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MOUVEMENT RWANDAIS POUR LE CHANGEMENT DEMOCRATIQUE
(M.R.C.D)
Postal address: Avenue Baron Albert D’Huart, 124 1950 KRAAINEM, Belgique
Electronic address: presidence@mrcd-ubumwe.org
Excellency Mr. Filippo GRANDI
High Commissioner for Refugees
PO Box 2500
CH-1211 Geneva 2 Deposit
Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 739 8111, Fax: +41 22 739 7377
Subject : Alert on the massacre of Rwandan refugees in the DRC
Excellency High Commissioner,
The MRCD, a political platform bringing together four opposition parties and committed to peaceful change in Rwanda, has the honour to appeal to your high authority to condemn the concerted and organized massacre of Rwandan refugees in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
To begin with, it should be noted that the current serious events are neither a surprise nor a simple crime: the ongoing massacre of refugees is a recurrence, even a permanent crime, since the Rwandan refugees have been subject of murderer since September 1996, date when their refugee camps were destroyed in the then Zaire (current the DRC). At that time, the Rwandan motive was to hunt down the alleged all the genocidaires as well as the members of the former Rwandan army (FAR). Ultimately, this objective resulted in a disaster where nearly 600 thousand refugees were murdered as it is has been depicted in the Mapping Report of the UN. (See https://www.ohchr.org/documents/countries/cd/drc_mapping_report_final_en.pdf)
The current massacre is not a surprise to anyone. Since last October, the government of the DRC in Kinshasa succumbed to the project of General Kagame to constitute a sub-regional military coalition (Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and DRC) in order to eradicate the “armed groups”. However, when it became clear to all that the genocidal dictator Paul Kagame wanted to massacre the refugees, all the states of the Great Lakes region withdrew from the project and Rwanda found itself abandoned.
The torturer Paul Kagame, however, was able to persuade President Tshisekedi who agreed to jointly conduct the ongoing operations. Thus, officially, the massacre of refugees in progress, is an “operation of eradicating the armed groups led by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), but in reality –according to Congolese soldiers – it is the Special Forces of the Rwandan army of Paul KAGAME (RDF) who lead these operations. (http://www.therwandan.com/fr/assacre-des-fugies-rwandais-with-helicopteres-de-combat -and aircraft de chasse-in-the-forest-Congolese-to-south kivu/).
Here is a summary of the facts:
Since November 11th, 2019, Rwandan and DRC’s troops had encircled the Rwandan refugee camp in the Kalehe area of South Kivu. The opening of the fire took place in the night of November 25th , 2019 while heavy bombardments took place from midnight, and close combat with automatic weapons began at dawn on Tuesday, November 26th , 2019.
The refugees, mostly children, women and elderly people have hurriedly left the camp to seek refuge in the forests surrounding the area, including Kahuzi-Biega Park. Under the complacent gaze of MONUSCO, refugees were shot dead while others were wounded. A group of about 1,500 people tried to seek refuge at MONUSCO but, against all odds, MONUSCO refused to welcome them and ensure their safety. Since Friday 29th, 2019, survivors are attacked by fighter jets and helicopters.
Excellency Mr. High Commissioner,
We should recall the conventional standards of refugee protection that condemn such actions against a group of refugees recognized as such. Indeed, these refugees, after having been the subject of a biometric census since April 2015, have been recognized both by the Congolese State and by UNHCR (http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20150802-rdc). -ardu-census-refugees-Rwandan-hcr-Katanga equator-kivu). More than 75 per cent of these refugees are children under the age of 17, born and raised in exile. How in the 21st century can innocent human beings be hunted down at this point and savagely executed?
Your Excellency,
Considering the facts summarized above, the MRCD-UBUMWE hereby requests your highest authority:
– To directly intervene as a matter of urgency and demand the immediate cessation of all ongoing military operations;
– To gather the support of regional and international powers to dissuade Rwanda from the continuous commission of crimes against humanity in the DRC;
– To mobilize the international organizations, and in particular of the Economic and Social Council of the UN but also the International Committee of the Red Cross to give all the necessary relief to the survivors
-To remind both the DRC and Rwandan governments of their
obligations as signatory parties of the Convention of 28 July 1951, but also to other international human rights treaties, including the UDHR (1948), the ICCPR and the ICESCR (1966).
Lastly, Excellency, Mr. High Commissioner, the MRCD-UBUMWE requests an audience with you in Geneva at your earliest convenience, in order to provide you with more information and to express the grievances of the Rwandan refugees around the world and in the DRC in particular.
Yours faithfully,
Done in Brussels, December 04th, 2019
For the MRCD-Ubumwe, the College of Presidents:
Wilson IRATEGEKA, President-in-Office
Paul RUSESABAGINA, Vice President
Kassim BUTOYI, Vice-President
Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU, Vice-President and Spokesman
Copy for information:
– Mr Antonio Gutteres, UN SG;
– His Excellency Felix #Tshisekedi, President of the DRC;
– His Excellency Paul #Kagame, President of Rwanda;
– His Excellency Emmanuel #Macron, President of France;
– His Excellency Donald #TRUMP, President of the United States of America (USA);
– Mrs Ursula #VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission;,
– His Excellency YoweriKaguta #MUSEVENI, President of Uganda;
– His Excellency Pierre #NKURUNZIZA, President of Burundi;
– His Excellency John #MAGUFULI, President of Tanzania;
– His Excellency #JoãoLourenço, President of Angola;
– His Excellency Uhuru #KENYATTA, President of Kenya;
– His Excellency Denis #Sassou-Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo;
– His Excellency Vladimir #PUTIN, President of the Russian Federation;
– Mr Boris J#OHNSON, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom;
– His Excellency #Xi JINPING, President of China;
– Mrs Sophie #Wilmès, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium;
– Human Rights Watch ;
– Amnesty International;
– International Federation of the League for Human Rights (#FIDH).
– #ICRC.
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