The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

King Charles Street,

London SW1A 2AH

26 March 2015

 

Rt Hon Hammond

Re: Remembering our loved ones who lost their lives

We are writing to let you know that members of the Rwandan community committed to a reconciled Rwanda are organising a memorial service to honour Rwandans who died during and after the war between the then Rwandan government forces and former RPF. You will remember that this war which the RPF started on 1st October 1990 culminated in the horrible 1994 genocide which was preceded and followed by war crimes and crimes against humanity both in Rwanda and neighbouring countries such as DRC.  We took this initiative to write to you because we believe that being one of the best friends of Rwanda, Britain can play a very important role in supporting this endeavour to help Rwandans to build a truly reconciled nation.

Rwandans from all walks of life and ethnicities, Twa, Hutu and Tutsi and friends of Rwanda have agreed to come together to remember their loved ones who died as a result of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity both in Rwanda and DRC. It will take place at Bethnal Green, Oxford House, London E2 6HG on the 11th of April 2015.

While we bitterly mourn our negative past as a society, we want to move from bitter memories to building a better future for Rwanda where Rwandans are judged by their character and not by their ethnic or regional origin. We are convinced that a better future and a long lasting “never again” are only possible through a genuine national reconciliation. The latter is only possible if the pain of each Rwandan is acknowledged and justice is done for each and every victim. A discriminatory remembrance and a victor’s justice as practiced in Rwanda today do only exacerbate the hatred among Rwandans. This memorial service is to show that genuine reconciliation is possible and must be led by the grassroots.

We condemn in the strongest terms possible the genocide committed against Tutsi in 1994. We also condemn the systematic killing of Hutu civilians in Rwanda before, during and after the genocide including the systematic mass killings of Hutu refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the RPF soldiers as reported by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other NGOs. While we thank the UK government for having supported the ICTR which judged those who were responsible for the genocide against Tutsi, we call on the UK to use her diplomatic power to make sure the UN acts on war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed against Hutus. This include among others, acting on the Mapping Report that the UN commissioned by bringing to justice those who are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity and possible genocide described therein.

We call upon the British Government to support Rwandans in this genuine national reconciliation initiative. Britain as a champion of human rights and democracy on the one hand and a true friend of Rwanda as a country on the other, should help Rwandans to remember that every life is precious irrespective of colour, creed and ethnicity. We condemn the highly politicised remembrance ceremonies that the government of Rwanda has been organising for the last 20 years where this national tragedy is used for malicious political ends, i.e. arbitrary arrests, detentions and disappearances, arrests and silencing any dissenting views. Doing so is an insult to our dead and is the worst form of trivialising genocide.  Rwandans of all walks of life, Hutu, Twa and Tutsis have now decided to come together to genuinely honour our dead and build a truly reconciled nation. True Friends like Britain should support us.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Signed on behalf of the Rwandan community in UK

Jonathan Musonera, Rwanda National Congress

Rene Mugenzi, Global Campaign for Rwandans Human Rights

Justin Bahunga, FDU-Inking

 

Cc: The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs