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Thursday, August 26, 2010

“PUSH KAGAME HARDER”, ACTIVISTS TELL OBAMA

Contacts::
Kitty Kurth, Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation 312-617-7288
Friends of the Congo 202-584-6512
Africa Faith and Justice Network 202-884-9780
Email: rwandaelections@gmail.com

WASHINGTON DC (Wednesday, August 25, 2010): A nation-wide coalition of US activists is calling on President Barack Obama to go beyond recent White House criticism and intensify pressure on the government of newly re-elected Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

On Friday, August 13, a White House spokesperson, the National Security Council’s Mike Hammer, expressed the Obama Administration’s unhappiness about events in Rwanda. Hammer focused his ire on the repressive circumstances and the less-than-credible results of Rwanda's presidential elections on August 9.

The NSC statement made clear the White House view that today’s Rwanda is not a democracy and then went further to dismiss the “development first, democracy later” argument often used to excuse Mr. Kagame’s iron-fisted rule. “Rwanda’s stability and growing prosperity, however, will be difficult to sustain in the absence of broad political debate and open political participation,” Hammer said.

While welcoming Friday’s NSC statement, the advocacy coalition is demanding much tougher action against the Kagame government.

Several members specified the tougher policies they want to see in Obama's policy toward Rwanda.
Claude Gatebuke, a Rwandan genocide survivor and a leader in the coalition, linked American aid to improved democratization in Rwanda. He said the group wants President Obama to immediately terminate all military assistance and cooperation and also to freeze the $240 million that the US is scheduled to soon give Mr. Kagame.
"American aid to Rwanda must be nonmilitary. And that nonmilitary American taxpayer money should be unfrozen if, and only if, Mr. Kagame meets two conditions," Gatebuke said.
He outlined the first condition as "immediately widening Rwanda's democratic space which includes: completely freeing all political opponents, critics and the media; scrapping repressive laws; and engaging in good-faith discussions with all stakeholders about the way forward in Rwanda."
Rwanda’s behavior inside the Congo emerged as the coalition’s second condition. Kambale Musavuli, spokesperson for Friends of the Congo, outlined that condition, "In addition to allowing democracy inside Rwanda, General Kagame must be held accountable for his destabilization and looting of the Congo. President Obama must implement the bill he passed as Senator into law, PL 109-456 The Democratic Republic of Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act. That law clearly requires the US government to withhold aid to neighboring countries that destabilize the Congo."

Jacques Bahati of Africa Faith and Justice Network questions Washington’s cozy relations with President Kagame, "It is both mind-boggling and inexplicable how much The Congress and The Obama Administration have coddled the dictatorship in Kigali. Real American interests in Africa are hurt by this embarrassing relationship."
Experts in Washington say past actions by the coalition on behalf of the Rwandan people have seen results. They point to two taken earlier this year.

On April 30, group members organized demonstrations against President Kagame during his Oklahoma Christian University visit. Some reports claimed that the president was forced to use a side entrance.

And three weeks ago, on August 3, the activists organized a packed press briefing at the prestigious National Press Club, a mere stone’s throw from the White House. Unconvinced after hearing out Rwandan Ambassador James Kimonyo, the activists called on President Obama to denounce the August 9 Rwanda elections as sham.
The experts say that the NSC statement is therefore a shot in the arm for the Rwandan people and their struggle for democracy.

Observers also find it significant that both President Obama personally and the NSC statement have pointedly failed to congratulate Mr. Kagame on his electoral victory--something done routinely when Washington is pleased with an ally.
Still some coalition members remain skeptical. They question if the NSC criticism means President Obama is finally moving to add substance to his 2009 Ghana speech when he pledged to support strong institutions in Africa, not strongmen.

Maurice Carney, Executive Director of Friends of the Congo is among the unconvinced. He notes “There is no better litmus test for President Obama keeping his word than how he responds to the quintessential strongman of Central Africa, Paul Kagame. Will the president continue the carte blanche support for Paul Kagame despite his own 2009 rhetoric in Ghana? Or will Mr. Obama engineer a bold shift, from a half century of US support for strongmen, dictators and despots, to assisting and encouraging non-violent, pro-democratic forces and strong institutions?”

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

UN uncovers possible genocide in Congo: report

PARIS — UN investigators have uncovered mass human rights abuses in Congo in the 1990s including the possible genocide of Hutu refugees by Rwandan forces, a French newspaper reported Thursday.

A leaked report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), details massacres, rapes and looting by forces from various countries in two wars that rocked the former Zaire between 1993 and 2003, Le Monde said.
The most serious claims target Rwanda, whose forces along with Congolese troops allegedly shot, clubbed and axed to death vast numbers of ethnic Hutu refugees in Congo, including women, children and the elderly from 1996 to 1998.

The UN investigated massacres by these forces as long ago as 1997, according to a report received by AFP in 2005, but its efforts were disrupted by the subsequent outbreak of war and that report was never officially published.
The total number of victims of war crimes by various forces operating in the country, known since 1997 as the Democratic Republic of Congo, is "probably several tens of thousands," the UNHCR report said, according to the newspaper.

[ Impunity for RPF/RPA/RDF perpetrators of mass rape and mass-murder in Rwanda is itself the real cause and incentive for Kagame's proxy armies & RDF further crimes in Congo.
We do hope the UN investigators about the DRC mass rape will watch this video to realize : what's happening now in Eastern of Congo is the result of RPF/RPA/RDF impunity during the mega massacres and mass rape of 1996-1998. => ASI]

RPF crimes against Hutu refugees in Congo

After the genocide of minority Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, about a million Hutus fearing reprisals fled across the western border to Congo. Rwandan Tutsi forces raided refugee camps there in search of Hutu genocide leaders.
Le Monde quoted the UNHCR report as saying that "the systematic and generalised attacks (against Hutus in Congo) have several damning aspects which, if proved by a competent court, could qualify as crimes of genocide."

"The use of non-firearms, mainly hammers, and the systematic massacres of survivors after camps were captured show that the number of dead is not attributable to the hazards of war," it quoted the UN report as saying.

The acts allegedly involved a coalition of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (APR) of Tutsis and a Congolese force, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL), led by Laurent-Desire Kabila.

In the first of the two wars, between 1996 and 1998, the AFDL, supported by the APR, ousted the late dictator of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko.

The UN alleged in the unpublished 1997 report seen by AFP that its investigations at that time were obstructed by the administration of Laurent-Desire Kabila -- father of the current President Joseph Kabila.

After the elder Kabila toppled Mobutu, a second war raged from 1998 to 2003.

The genocide allegations were among some of "the most serious violations of human rights and international law" according to the report, which accuses forces from several other neighbouring countries of crimes over the 10 years.

Citing unnamed sources, Le Monde said Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who led the APR in its successful campaign to oust the Hutu administration in Kigali after the 1994 genocide, had fought to cover up the report, threatening to withdraw Rwandan troops from UN peacekeeping missions.

The daily cited unnamed Rwandan sources dismissing the allegations as "absurd".

The UN report is due to be published in September, the newspaper said.

The UNHCR spokesman in Geneva, Rupert Colville, said the newspaper had "the wrong version of the report," having obtained an early draft which "has gone through changes." He would not comment on the details reported by Le Monde.

"It's only a draft from about two months ago and the proper final version will come up very soon," Colville said.
Le Monde cited unnamed Congolese sources as saying that some of the people involved in the alleged abuses still held positions of power in the country.

Copyright © 2010 Agence France-Presse

Related articles:

NRC : Misdaden in Oost-Congo 'komen neer op genocide
TRouw : VN: mogelijk genocide in Congo in jaren '90
Skynet.be : Congo: VN-rapport stelt Rwanda verantwoordelijk voor genocide

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

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Kigali joue mal : Les Fdlr rapatriés ont été refoulés

Posté par Joachim Diana G.

Confusion entre Vraies et Fausses FDLR en République Démocratique du Congo.

Pour trouver votre réponse : A qui profite la confusion?

A qui profite la diabolisation des Fdlrs? Pourquoi ce nombre infini des Fdlrs???

Pour un retour à l’expéditeur, Kigali devrait utiliser la voie diplomatique pour dire au gouvernement congolais qu’il y aurait dans « le colis », des éléments non rwandais.Les attaques des Fdlr semblent obéir à certains agendas cachés de certains politiques congolais qui trouvent plaisir à démontrer que la lutte contre les Fdlr est un échec. Il y a longtemps que l’on parle du rapatriement volontaire des Fdlr. Cette opération n’a pas connu le succès qu’on attendait. Les Fdlr qui avaient intérêt à rentrer dans leur pays sous la protection internationale, refusaient de saisir la perche qui leur était tendue.

Le pasteur Daniel Ngoy Mulunda, parti dans l’Est du pays dans le cadre de l’opération « arme contre 50 dollars », s’est vu confronté à l’équation Fdlr. Il en a convaincus pour la délocalisation. Celle-ci s’est vite muée en rapatriement volontaire. Les candidats à la délocalisation au rapatriement ont été identifiés. Sur base des témoignages divers, ils ont été reconnus comme Rwandais et à leur demande, ils ont accepté d’être délocalisés. C’est ainsi qu’ils seront accueillis à Kasenge au Katanga. Mais aussitôt arrivés, certains d’entre eux ont tenté de s’en fuir arguant qu’ils voulaient rentrer chez eux au Rwanda. Ils avaient pourtant la latitude de choisir un rapatriement en douceur en lieu et place de s’en fuir.

Les autorités congolaises n’ont pas hésité, après les avoir rattrapés, à leur obtenir ce rapatriement. Devant cette opportunité, d’autres rebelles rwandais ont demandé également d’être rapatriés. Il y a eu donc une cinquantaine d’éléments Fdlr qui ont été rapatriés. C’est donc avec étonnement que l’on apprend qu’une vingtaine de ces éléments ont été refoulés du Rwanda pour cause qu’ils seraient Congolais. Par quelle magie donc, pour quel intérêt, les autres membres des Fdlr avaient-ils témoigné sur leur nationalité rwandaise ?
Dans le cadre de la transparence, au lieu de les refouler, pourquoi Kigali n’a-t-il pas repris contact avec Kinshasa pour lui faire comprendre que dans le colis, il y aurait de non Rwandais ? On reprendrait l’opération d’identification pour déterminer leur vraie nationalité. En les renvoyant en Rdc qui ne peut en aucune façon devenir la poubelle de tous les hors-la-loi de la région de Grands Lacs, Kigali fait de ces Fdlr des apatrides. Kinshasa va-t-il céder et ouvrir les frontières à ces Rwandais ? Il faut que les deux pays recourent aux voies diplomatiques notamment en mettant en place une commission mixte qui fera le travail d’identification. S’ils sont Congolais, ils devront dire de quel village. Leurs aïeuls les reconnaitront et les accueilleront.

Des Fdlr prête-nom
Il y a quelques mois, nous nous interrogions sur la vraie nature des Fdlr. On s’étonnait du fait que de plus en plus les Fdlr censées se battre pour un espace politique dans leur pays le Rwanda, se complaisaient à attaquer les populations congolaises qui leur offraient l’hospitalité. Pendant ce temps, la frontière rwandaise était en sécurité. Car, les Fdlr ne donnaient aucun signe de vouloir en découdre avec le régime Kagame. Si on se rend bien compte, c’est lorsqu’il y a de grands enjeux politiques en Rdc que les Fdlr, comme si elles veulent ajouter du leur, s’activent. Il faut être naïf pour ne pas comprendre que, pour ces Fdlr, c’est une façon de mettre de l’eau au moulin de certains mécontents congolais.
Contestation des opérations conjointes

Pour ne pas remonter jusqu’au déluge, on constate qu’après les opérations conjointes, les Fdlr, dispersées et militairement affaiblies, devenaient plus agressives et surtout elles sont devenues plus violentes. Elles attaquaient des villages parfois pour tuer. Tuer gratuitement. Il faut comprendre que par ces actes de violence aveugle, on voulait démontrer que les opérations conjointes étaient un échec. Qui avaient besoin de cette démonstration ? Ce ne sont pas les Fdlr. Car, ces rebelles rwandais n’avaient pas besoin de ce bras de fer au moment où ils avaient intérêt à ce que la Rdc n’ait pas la raison de leur mener une guerre en profondeur. Les observateurs avertis disaient à qui voulait les entendre qu’il y avait derrière les Fdlr un enjeu politique purement congolais. Si des politiciens congolais ne tiraient pas des ficelles, les Fdlr qui attaquaient n’étaient pas de vraies Fdlr. On peut s’étonner que les Fdlr, en dépit de toute la dureté de la vie, soient davantage revigorées au point de menacer réellement la paix en Rdc.

Protestation contre le calendrier électoral

Il avait suffi que le calendrier électoral soit publié pour que des casques bleus soient tués. Pour les observateurs avertis, c’est un signal très fort. L’attaque contre trois éléments de la Monusco mardi dernier à Kirumba au sud-Lubero, a été précédé par la prise d’otages. Une pratique qui, de l’avis de beaucoup d’observateurs, marquait une nouvelle forme de guerre et donc de nouveaux objectifs à atteindre. Tout cela n’avait rien de commun avec la revendication de l’espace politique au Rwanda. Avec la lutte politicienne en Rdc, oui.

Chaque fois, au lieu de chercher à pénétrer la vraie nature des Fdlr, on trouvait en leur lieu et place des justifications à ces actes. Ainsi avait-on expliqué la recrudescence des attaques contre les populations civiles par le souci des Fdlr de se venger contre les opérations conjointes menées conte elles. Aujourd’hui, on tente d’expliquer la violence actuelle par le non respect des accords de Goma. On prétend que les groupes armés n’auraient pas été intégrés dans les Fadc. Il n’y a plus de différence entre Fdlr et groupes érmés congolais. Et pourtant, l’autorité militaire ne demande pas mieux que de voir ces groupes déposer les armes et se rendre pour leur démobilisation ou leur intégration dans les Fadc. Non seulement beaucoup n’ont pas répondu à cet appel, mais aussi et surtout certains ce ceux qui avaient été intégrés ont choisi de reprendre du service dans les groupuscules armés.
Il y a donc un vrai problème. Un prêtre jésuite de l’Est du pays croisé par hasard à Kinshasa, se pose les mêmes questions que nous au sujet des Fdlr. Il est vrai qu’il existe des Fdlr, des rebelles rwandais, mais, il y a des actions prêtées aux Fdlr qui relèvent de la stratégie de certains politiques congolais. Il voulait dire que certains groupes armés agissaient et signaients Fdlr. Pour ce prêtre, on exagère l’importance des Fdlr en nombre et en équipement.

Lui qui effectue beaucoup de missions d’itinérance et qui contacte plusieurs personnes dans la région, les Fdlr avaient subi un vrai coup lors de différentes opérations militaires menées contre elles. Il n’est pas normal, constate-t-il, que sur le terrain, tout se passe comme si ces Fdlr n’avaient jamais été attaquées.

Si on ne peut pas parler des Fdlr, on développe des théories dangereuses en parlant des groupes armés liés aux communautés. Quelle est leur revendication ? A ce jour, on ne fait plus le distinguo entre les actions de ces groupes armés et celles des Fdlr. Il faut, estiment les observateurs, que la guerre de renseignement accompagne la guerre militaire pour découvrir les vraies et fausses Fdlr. A ce jour, ce sont les fausses Fdlr qui s’activent pour le compte des parrains politiques à Kinshasa, à Goma ou à Bukavu.

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

Monday, August 23, 2010

Tell General Kagame the truth about true democracy, equality and social inclusion

posted by Dan Wamushi

General Kagame's ignorance of democratic values accelerates the decline of Rwandans he pretends to value

The time to rise up against the brutish regime is now.
All Rwandans, ethnic brothers and sisters,
our rights, freedom and even lives
are seriously violated, so let's unite together.
It is time to fight.

While the European Commission, the British Government, Germany and Belgium spend more money for their taxpayers for Kagame's one-man-show election; He uses that aid to suppress political rights and freedom of Rwandan citizens.

The US, GB and EU commission's current aid to Kagame is controversial.You cannot sponsor elections you know they WON'T BE Free and Fair.

US, GB and the EU commission know the benefits of true democracy equality, human rights and social inclusion, which have contributed to their social, political and economic prosperity. They should tell General Kagame the truth now if they really care about Rwandan people. They should tell him the truth about what he needs to do if their foreign aid is for promoting democracy.

It is time for any nation to decide which side they will stand on.We need modern weapons to stand against this evil regime. Kagame's regime has no intention to change Rwanda in a postive way.
Traditional US, GB and the EU commission's aid through government-to-Kagame channels that strengthens RPF tyranny's policies, RPF death squads, more government arbitrary arrests, torture and terror, the aid shoud be aimed to strengthen democratic institutions, projects in the filds of pluralism, rule of law and civil society through extra or non governmental channels.
"Democracy is more than elections" => President Obama

Democracy is not the number of votes that you've got. It is all about how you got them;
Democracy is not the outcome of elections. It is all about participation and inclusion of other people who may have different solutions and proposals from yours;
Democracy is all about electoral conditions and electoral process;
Democracy is not cosmetic development based on showcase of one city. It is all about community development and participatory democracy, which you don't understand at all;
Democracy is not having 90% of your citizen unemployed and then claim to have more than 8% of GDP. It is all about giving them the opportunities to work and to sustain their families. In fact what this 8% of GDP is for, when more than 70% of Rwanda live below one $1 a day?
Democracy is not political and economic exclusion. It is all about economic equality and equity for all your citizens regardless of their ethnic backgrounds and foreign language spoken;
Democracy is not deciding who will compete against you in presidential elections or using your power to bribe other parties to support your elections;
Democracy is not preventing other citizens from competing against you in elections
Democracy is not using public funds (mainly foreign aid) both for your own political party and for government affairs;
Democracy is not obstructing the freedom of expression, association and assembly
Democracy is not preventing other people to have their political rights in the name of economic successes;
Democracy is not to fear political opposition parties and claim that you have won more than 90% of the votes. If you claim to have won more than 90% of the votes, you should not have any problem in allowing other citizen to compete against you. Why do you fear the opposition parties to exist in your country while you won 90 % of the votes?
Democracy is not using the genocide laws to obstruct political rights in your own country;
Democracy is not preventing other parties from registering and operating freely. Because you have the control of all security and military services in your country, why do you have problems that the opposition parties will create insecurity?
Democracy is not believing that you are the only man who can run the country or deliver;
Democracy is not believing that other people cannot achieve what you have achieved;
Democracy is not about pretending to be the superman or strong man;
Democracy is not obstructing alternatives views and solutions;
Democracy is not killing your political opponents or journalists;
Democracy is not believing that only other people and nations should be accountable about the genocide in Rwanda and that you, you have nothing to do with it;
Democracy is not one-sided justice;
Democracy is not justice for a few and injustice for the majority;
Democracy is not human rights abuses;
Democracy is not empowering politically, socially and economical one ethnic group and leave powerless other groups of your country;

General Kagame lies to the international donors and media in the hope that they will become less critical of his lousy policies. Looking at his current bihaviour, he is indiscriminate and actually lies to everyone. Yesterday, they were his voters, today they are Interahamwe, genocide deniers and terrorists !

More about Kagame's lies at: http://www.uk-africa.com/

Dictator General Kagame: Rwanda's democracy is still the model for Africa

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

Open Letter To General Paul Kagame, President Of Rwanda

General Paul Kagame,
President of the Republic of Rwanda
B.P.15 Kigali – RWANDA.

22nd August 2010

Dear Sir,
I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In direct reference to your published article “Rwanda’s democracy is still the model for Africa” of 19th August 2010, I beg to disagree with you as your close friends the Americans also reminded you through their White House statement of Friday 13th August 2010 Mr. President that, “Democracy is about more than holding elections.”

Unfortunately, August 09th 2010 was yet another missed chance for the people of Rwanda to take a step forward towards peace and reconciliation. It was a missed opportunity for all peace loving people of this world to see a step taken in the right direction to correct the bloody past wrongs in Rwanda and aim at the much needed reconciliations in the hearts of all Rwandans.

It was a missed chance by all people who have Rwandans at heart, foreign governments and international organisations to stamp down their feet and demand for peace, justice and respect for all the people of Rwanda. I am talking about a ridiculous claim that you won the Rwandan election with 93% of the vote in the just concluded Rwandan elections.
You very well know that the 09th August 2010 sham elections in Rwanda were elections where the poor people of Rwanda were herded in an exercise to legitimise your disguised bloody, autocratic rule against the people of Rwanda where the only choices they had on their voting ballot papers were Kagame against Kagame. Not to mention all the intimidations and atrocities committed to your real political opponents in the run up to these elections, the fear that was boiling in the hearts of the Rwandese people when they were being herded in these voting lines, can only be explained by the beheaded picture of the late Andre Rwigasira the Vice President of Green Party of Rwanda, an opposition politician who had dared to oppose you politically just days before these sham elections.

Quoting your article you said, “While few doubt my country’s rapid social and economic progress, too many observers are blind to the successes of our political evolution.”

Mr. President while I insist that this rapid social development and economic progress you are boasting of should be relative; it cannot at all replace the fundamental human rights of peaceful co-existence of all the people of Rwanda in their country. Before you started causing havoc on the country of Rwanda in 1990, when you started shelling its innocent people from Uganda with big sophisticated weapons and big guns, all this social development and the economic progress was there in Rwanda at even a faster rate than you would want people who do not know these facts to believe. People who know Rwanda can bail me out on this.

More to read on

OPEN LETTER TO GENERAL PAUL KAGAME PRESIDENT OF RWANDA

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

Afshin Elian Kletst Uit Zijn Nek

Afshin Ellian zal eens een geschiedenisles moeten volgen van de kerkelijke stromingen in Nederland. Het is namelijk uiterst irritant hoe het verzet in Christelijke kring tegen Geert Wilders keer op keer door Afshin en andere zogenaamde liberale rechtse schreeuwers wordt versimpeld tot een "Links-Rechts" tegenstelling. Laten we bijvoorbeeld eens kijken naar onderstaande quote van Afshin:

KPFA News, 08-22-2010 : Uganda mercenery recruits in Iraq

Posted by Ann Garrison

http://goo.gl/VaL9

©olored Opinions
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

Sunday, August 22, 2010

What Kagame Has Cost Us

Posted by Yoletta Nyange

Now Paul Kagame has acquired power legitimately, it's vital that ordinary people are included in his vision for Rwanda's future.

No one thought that Paul Kagame was going to lose the elections in Rwanda last week; indeed, no one expected there to be fully democratic elections in Rwanda. So why all the hype surrounding the event? If there were no expectations when he first came into power, there is no standard for judging him. If there are still none for his third term, it means he can exercise free rein over Rwanda.

The real question is this: what has Kagame done that was not expected of him as a president of a poor landlocked African country, with no resources? This man did not take power under a democracy, he took power at gunpoint. He's been a leading figure during the past two decades, having led the 1990 invasion, taken power in 1994 and now received carte blanche to rule until at least 2017.

By any account, Kagame has done a very good job in Rwanda, considering what he inherited. He turned Rwanda into a powerful brand: the tiny African nation with voracious ambitions. More than ever, capital is pouring into the country and financial reports are tailored to reassure the international community of donors and investors that their money is being well used.
But what does the economy stand for when 50% of the children are malnourished? Who does the annual economic growth of 8.3% and $500m of foreign investment benefit when 60% of the country lives below the poverty level on just $0.43 daily? There has been a lot of press about Kigali's remarkably clean streets, the ban on plastic bags and that walking barefoot in the capital had become illegal, all to the government's account. But this is a whitewash. Who said we needed a president to clean the streets under which 800,000 people are buried?
Certainly there have been benefits to Kagame's rule in Rwanda, but what has it cost us? Is the price equal to the good that he has done in Rwanda? Humanitarian disasters of biblical magnitude have hit the Great Lakes region: it is estimated that nearly 6 million people died as a consequence of the genocide. One million Rwandans are still living in refugee camps just outside Rwandan borders, while another million are spread around the world.

The reality is that there is enormous resentment brewing in the country. Only 12% of the population has access to electricity. While the country is blessed with fertile soil, food insecurity remains a significant threat in Rwanda. Some 90% of Rwandans subsist on agriculture, and feel bitter about the government's plans to push horticulture, call centres, and mining services forward on their empty stomachs.

In a country where land is the most important form of private property, farmers are forced to grow crops imposed by the government and sell them to get money to buy the food they need. They can no longer reap a harvest for their own family. Their plots are looted and they end up resettled in so-called "communal villages" (imidugudu), which is hard to cope with when Kigali is full of luxurious housing projects.

The justice system suffers from a deficiency of credibility, a poison that gradually but dreadfully threatens the country. Gacaca community courts and the ICTR have failed the expectations of Rwandans and the increasingly reluctant funder, the international community. Rwanda has the third highest incarceration rate in the world, behind the United States and Russia. Intellectuals are dead, jailed or in exile. The education system is ruined. A disruptive switch to English as the language of instruction, low morale and lousy salaries have teachers at the end of their tethers. Inevitably, Rwanda's professional community has become terrifyingly incompetent.

There is no such thing as a future for Rwandans under these conditions. Kagame's former allies talk openly about bringing him down. Terror attacks haven't come to an end with his reappointment. Westerners seem to have suddenly exposed the evil in their protege. And recent developments indicate that some governments are starting to disassociate themselves from Rwanda's president. None of these scenarios herald better times for the people of Rwanda.
But now he has acquired power, legitimately, can we expect there to be a balance between the costs and the benefits, in his third term of office? We can hope for peace in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the entire Great Lakes region. We can hope that refugees will stop being forcefully deported to Rwanda and exiles will be free to return to their beloved country.

It will mean that people will feel comfortable to live and prosper under the regime. We hope that he will open up and allow people to speak freely, heal together and walk towards a common future. And we hope that by 2017, then veteran president Paul Kagame will graciously leave the stage with all honours due to his rank, enjoy his retirement, set up a few charities and write his memoirs, while offering his 23 years of governing experience as guidance to his successor.

© The Guardian

Related article :

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Nederlandse en Belgische bedrijven betrokken bij grondstoffenroof in Congo

These lines are primarily used for freight instead of just passengers.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
=> ASI foundation

***
KLM gaat vliegen op hoofdstad Rwanda : ONZICHTBARE HANDEL

AMSTERDAM (Dow Jones)--fly-by-night (voor bekende oorzaak) KLM start met ingang van 31 oktober 2010 een lijndienst tussen Amsterdam en Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, maakt het onderdeel van Air France-KLM woensdag bekend.

Kigali, KLM's 64e intercontinentale bestemming, wordt vijf keer per week aangeboden op dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag en zondag met een tussenstop in Entebbe. De nieuwe vlucht wordt uitgevoerd met een Airbus A330-200, die plaats biedt aan 243 passagiers op dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag en zondag ??? Kigali winter tijd 21.30 en 20.10 (night hours) in zomer tijd. Kigali winter tijd 23.30 en 21.30 (night hours) in zomer tijd.

"Met de toevoeging van Kigali als nieuwe bestemming verstevigt KLM haar positie in Oost-Afrika. Deze regio is van groot belang in het omvangrijke netwerk van Air France-KLM", zegt president-directeur Peter Hartman van KLM.

Nederlandse en Belgische bedrijven spelen een sleutelrol bij het transport en de illegale handel van grondstoffen als coltan en diamant. Dat is één van de conclusies van een vijfkoppig panel van experts dat maandag een tweede rapport over de zaak voorlegde aan de VN-Veiligheidsraad. De luchtvaartmaatschappij Martinair wordt met name genoemd.

Volgens het rapport brengt nu de Nederlandse maatschappij Martinair vanuit de Rwandese hoofdstad Kigali twee keer per week een vrachtje coltan naar Amsterdam. Het felbegeerde coltan, een mineraal uit Oost-Congo waaruit het metaal tantalum wordt gewonnen voor gebruik in computerchips, werd tot april door Sabena vanuit Kigali naar Europa gebracht.

Martinair ontkent pertinent de grondstof coltan te vervoeren. 'Wij vliegen wel aan op Kigali, vervolgens vliegen wij met een vrijwel leeg vliegtuig verder naar Nairobi. Daarna keren terug naar Amsterdam met een nieuwe vracht bloemen. Wij willen dat deze mededeling over Martinair uit het rapport wordt gehaald,' aldus Erik van Doeselaar, woordvoerder van Martinair.

'In het rapport worden dit jaar geen namen van Nederlandse bedrijven genoemd die coltan importeren. Vorig jaar was dit wél het geval, maar de genoemde bedrijven zoals Veen, Eagles Wings, Patel Warehouse en Chimie Pharmacy waren heel moeilijk te achterhalen. Zij werken vaak onder valse namen en staan niet ingeschreven bij de Kamer van Koophandel,’ aldus Kirsten Hund van het Nederlands Instituut voor Zuidelijk Afrika (NiZA), die onderzoek in de regio deed.

De strijd om de controle over coltan, diamant, goud, kobalt en tropisch hout is de belangrijkste drijvende kracht geworden achter het conflict in Congo. Het deskundigenpanel concludeert dat de praktijken Congo arm houden en de kans op vrede in de regio verkleinen.
Naast Nederland en België zijn ook andere Europese landen, Zuid-Afrika, Israël en zowat alle buurlanden van Congo betrokken bij de ongecontroleerde grondstoffenhandel uit Centraal-Afrika.
Congolese diamant wordt onder meer via Uganda, Congo-Brazzaville en de Centraal-Afrikaanse Republiek naar Zuid-Afrika en naar België, Nederland, Israël en het Verenigd Koninkrijk gevoerd. De Hoge Raad voor de Diamant in Antwerpen verdedigt zich wel door te stellen dat er nog geen embargo rust op de aanvoer van diamant uit Centraal- Afrika.

De VN-experts stellen dan ook een moratorium voor op de import en aankoop van bepaalde waardevolle grondstoffen uit Congo. Dat zou tijd moeten scheppen voor het uitwerken en toepassen van maatregelen die de ongecontroleerde handel aan banden leggen.
Het panel van deskundigen wordt voorgezeten door de Egyptische VN-ambassadeur Mahmoud Kassem en bestaat verder uit Mujahid Alam (Pakistan,), Mel Holt (VS), Henri Maire (Zwitserland) en Moustapha Tall (Senegal).

Source

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

Friday, August 20, 2010

Maxime Verhagen Desinformeert Tweede Kamer

Posted by Ann Garisson

"Maar is er wel reden tot feest als je dit soort monsterzeges scoort"? F. Reijntjes.
Kagame en zijn entourage zijn onder meer in verband met de recent moorden en de massamoord van de Rwandese en Congolese burgers.

Tessel Blok, journalist bij Villa VPRO, interviewde op 10 augustus 2010 Filip Reintjens, kenner van de landen rond de Grote Meren in Afrika en verbonden aan de Universiteit van Antwerpen, naar aanleiding van de Rwandese verkiezingen. In dat interview (waarvan hier het transcript) doet Filip Reintjens de uitspraak dat Maxime Verhagen de Tweede Kamer in zijn beantwoording van Kamervragen op 30 juli 2010 met betrekking tot de context waarin de Rwandese verkiezingen plaatsvonden eigenlijk heeft "gedesinformeerd"

Het lijkt me voor de hand liggen dat Tweede Kamerleden de minister hierover aan de tand voelen. Na de verkiezingen in Rwanda probeerde het Ministerie van Buitenlandse zaken op 17 Augustus via ambassadeur Frans Makken er toch nog een enigszins kritische draai aan te geven in een overduidelijk onoprechte uiting van "bezorgdheid" waarin je tussen de regels vooral bezorgdheid over de eigen reputatie leest.

Victoire Ingabire van UDF-Inkingi is onder huis arrest, die in Nederland heeft gewoond. Spreekt heel mooi Nederlands.

Er mag tenminste aan de minister gevraagd worden wat de reden is voor de accent verschuiving sinds 9 Augustus. Wat zijn de nieuwe feiten? Het was ook al op 30 juli duidelijk dat er geen sprake zou zijn van vrije en eerlijke verkiezingen in Rwanda. Waarom heeft Maxime Verhagen de Tweede Kamer toen bewust voorgelogen? Waarom heeft Maxime Verhagen bij de beantwoording de informatie van mensenrechten organisaties, kritische specialisten zoals Filip Reyntjes, maar ook de informatie hierover van Victoire Ingabire's UDF-Inkingi partij en Frank Habineza's Groenen niet meegenomen?
Welke specialisten zijn wel geraadpleegd bij de beantwoording? Als de kamer dit gewoon laat gebeuren, kan Maxime in de toekomst bij de beantwoording van vragen van Kamerleden wat mij betreft ook putten uit het werk van Godfried Bomans.

©olored Opinions
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

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