Regional
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.