PRESS CONFERENCE BY RWANDA
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY RWANDA
19970407
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
The Charge d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of Rwanda, Pierre Emmanuel Ubalijoro, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon that the commemoration of the third anniversary of the Rwandese genocide began officially today.
At national ceremonies held at Muhororo in the Kibilira commune (prefecture of Gisenyi), Rwandans remembered the innocent men, women and children who fell victim to one of the worst genocides the century had witnessed, Mr. Ubalijoro continued. Today in Rwanda was a day of collective reflection, soul searching and remembrance. "Three years ago, the fate of all Rwandans had been altered by a regime which unleashed a killing machine and brought about wide-scale massacres", he said. "The situation was further exacerbated by the pull out of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), which betrayed Rwandans and the noble principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter", he added.
Since 1 April, the people of Rwanda had been preparing for the commemoration of the third anniversary of the genocide, Mr. Ubalijoro continued. On that day, discussions and analysis had been held concerning the negative influence of the political environment at the time. "The Rwandese genocide was authored by accomplished intellectuals, historians, teachers, and state and local authorities at the time when the country was beginning a democratization process after a 20-year dictatorship", he added.
On 2 April, discussions were held about the role religious authorities played during the genocide crisis in Rwanda, he continued. "While some missionaries lived up to their Christian mission, unfortunately, there were cases of priests and nuns who did participate in the genocide", Mr. Ubalijoro said. Also during the past week, discussions and analyses were held on peace- building in post-genocide Rwanda and the masterminding of the genocide in Rwanda.
On the evening of 6 April, commemorative activities had been held and Ibuka, an association of genocide survivors, had hosted a discussion, he said. "After the crisis of the genocide, survivors from the different UNAMIR compounds created an association called Ibuka, which meant "remember" in the Rwandese language", Mr. Ubalijoro explained. "These survivors saw their relatives butchered by the militia, after UNAMIR had abandoned them."
Rwanda Briefing - 2 - 7 April 1997
In organizing the commemoration the Government was attempting to re-educate the Rwandan people and allow them to understand how the elite upper classes had used them to fulfil their own selfish interests, said Mr. Ubalijoro. "The local peasants were misled by the leadership, which used the ethnic card to accomplish its evil objectives", he added. "After the genocide, more than 3 million Rwandans were left to suffer and die in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, while the key architects of the genocide were circulating around the world leading the good life in well-known capitals."
In response to a question from a correspondent about assessing the attempts to assimilate refugees who had come back to Rwanda during the past year, Mr. Ubalijoro said that most of the returnees had been resettled. Of course, there was still the problem of housing in the process of resettlement, because during the genocide many houses had been burned and destroyed. The Government was sponsoring several housing projects as part of a massive reconstruction programme. Villagers worked together on a daily basis to build houses in different communities. More than 5,000 houses had been built, which was an impressive figure considering the meager resources available.
Would Rwanda allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to transport refugees currently in Zaire to Kigali, the same correspondent asked. Mr. Ubalijoro said the Government had reiterated its commitment to welcome all Rwandese citizens who were still abroad. They were all welcome to return to Rwanda, which was their home. The Government could not go into Zaire and bring the refugees back to Rwanda, because it respected the territorial integrity of Zaire. But if the international community could facilitate their return to Rwanda, the Government would more than welcome such a gesture. The door was still open.
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