Press release no. 017/ 2019/11/26
On the night of 25 to 26 November 2019, the FARDC (Armed Forces of the DRC), together with the Rwandan soldiers in Congolese army uniform, attacked and destroyed the Rwandan refugee camp in Kalehe territory in South Kivu. The Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD-Ubumwe) had nevertheless alerted the International Community of the imminence of these attacks given the encirclement of this camp since 13/11/2019 by members of the RDF (Rwandese Defence Forces) disguised as Congolese soldiers.
We denounce the silence and passivity of the International Community before such massacres against the survivors of the genocide perpetrated in Congo by the same troops of General Paul KAGAME in 1996-1998, as proved in the UN Mapping Report:
(https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/CF/Mapping2003-2015/2017CAR_Mapping_Report_EN.pdf).
These massacres of refugees are committed with the indifference of the UN military force MONUSCO, which has been present in the DRC since 1999. The MRCD-Ubumwe also recalls that MONUSCO has several soldiers not far from this camp of attacked refugees.
We call on the International Community to assume its responsibilities by providing assistance to these refugees in danger, although they are known and recognized by both the Congolese State and UNHCR, as recalled in our previous press release No. 016/2019/11/14 (https://mrcdubumwe.org/press-release-n-016-2019-11-14/), by condemning the recurrence of these massacres and by demanding an immediate end to the aggression and the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers from the DRC to prevent them from pursuing these crimes.
Brussels, November 26th, 2019.
For the MRCD-Ubumwe, the College of Presidents:
Wilson IRATEGEKA, President-in-Office
Paul RUSESABAGINA, Vice-Chairman
Kassim BUTOYI, Vice-Chairman
Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU, Vice-Chairman and Spokesperson
