina, who attended the conference as president of “Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation”, thanked the attendees for their trust, and promised to give the idea deep thought before making a public announcement in the coming days.

Related Materials:
The state of governance and human rights in Rwanda does not satisfy Commonwealth standards

Uwamutara's testimony

Rwanda: Testimony on Kagame’s death squads

Rwanda: Damning testimonies against the Rwandan Patriotic Front

The Legacy of The Crematoriums of Rwanda

The Grinding Machine: Terror and Genocide in Rwanda

On The Myth Of Collective Responsibility In Rwandan Genocide

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 1:52 PM