His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres Secretary General of the UN
Subject: Electoral masquerade in Rwanda
OPEN LETTER
Your Excellency Mr. Secretary General,
Considering the context of war of aggression prevailing in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Paul Kagame’s Rwandan army – RDF has invaded Congo under cover of the M23 rebel movement;
Considering the unspeakable suffering inflicted on the civilian population of Eastern DRC as a result of this war of aggression, motivated by the plundering of the country’s abundant natural resources;
Considering the latest report by UN experts, which describes the very serious violations inflicted on civilian populations as a result of this war of aggression, as well as the genocidal persistence of dictator Paul Kagame in his actions against the right to peace of the Rwandan people and the peoples of the sub-region;
Considering the recent “Rwanda Declassified” report, in which a consortium of renowned international journalists highlighted the flagrant disregard for fundamental rights and freedoms within Rwanda, a situation characterized in particular by the closure of political space, and the assassination and enforced disappearance of opinion leaders, including journalists and opponents;
Considering the unprecedented war effort in which the poor Rwanda families are forced to send their children to perish in the forests of the Congo as part of a devastating and unjust war;
Considering the programmed impoverishment of Rwandan citizens through unprecedented fiscal pressure, property spoliation, illegal expropriation and destruction of built heritage;
Considering the current electoral campaign in which dictator Paul Kagame plans to seize power in the framework of a 4th totally illegal mandate;
We, the Rwanda Movement for the Republic and Democracy (MRD), a political platform committed and determined to work for a change of government in Rwanda, come before your august authority to denounce the electoral masquerade underway in Rwanda and to warn you and the international community as a whole of the serious consequences that dictator Paul Kagame’s seizure of power will have on peace and stability in Rwanda and the sub-region.
Indeed, Your Excellency Mr. Secretary General, Paul Kagame is the greatest enemy of peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region: Having deliberately triggered the Rwandan genocide by shooting down the plane carrying the two Rwandan Heads of State, Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, on the evening of April 06, 1994; he played a leading role in the assassination of Burundi’s first democratically elected President, Melchior Ndadaye, on October 21, 1993, as well as the assassination of Congolese President Laurent Désiré Kabila on January 18, 2001. In addition to creating the M23 and masterminding the aggression against the Congo, Paul Kagame is the main architect of the failed coup d’état in Burundi on March 13, 2015; he is also founder and sponsor of the Red-Tabara movement, which is sowing death and desolation in the hills of Burundi with the aim of taking the capital Bujumbura and annexing Burundi.
And if we’re contesting the current presidential election, it’s because it’s both illegal and illegitimate. It is illegal, because after fiddling with the Rwandan Constitution in 2015, which limited the presidency of the Republic to two 7-year terms, Paul Kagame has granted himself a 7-year transition, after which he wants two successive 5-year terms, making a total of 5 successive terms, ending in 2034. His aim is to stay in power forever and continue his repression of the Rwandan people and his expansionist, genocidal adventures in the sub-region. It is illegitimate, since Paul Kagame has fraudulently disqualified the most serious challengers so that, in effect, he has no competitor in this election.
In view of the foregoing, we take issue with the current presidential election in Rwanda and consider the results null and void.
Please accept, Excellency Mr. Secretary General, the expression of our highest consideration.
Signed in Washington DC, this Sunday, July 14, 2024
Mrs. Christine Coleman,
MRD President
Copy for information:
– His Excellency the President of the DRC
– His Excellency the President of Burundi
– Her Excellency the President of Tanzania
– His Excellency the President of South Africa
– His Excellency the President of Angola
– His Excellency the President of Mozambique
– His Excellency the President of Malawi
– His Excellency the President of Zambia
– His Excellency the President of Uganda
– Mr. President of the United Nations Security Council
– Mr. Secretary of State, Department of State, USA
– Mr. President of the European Commission
– Mr. Chairman of the African Union Commission
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