Why Rwanda terror victims want to meet Blinken

The victims of the terror attacks carried out by the MRCD-FLN terrorists led by Paul Rusesabagina in the Southern and Western provinces of Rwanda, have – in a letter – requested an audience with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he visits Rwanda from August 10 to 11.

On the visit of Blinken to Rwanda, African and American scholars have also written him an open letter, calling for a respectful and equal partnership free of condescending and moralizing positions. Regarding the crisis in eastern DRC, they invited him to adopt a holistic approach considering the political, economic, and socio-cultural ramifications of the Congolese situation. On the case of Rusesabagina, the scholars remind the Secretary of State that the lives of Rwandan citizens matter as much of those of American citizens.

Rusesabagina created the National Liberation Front (FLN), a criminal organization that served as an armed wing of his Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRDC).

In 2018, on three different occasions, his militias carried out violent attacks inside Rwanda, killing nine civilians, injuring several, and destroying properties. Paul Rusesabagina made several statements celebrating these criminal acts and claiming responsibility. On many occasions, he publicly announced his support to the National Liberation Front. In early 2019, in a video available online, Rusesabagina reaffirmed his allegiance to his criminal group, declared war against Rwanda, and called for recruitment and mobilization of combatants.

“We request an opportunity to have discussions with you on the devastating impact these attacks had and continue to have on our families. We wish to ensure our voices and experiences are not erased in the debates surrounding Paul Rusesabagina,” part of the victims' letter reads.

“Mr. Secretary, we noted with great alarm and sadness that there have been numerous calls from US government officials for the immediate release of Paul Rusesabagina on humanitarian grounds. We are very concerned that the justice that was served is now at significant risk considering the pressure being applied to release Paul Rusesabagina.”

The victims of the terrorist attacks by Rusesabagina's militia reiterate that he founded and financed a terrorist organization that carried out violent attacks on “our families” between June 2018 and October 2019.