PRESS RELEASE.
Johannesburg, 24 February 2013
Members of the coordinating committees of FDU-INKINGI and Rwanda National Congres (RNC) held a joint meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa (19-24.2.2013). The meeting was attended by the following delegates from both political organisations : Nkiko Nsengimana, Charles Ndereyehe, Sixbert Musangamfura from FDU-INKINGI and Condo Gervais, Kayumba Nyamwasa, Patrick Karegeya and Paulin Murayi of RNC.
The participants expressed their gratitude to the coordinators of the joint platform for the tremendous work accomplished within two years since its inception and the signature of the joint memorandum of understanding in Montreux, Switzerland on 25 January 2010.
The participants committed themselves to pursue their efforts in order to empower the structures and reach the goal to transform the country.
The participants made the following recommendations :
- to strengthen the partnership ;
- to set up a joint working committee after internal consultation within the components ;
- to appoint members of the joint task forces as soon as possible ;
- to redouble efforts to effect internal change ;
- to reinforce information dissemination and to enlighten our people about the precarious situation in the country ;
- to continue and deepen our diplomatic outreach ;
- to coordinate resource mobilisation inside and outside the country ;
- to enhance our cooperation with other political parties. To this end, to put in place a mechanism to hasten the process of their subsequent participation in the activities of the platform ;
- to reaffirm our commitment to struggle for democratisation and civil liberties in our homeland that have alluded us for decades but more so under the RPF government and are determined to mobilise Rwandans to fight for the independence of those crucial institutions ;
The meeting condemns in the strongest terms possible the current manoeuvres by President Paul Kagame to amend the constitution allowing him to stand for a third term and continue exacting human rights violations in Rwanda and in the Great Lakes region. The meeting calls upon all Rwandans, all neighbouring countries and the international community to roundly condem the efforts by President Kagame to endlessly perpetuate himself in power in Rwanda
The meeting took cognisant of the impending 30th June 2013 cessation clause and resolved to continue working together with members of the civil society and other opposition parties, to mobilise the host governments to reject this horrendous human rights violation targeting Rwandan refugees.
The meeting supported the efforts by SADC countries for their contribution to the international force in the DRC to safeguard the lives of our Congolese sisters and brothers, and to halt the bloody conflict perpetuated by Rwanda under the pretext of M23.
The meeting condemn the detention of political prisoners including Madame Victoire Ingabire, FDU-INKINGI Chair ;Bernard Ntaganda, President of PS Imberakuri ; Deogratias Mushayidi, president of PDP Imanzi and Doctor Theoneste Niyitegeka and many others whose wherebouts are known or unknown. We demand the unconditional release of all those prisoners of conscience and the opening of political space.
COORDINATING COMMITTEE FDU-INKINGI
Head of FDU delegation
Dr. Nkiko Nsengimana
RWANDA NATIONAL CONGRESS (RNC)
Head of RNC delegation
Gervais Condo