***
RUD-Urunana
Rally for Unity and Democracy
Rwanda: RUD-Urunana Strongly Denounces Intimidation and Blackmail as A System of Governance.
Recently, the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC)launched in the governmental newspaper Mvaho Nshya No. 1909 of 3-9 August 2009 a Request for expressions of Interest for consultants targeting the opposition including RUD-Urunana leadership.
Based on that call for proposals, the expressed goal of such consultancywork aims at “the fact that the leaders of the FDLR and RUD, as well asa number of their deputies and key allies, live in Europe, the US andCanada is not accidental.
Rather, it reflects a policy to seekalliances and support abroad from foreign governments, regional andinternational organizations, the media, the church and NGO’s throughmisinformation and deception.”It is shocking and appalling of seeing a so-called national institutionhaving recourse to bogus studies to intimidate, blackmail,and silencethe opposition political leadership.
One would remember huge sums ofmoney that have been allocated to African Rights to produce questionablereports that included RUD-Urunana leadership. Such report was full ofinaccuracies, misrepresentations, and propaganda on the rwandan regimebehalf.A lot rwandans wonder what is the real role of the RDRC.
There are a lotof reports stating that the demobilized elements of the Rwandan DefenseForces (RDF) and new Hutu returnees from the Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC) have been enrolled by coercion either in the CNDP troops orhave been asked to join RDF units that were deployed in eastern DRC.
At the moment several reputable organizations including Human RightsWatch (HRW) and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)released critical reports that have put the Kigali’s regime on notice and pinpointed fundamental shortcomings of the rwandan political system,the Kigali’s regime is trying to blame the opposition of its misfortune instead of addressing the fundamental problems raised by kin observers of the regime performance.
Even independent media outlets are notspared: the recent suspension of an international broadcasting radio aswell as a local rwandan newspaper shall be taken in this context ofintimidation and stifling dissent.
The RUD-Urunana leadership does not have anything to hide.
Therefore,there is no need of hiring the so-called “experts” whose conclusions are already known.If the rwandan regime were really interested to know whatour organization proposes to tackle challenges that besiege our home land, let the rwandan government sits around the same table in a neutral setting with the opposition and the rwandan civil society anddiscuss all the issues that have hampered our country.
In such case, thecoalition of RUD-Urunana and RPR is ready to contribute without anyreservation to the success of such endeavor. Otherwise, spending huge resources while the great majority of rwandans are starving, areincapable of sending their children to school is irresponsible.As our organization has always pointed out, the Rwandan problem ispolitical in nature and requires political solutions.
To find lasting solutions to the overall problem of the rwandan refugees in the region,it is important that the root causes of the political instability be addressed. It is our firm conviction that as long as the underlying causes of the rwandan political problem would not genuinely be addressed, the populations of the region will neither enjoy lasting peace nor sustainable development and prosperity.
In order to foster a reconciliatory Justice system, the only foundationof genuine Reconciliation, we urgently ask to hold, under the auspicesof the International Community, an Inter-Rwandan Dialogue.
In addition,our organization calls for the organization of a “Truth, Justice, andReconciliation” Commission in our homeland that would help heal a traumatized society.
Our organization remains convinced that only this Dialogue would lead tolasting peace, stability, and the establishment of new political,judiciary, and security institutions that would be the reflection of the legitimate aspirations of all the constitutive groups of the Rwandansociety.
August 24, 2009
Dr. Augustin Dukuze
Spokesperson
