FDU-INKINGI’S CALL ON THE RWANDAN GOVERNMENT MOUTHPIECE “ THE NEW TIMES” TO STOP ITS MALICIOUS ATTEMPTS TO DRAG ITS PRESIDENT MRS VICTOIRE INGABIRE UMUHOZA IN THE UN REPORT.

Justin Bahunga, Commissioner for External Relations and spokesperson-FDU-Inkingi

PRESS RELEASE

The FDU-Inkingi would like to make it crystal that it rejects any overt
or covert attempt to link Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, President of
FDU-Inkingi, to any moves to use force to access to power. It is not in
line with her political convictions, there is no ideological, strategic
or moral imperative for the Party FDU-Inkingi to take that route to
political power.

Ideologically, the party is fighting to put in place mechanisms that
allow democratic competition for and peaceful transfer of power. Mrs
Ingabire Umuhoza is on record saying in her speech when she arrived in
Rwanda on 16th January 2010, repeating it after her release on the 15th
of September 2018, when she called on all those who want to use force to
get to power to stop it. She reiterated once more in her New Year
message 2019 in which she stated that the objective number two of her
party after “rebuilding the social capital” is to “demilitarise the
state” meaning to end the culture of access to power through military
force as has been the case in Rwanda for the last 45 years.

Strategically the party is quite aware that change must come from inside
Rwanda and the work of the party is to empower people through awareness
raising to claim and enjoy their rights. The self-proclaimed liberators
from outside tend to take the population hostages for their so-called
liberation.

Morally the party is quite aware of the scourges of war, the destruction
of human life and resources that it involves. Rwanda has had more than
its share in the numbers of people killed. Therefore, the party will do
everything possible to avoid any recourse to war. It is in this regard
that Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza was quick to support the initiative
of the Rwandan Political opposition to ask dialogue with President
Kagame.

Unfortunately in a news article attributed to a certain Julius Bizimungu
entitled “UN report pins Kayumba Nyamwasa on rebel group”, the alleged
author tries to sinuously drag, by association, the President of
FDU-Inkingi Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza into UN report that writes
about an alleged armed rebel group called “P5” that is said to be led by
Kayumba Nyamwasa in exile in South Africa and plans to attack Rwanda.
According to the report, the group is said not to have attacked Rwanda
yet but strangely enough is said to have been fighting against rebel
groups opposed to the Burundi government.

As the acronym P5 also refers to the Rwandan opposition Platform
composed of five political parties that include FDU-Inkingi, the author
of the article, sinuously tried to associate Mrs Victoire Ingabire
Umuhoza to the alleged armed group. Although not mentioned in the
report, the author, tries to reinforce her responsibility deliberately,
hence misinforming readers that Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza has any
stake in the so called rebel force

The article in order to sow confusion about the credibility of Mrs
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza as a bona fide nonviolent political leader,
asserts that she was found guilty of inciting revolt against the
government, forming an armed group ( with an unknown name) to
destabilise the country and minimising genocide. The author avoids
deliberately to mention that Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza appealed to
the African court for Human and Peoples’ rights and that the ruling
about inciting the citizens against the government and minimising
genocide were quashed and that it stated that she had not received the
right of proper defence in the case relating to forming an armed group.
The court went further to grant Mrs Ingabire leave to ask for damages.

We would like to recall that the New Times played a very big role in the
campaign to get Mrs Victoire Ingabire arrested in 2010 and was very much
against the release of Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza through
presidential clemency.

The FDU-Inkingi would like to reassure Rwandans at large and its members
that its stand on democratic competition and peaceful transfer of
political power remains its overarching goal. We invite to reject any
diversionary tactics aimed at blocking our way to a reconciled and
democratic country, underpinned by the rule of law, respect for human
rights and equal opportunity.

Done in London on January 4, 2019.
Justin Bahunga
2nd Vice President, FDU-Inkingi
Contacts: [email protected]
Phone: +44-7988-883-576