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AKAGERA
- RHEIN e.V. Deutsch-ruandischer Kulturverein German – Rwandan cultural Association Association culturelle
germano-rwandaise |
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Akagera-Rhein e.V. Postfach 101745 04016 Leipzig;
Deutschland Tel./ Fax: 0049 (0)341 2562590 Mobile: 01733970278 E
–Mail: akagera@gmx.de
Unser Zeichen: A-R /2002.0206/ NT Datum: 27. septembre 2002\ |
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Open
Letter to His Excellency W. J. Bill
Clinton September 22,
2002
Former President of United
States of America
New York.
Subject: Your Visit to Rwanda.
Your Excellency,
Permit me on behalf of the members of
AKAGERA-RHEIN e. V, a German-rwanda Cultural Association, to say how great
honoured I am by addressing this letter to you at the eve of your second Visit
to Rwanda after the “Genocide” of 1994.
This is symbolic of your personal high interest
to the People of Rwanda and the good relationship between the United States of
Ameririca and the Republic of Rwanda. With your Visit to Rwanda next week, I
hope with current positive atmosphere in the Great Lakes Region, a lot will be
achieved. In fact, Your visit could be constructive in a sense of a lasting
Peace in Republic Democratic of Congo by the withdrawal, without any conditions,
of the Rwandan government troupes still in RDC and an impulse to Reconciliation
and democratic process in Rwanda whose bad Leadership imposes to Rwandan People
a violent Dictatorship.
Your Excellency,
Your visit to Rwanda offers me the opportunity
to remind you your last address to genocide survivors at the Airport in Kigali,
on March 25,1998.You were, as President of a great Nation, accompanied with a
great Delegation of Americans, Leaders of your Government, Leaders of the
American Congress and other distinguished Citizens. All the Rwandan People, and
especially the majority in the profound countryside, was very honoured and very
grateful to receive you all in Rwanda. You are again welcome to Rwanda after
five years of struggling, for this People, to survive against the traumatic
events of 1994, the genocidal violence in Refugees camps in eastern Congo, the
massive violations of human rights inside Rwanda and in neighbouring RDC. There
is no doubt that RPF and the Government of General Paul Kagame are directly and
indirectly responsible.
In your speech, you strengthened that
International Community, together with Nations of Africa must bear its share of
responsibility of the Rwandan tragedy, as well. Could you, Excellency, remember
that as you were expressing your profound regrets for having not acted quickly
enough after the genocide of Tutsis and the massacres of moderate Hutu began, a
genocide of Hutus in refugees Camps in eastern Congo was committed by the
solders of General Paul Kagame? The report of the Delegation of The High
Commissioner for Human Rights conducted by Mr Garreton that you’ve received is
credible and perfect in that sense. It was a political mistake to consider that
all the refugees camps were “Safe Haven“ of killers. It is the reason why,
Excellency, the International community and yourself as a Representative of a
Great and Democratic Nation, must be careful in the case of Rwanda. I would
pray you no more to applaud the so-called efforts of Rwanda government to
strengthen civilian and military justice system.
Your Excellency,
On that occasion, you thanked also your late
counterpart President Pasteur BIZIMUNGU who, accused meanwhile of inciting to
genocidal violence, is now jailed. This late President was in fact to create a
new Party. You thanked also the late Vice-President Paul Kagame who became
later President of Rwanda. You said that both have “great vision in their
effort to create a single Nation in which all citizen can live freely and
security”. Such cases of human rights violation are a lot under the Rwanda government, so I think that,
under this condition there could be no rule of law , unity and
reconciliation. During your visit to
Rwanda and in the Republic Democratic of Congo, you will understand that the
reality was different. Tutsis and Hutu, persecuted, are fleeing from their
country. The RPF regime, instead of strengthening democratic institutions,
promotes divisions and clears path to a kind of apartheid in the country, in
excluding the large majority of Rwandans of their own Governance. There is no
more commitment to lasting reconciliation and inclusion, no rule of law, no
Justice system. Shortly, the RPF regime became a violent dictatorichip whose
Army, since your address in Kigali, is still in RDC, and has provocated the
death of about 3.5000.000 Congolese civilians. How, Excellency, could you
tolerate and continue, as a high moral and prestigious Personality, to support
such a regime? Many of these abuses are directly linked to the exploitation of
the DRC mineral and natural wealth, such as coltan, diamonds, gold and timber.
I would like you to urge President Paul Kagame
to take immediate steps to open Rwanda to democratic liberties, to stop
persecutions against his democratic opposition inside and outside Rwanda,
harassment of innocent Hutu refugees in
the world, to halt the large-scale
human rights abuses in Rwanda and in RDC, including acts of tortures, unlawful
killings and illegal detentions.
Your Excellency,
I appreciate that the American Administration
supports the Rwandan judicial system and the International Criminal Tribunal to
bring to justice those who are suspected of genocidal crimes, crimes against
humanity, war crimes and other massive violations of human rights. May I
,however straighten that the local judicial system is partial, incredible and
consequently ineffective. Extrajudiciary executions are current and more than
125.000 men, women, children in detentions without serious charges since many
years, with “natural death”. As far as the International Criminal Tribunal is
concerned, the lack of cooperation of the Kigali regime is an impediment to its
work to eradicate the impunity and investigate the crimes committed by the RPF
as a rebellion and as a regime. Investigations on the assassination of the two
Presidents Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntalyamira of Burundi are
handicapped by the RPF and General Paul Kagame who are accused by many RPF
dissidents to be fully involved in the assassination on 6, April 1994.
The legacy of the genocide of 1994 continues to
mark the collective psyche of the Rwandan People. Because of the traumatic
events of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocides committed by both
belligerents however, the People of Rwanda rejects the ambiguity of both the
International community and the Rwandan Government in diabolising all Hutus who
are against the RPF discriminating policy. Excellency, I pray you to be more
clear and conscious on this fact before it could be late. President Kagame and
his clan have proved to be a threat to unity and reconciliation of Rwandans and
a danger to lasting peace in the region.
Your Excellency,
May I, once, reveal you that when Madame Madeleine Allbright your former Secretary State, was visiting Rwanda in September 1997, she was invited to visit the Congolese Tutsi refugees camps in Mudende (Ruhengeri) where she was presented a mass killings allegedly committed by the Hutu milicia men from Congo. It is now proved that the Rwandan Patriotic Army is responsible for those killings of Congolese Tutsi refugees in the aim to clean its image. General Paul Kagame and his clan are masters in lies and in manipulations. The RPA in eastern RDC is exterminating Congolese Tutsi Banyamurenge, who are against the occupation of their country by Rwandan Army. The RPF government is now expulsing the Congolese Tutsi refugees in Rwanda and send them to war zones in Eastern Congo. It is important that you pay attention to this manipulations by which your Administration has been many times victim in order you should make a clear and conscious decision to help implementing Peace and democratic process in Rwanda and in the Great Lakes region.
Your Excellency,
I thank you for your decision to revisit
Rwanda. It is an eloquent statement of your condemnation of genocide and other
crimes, solidarity with all victims and a challenge to the American People and
the International Community to work together to stem the recurrence of wars and
genocides in the region. I doubtless think that you will be able to do
everything you like to do to moralise the RPF regime to take its
responsibilities in delivering justice, for which there is now awareness that
Justice must be done and be seen to be done if national reconstruction and
democratisation are to occur. I hope that your visit will contribute to the
beginning of justice for all and democratisation to achieve freedom and
stability.
Thank you, Excellency, and God bless you.
Dr. Tharcisse Ngiruwonsenga
President of The German –Rwandans Cultural
Association
AKAGERA_RHEIN e.V.
Copy:
HE Mr. Dick
CHENEY
Vice-President
of the United States of America, Washington
Mr. Colin Powell, State
Secretary, State Department, Washington
Mr. Kofi
Annan, General Secretary of the UNO, New York.
Mr. The
Security Counsel President of the UNO
All Human Write Organisations