This is true everywhere. But when it becomes a question of survival, those who can save themselves have to leave their country. Such is the case with thousands of Rwandan Hutus who were forced to flee their homes in the aftermath of the military victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in July 1994.
Even though these Hutu refugees are afraid to return to their country because of the
reprisals that surely await them, they have been forcibly repatriated to Rwanda since 1995.
At the time of this writing, a three-party agreement has been signed between Uganda (the host county), Rwanda and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR). According to this agreement, Rwandan Hutu refugees who find themselves in Uganda must leave by 31 July 2009.
It is very important to recall that some, if not all, these refugees were forced to flee certain death in Rwanda on three separate occasions. Some were repatriated from Tanzania at the end of 1996 when their camps in that country were closed down. Earlier in 1995, Burundi had taken in some of these expelled Rwandans before, then, repatriating all the refugees on its territory. IN addition, there were the repatriations from the camps in North and South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the former-Zaire.
Not being able to stay in Rwanda because of the enormous dangers of being killed there, those refugees who had managed to escape arrest by the Gacaca courts were able to find refuge in Uganda, though life in the camps there was very hard.
Unfortunately, these refugees continue to be pursued by the same agents that have been hounding them since 1994. In addition, it seems ironic that this repatriation agreement was signed at a time when a significant part of the international community through its Human Rights organizations, as well as certain countries, like Holland, Sweden and Canada, had already suspended financial aid to Rwanda.
In order for this repatriation to succeed, the Humanitarian Organizations, headed by the UNHCR, have decided to suspend all aid to those refugees who do not demonstrate a strong willingness to return to Rwanda. The real pity is the overwhelming silence with which the world has responded to this matter. No one has raised his or her voice to condemn this forced repatriation of Rwandan Hutu refugees.
While at the same time, many international organizations and Western governments have increased their appeals in favor of Sri Lankan civilians caught between the armed forces of the Royalists and the Tamil rebels. Furthermore, these are the same geopolitical players who mobilized their energies to stop the Swine Flu epidemic that broke out in Mexico.
As the Secretary-General may aware, the Ugandan and Rwandan military governments have again making mass forced repatriation and deportation of the Hutu Rwandan refugees from the Ugandan camps of Nakivala to Rwanda, an act that is unacceptable on human rights grounds.
On behalf of the Association of Rwandan Refugee Survivors (ARGR – INTABAZA), we recommend to:
The Ugandan and Rwandan Governments
The Ugandan government should respect the principle of non-refoulement that constitutes the cornerstone of the international system for the protection of refugees and recognize that it is the most fundamental of the refugee rights. Going beyond this law by expulsions and deportations remains unacceptable in any manner whatsoever pretext to Rwanda where they undoubtedly will be persecuted.
The UNHCR, OIM and other humanitarian NGOs
We call on the UN institutions, UN organizations and NGOs to suspend repatriation of Rwandan Hutu refugees who survived massacres of the Tutsi-led government in the Congolese camps and forests from 1997 up to 1998.
Concerning the solution to the problems of Rwandan refugees, there is no denying that the Rwandan Tutsi-led government has several times refused to take the initiatives from dialogue and diplomatic community. It is quite clear now that the Rwandan Tutsi-led government will not respond to the quiet-diplomatic persuasions, political opposition requirements and engage fair negotiations between all involved parties, Association for Rwandan refugee survivors, the Rwandan civil society and the opposition political parties involved in the conflict. Al of them should make it happen in favor of durable solutions to the everlasting peace in Rwanda.
The UN Security Council in particular
We call on the United Nations to take immediate steps that will bring Uganda and Rwanda into conformity with international law as befit member states of the United Nations.
We request that the Secretary-General give U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees a necessary mandate to protect the Hutu refugee survivors from their executioners, the current Rwandan government. In addition, the UNHCR, the Ugandan government should ensure that their treatment of Hutu refugee survivors conforms to the existing international law and Humanitarian principles and practice.
All of those refugee survivors and returnees from 1996-1998 RPF mass-slaughters should benefit from non-derogatory human rights as the right to protection from the arbitrary depravation of life, and against torture or cruel inhuman treatment like deportation or punishment. They should benefit the right not to be subjected to forced repatriation, the right to recognition as refugees before the law based on the provisions of the 1951 refugee convention and its 1967 protocol of the African convention on Human rights.
We finally call upon the U.N. General Assembly to denounce such unlawful act and to request the Ugandan and Rwandan authorities to immediately suspend the Hutu animalization and prejudice for making easier and speeding up their extermination.
Finally, I thank you for your kind attention to Rwanda matters.
Yours respectfully and sincerely,
Jean-Christophe Nizeyimana
Executive Secretary
ARGR – INTABAZA
The Truth can be buried and stomped into the ground where none can see, yet eventually it will, like a seed, break through the surface once again far more potent than ever, and Nothing can stop it. Truth can be suppressed for a “time”, yet It cannot be destroyed. ==> Wolverine
