AMAHORO-PEOPLE’S CONGRESS

http://newrwanda.org

To H.E. President George W. Bush

Peace and Security in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Mr. President,

AMAHORO People's Congress[1] begins by expressing its solidarity with the American people, during this time when the world remembers the many innocent lives that were taken on September 11, 2001.  The terrorist acts of that historical day were an affront not only on America and Americans, but also on all peace loving people of the world.  We stand with you, your administration, and the American people in the fight against terrorism and would like to see it eradicated.  We believe that the most effective weapon against terrorism is to promote freedom and democracy around the world.  We, AMAHORO People’s Congress, take pride in contributing to this effort, by promoting democracy in Rwanda and in the Great Lakes region. 

Mr. President, for the past decade, the people of the Great Lakes region of central Africa have witnessed much suffering due to interminable wars in that region.  In 1994, the world witnessed the genocide of Tutsis and the massacres of Hutus in Rwanda, where over one million people were killed in less than 90 days, in the most inhumane manner.  Even though the US did little, if anything, to stop the genocide; and by your stated position, would even do less should another genocide take place, we, nevertheless, do recognize the efforts it has made to bring to justice those responsible for the said genocide and massacres.  The United States supported the UN Security Council resolution 955 which setup the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).  The US has also provided monetary rewards to help apprehend those responsible for the genocide.  This rewards program, has already helped in the capture of two principal figures in the planning and execution of the genocide of Tutsis in 1994.

AMAHORO People's Congress strongly believes in the value of accountability and justice.  We maintain that without justice there can be no reconciliation and without reconciliation, there can be no hope for the building of a lawful nation-state.  It is for this reason that we extend to you and your administration, our sincere thanks, for your effort in ensuring that those responsible for the genocide of Tutsis and the massacres of Hutus are brought to justice.  It is for this reason again, that we have asked the Rwandan government to stop its obstructions to the work of the ICTR and to comply with UN Security Council resolution 955.  We have also asked the UN Security Council to ensure compliance with the said resolution as it is mandated to do.  Given the continual failure of the Rwandan government to carry out justice, the ICTR remains the only open recourse for the genocide survivors seeking justice.

AMAHORO People's Congress recognizes however that bringing to justice those responsible for genocide is only a part of what is needed to bring about lasting peace in the Great Lakes region in general and in Rwanda in particular.  There must be a parallel move to democratize the countries in the region.  We believe that the current state of affairs is nothing more than the result of the bad governance of self appointed, corrupt, and criminal governments, which are accountable to no one.  This is why we have taken up the challenging task of championing democracy and good governance in Rwanda.

We have been asking President Paul Kagame to allow democracy to take root in Rwanda without much success.  In the last few years, we have witnessed harassments, beatings, imprisonments, and even assassinations of political opponents in Rwanda.  Former President Pasteur Bizimungu, former minister Charles Ntakirutinka, former representative Jean Mbanda, and many others are currently in prison for some cooked-up charges, for simply having denounced the abuses of the Kagame regime and voiced differing political positions.  The Kagame government’s record on human rights leaves much to be desired, as reflected in the numerous reports of human rights organizations.  This is the more devastating for a country still recovering from the apocalyptic events of 1994, the ensuing massacres, two wars in the DRC, and battles against the Ugandan army in Kisangani, DRC. 

The current political mayhem is being aggravated by the unilateral drafting of the constitution by the Kagame regime, which constitution is to lead to the recently announced 2003 elections, in a virtual one party system.  Such a constitution, devoid of any input from a truly national debate, in a country such as Rwanda, with deep wounds of war, genocide, and ethnic conflicts, can only constitute a roadblock to democracy, reconciliation and the building of a stable State.  Given the fact that the said constitution is being funded by USAID, we recommend, Mr. President, that the funding of this project be tied to the participation of the   opposition, in order to ensure that American aid is used to promote democracy, liberty, and justice for all.

Mr. President, the USA is in a unique position to influence events in the Great Lakes region of Africa.  We hope that the current meetings with leaders of the countries in the region will be used to convey to them the necessity to promote democracy in order to bring lasting peace to the region and thereby contribute to the ongoing effort to combat instability and terrorism in the world. 

AMAHORO People's Congress looks forward to working with your administration and the international community, to restore peace and stability, and to promote democracy in Rwanda and in the Great Lakes region of central Africa. 

Sincerely,

Jeff Nsengimana

Vice President

AMAHORO People's Congress