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An ethnically mixed Rwandan opposition group in exile, Igihango, has submitted a 10-point plan for the implementation of the Pretoria agreement signed on 30 July by Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Igihango claims to fight for reconciliation in Rwanda, through an inter-Rwandese dialogue, which would eventually lead to a shared control of power in the country.
"Only the democratisation of Rwanda could lead to peace in the entire region, because the root of the problem is in Rwanda," Igihango vice-president and former member of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front, Christophe Hakizabera, told a news conference in Brussels. "The Rwandese government should free the prisoners of conscience and liberalise political activities".
Igihango comprises ex-Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) members, combatants of the Forces democratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), the Alliance pour la renaissance de la nation (ARENA) and the monarchist movement Nation-Imbanga y'Inyabutatu Nyarwanda.
It declared its commitment to disarming its fighters under the supervision of the UN, saying the Rwandan government should guarantee the repatriation of these combatants and the formation of a new army through merging the Rwandan Patriotic Army and Igihango forces.
The group said it was ready to facilitate access to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda of any of its members accused of war crimes. It also called for the deployment of a neutral UN peacekeeping force at the border between Rwanda and DRC in conjunction with the pullout of Rwandan forces.
Referring to Rwanda's commitment to withdraw from DRC, as stipulated in the Pretoria accord, Hakizabera said: "We only hope that Kagame is now sincere".
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
