December 13, 2017
Rwanda National Congress (RNC) condemns the government of Rwanda, for a smear campaign against RNC that is being spread through Government owned newspapers, suggesting that Uganda is helping RNC to recruit refugees to join a rebel group intended to oust the government of Rwanda.
In an unusual twist however, Kigali through the same newspapers that initially suggested that Uganda was helping RNC, contradicted itself after a Ugandan newspaper ‘Softpower’ published a story titled “Police Intercepts Rwandan Refugees on Missionary journey to Tanzania, ties them to rebel group”. Kigali government through its online media propaganda papers Virungapost, and Igihe reported that, Police arrested young people on their way to an RNC military training in D.R.Congo. The contradictions raised serious concerns of how Rwanda government is maliciously accusing the government of Uganda for supporting an RNC armed group seeking to destabilize Rwanda. One may ask how, in one week, the same government that is assisting the organization, Rwanda National Congress creating an army to fight Rwanda government, will arrest people from the same organization for doing exactly what the government of Uganda wants them to do. The story seems to suggest that, Ugandan government and Ugandan Police are two different entities, which work against each other.
Rwanda National Congress is aware that Rwanda government has employed the strategy to call RNC a terrorist organization in its continuous attempt to restrict free speech, under the false belief that labeling us terrorist will limit association with us and hopes that the world may not pay attention to our call to the government of Rwanda to open political space; free speech, democracy and respect human rights, freedom of assembly and religious freedom among other things.
It is ironic however, that Rwanda government under RPF leadership forgot so quickly its recent history. It was only twenty seven years ago that RPF/RPA was described as a terrorist organization and its members labelled as cockroaches.
Rwanda National Congress is also aware that, Kigali regime is spreading terror among Rwandan community and in the entire region by sending secret operatives to monitor people going for religious conferences, weddings, funerals and branding all social gatherings as RNC recruitment initiatives, hoping that people will be afraid to associate with us. Since it appears that the Government of Rwanda is obsessed with Rwanda National Congress activities. We ask the government to solve the problems of refugees by refraining to hunt them down in the respective countries they fled into, and open political space in order to pave way for possible dialogue with the opposition groups.
Rwanda National Congress wishes to remind the international community that Rwanda Government have made it a habit to denigrate leadership and security apparatus of a neighboring countries in the hope that Kagame’s totalitarianism can be extended beyond Rwandan borders. It is high time they recognize where Rwandan borders are.
Rwanda National Congress takes this opportunity to urge the governments of neighboring countries to resist the spread of terror on Rwandan refugees and citizens of Rwandese origin on their respective territories.
Rwanda National Congress is aware that Rwanda government has been training Burundian dissidents, arming them and deploying them to attack Burundi. Now, Kigali is fabricating stories against RNC in the attempt to link us to the same areas the Rwandan government has deployed Burundian rebels in Minembwe, in order to divert the attention of the government of DRC and the international community from its illegal actions and use RNC as a scapegoat to provide cover for RDF sinister looting spree of DRC resources, and invasion of neighboring countries. In this diversionary tactic, Rwandan Government might be looking to cover up the mayhem that might be caused by the RDF and Burundian rebels that it supports and attribute the mayhem to the RNC. We strongly condemn this tactic which is everything but new.
Since 1996 Rwanda has invaded DRC four times under the pretext of pursuing its enemies but they have ended up killing civilians and looting resources. First, under AFDL with the late Desire Kabila; then in 1998 under RCD; in 2003 under CNDP of Laurent Nkunda; and in 2012 under M23. Now RDF is preparing to enter DRC under the cover of Burundians opposition groups.
Great Lakes Region analysts including Didace Gasana suggest that Rwanda could be behind the killings of Tanzanian peace keepers in DRC. This theory should not be dismissed. Investigators should look into it seriously.
Lastly, Rwanda National Congress’s reliable sources indicate that Rwanda government keep mentioning Minembwe as a base for RNC because Kigali regime is planning to attack the Banyamulenge who broke ranks with Rwanda by refusing to join M23 and ally with them in their agenda to destabilize DRC.
Rwanda National Congress wish to inform the government of Rwanda and the international community that we will not accept to be bullied, and we call for the international community to address the grave concerns of human rights abuse by the Rwanda government and to open political space for dissenting voices. We condemn the terror exerted on the Rwandan population and the spread of terror outside Rwandan borders by the government of Rwanda led by the RPF.
Jean Paul Turayishimye
Rwanda National Congress
Spokesperson
Phone: 508.335.8771
