The Dutch government has suspended 5 million euros in aid for judicial support to Rwanda. The decision follows a United Nations report stating that Kigali is backing rebel groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda firmly denied all the allegations, calling the report “deeply regrettable”.
Despite these denials, the United States recently decided to cut military aid to Rwanda, and the Netherlands is now following their lead. In 2010, there has also been talk of cutting aid to Rwanda because of alleged involvement in violence in the Congo. The UN Group of Experts report was decisive.
“It’s unjust”
Rwanda’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Immaculee Uwanyiligira, says she is very disappointed with the Dutch government’s decision. “You would think that from a country like the Netherlands, that is known for its strong judicial system and openness, they would not take such hasty decisions based on a thin, unsubstantiated report,” she said.
The ambassador believes the UN is scapegoating Rwanda because of its own failure. “With a budget of their magnitude, they should’ve solved the problem a long time ago,” she said. “But because they didn’t, they now give us the blame. The whole international community listens to them as if they were dictating the Bible, without further questions. It’s unjust, they cannot be judge and jury over Rwanda.”
“The international community all rely on the same reports,” says Uwanyiligira. “It’s a domino effect of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and now the UN that are infecting the world with what they say is credible.”
Rwandan-Dutch relations
The ambassador doesn’t think the relationship between the Netherlands and her country will immediately cool down, but her disappointment runs deep. She said: “We have a solid bilateral relationship, and good contacts on many levels. But this decision is very temperamental and quickly made. I don’t think a country should react like that.”
The Dutch government will not resume judicial aid until further notice. But there may also be further future consequences. A spokesperson for the Dutch foreign ministry told RNW that the government would, in consultation with its EU partners, re-evaluate its position on development cooperation with Rwanda. This would happen on the basis of an assessment of Rwanda’s formal response to the UN findings and current developments in the field, including an immediate end to Rwandan support for rebels in the DRC. Support for NGOs active in Rwanda has not been suspended.
It is now up to Rwanda to prove its innocence, says Uwanyiligira. “I hope reason will prevail and that we will soon have proven to be innocent. Rwanda, for quite some time, has been enduring accusations. It’s time for Rwanda to clean itself up of the mud that has been thrown at it.”
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The irrational side is that all International community accepted to stay blind and brainless alike while deliberately refusing to recognise the free atrocities and wild pillages perpetrated by Paul Kagame and his state's militia Rwanda Defence in DRC. He even got a License to freely Kill Congolese and Rwandan citizens in Congolese territory. Thanks you Sirs and Dames from International Community for helping the Great Lakes get an ever brand new tyrant pretending the restoration of justice in Rwanda in profit to former errant Somalis!
About 800 thousand Rwandans from all backgrounds was killed in their only wildly ethnics and stupid war, you called it genocide of tutsis, we agreed for humanity!
Armenian massacre by Ottoman government, killed about 1.5 million citizens, we later called it Armenian genocide, considering the way it was perpetrated on civil people. We called and considered it as a true Genocide!
Of the 9 million Jewish who resided in Europe before the Holocaust, approximately two-thirds perished! In particular, over 1 million Jewish children were killed, as were approximately 2 million Jewish women and 3 million Jewish men. You called it Holocaust! We accepted and we all regret it until now for humanity!
AS we know, Congo never takes part of these holocausts in any forms. Congo welcomed Rwandese citizen since their first tribal wars. It’s peaceful people even welcomed many Jewish families who adopted its land as their second home.
Paul Kagame, with a backed Museveni help and the blessing of all International community aids, continue to kill with a dead toll rise of 8.5 million Congolese from rwandese made For-Pillage-Militias. With their disciplined(as qualified by International Community medias) militia armies, they rapped more then 3.5 millions Congolese and infected with HIV virus more then 3.5 million while fathering more than 1 million unwanted babies to free Congolese women and girls; you call it “Congo war” to cover Congolese Genocide indeed.
Sarcastically, the International community medias and governments worries focuses more on endangered gorillas species in Congo that Rwandan is selling to all planet, instead of paying attention to people condition in the areas! To make it easily possible, Congo have to remain tied on Weapons Embargo by Kagame’s friends to let this delinquent militia kill, rape, infect, cross contaminate, species poaches and mineral resources pillage to share as war fortune! Were did goes the European and American dignity to human rights? Are we loosing our legendary morality? Those people endure life for centuries and need peace to survive! We pay our taxes to found and grew tyrannical and paranoiac regimes genocide perpetrators. Is this our new solidarity? So we have a lesson to teach the world? The world can kill but, it will never obliterate our collective memory. Israel was in captivity for centuries in Egypt, but God changed Pharaoh’s status quo in hours. And, they never forgot it. Let God of Jesus Christ bless all of you!
This is what the outsiders can see, Rwanda does more on killing it's own people inside Rwanda (this beyond any kind of justice), the attrocities we are observing in Congo are a common life for Rwandan citizen. Please be careful on the system in Rwanda, Kagame is simply a criminal, serial killers leading a country and abusing the foreigners support.
So Africans will be free from foreign aid and be free to kill their own people easily huh. Really come on don't be irresponsible.
And Rwanda wants to be consulted before releasing any report. They are really playing with the international community.
I am glad now the intl community is aware of what we people from Eastern DRC have been seeing for so long. 1996, Rwanda invaded the DRC and at first denied, some story in 1998, and again 2008; same things, at first they dinied and then end up aknoweledging their behaviour. You can lie to some people for some time, but you can't lie to whole World all the time.
Did UN investigators ask Kadaffi his opinion when they released report accusing him of killing his own people? did UN asked Saddam Hussein? Did UN ask North Korean? Rwanda has to stop playing victims. Rwanda has been involved in killing of people both in Rwanda and RDC for a long time. It's time that International community hold Rwanda accountable. Congolese and rwandan people need peace.
100% agree with Misses the Ambassador. She seems soft-spoken and intelligent. The dutch decision is not justified. They shoudld have waited to hear and see what Rwanda has to say before deciding. So sad to depend on others...Wish to see the day we, africans wil be free from foreign "aid"
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