International Development Committee - UK Aid to RwandaWritten evidence submitted by Rene C Mugenzu
1. Brief Introduction About You
Rene C Mugenzi, I am a British citizen or Rwandan origin. UK resident since 1997. I am current CEO of London Centre for Social Impact, a social exclusion and community development think tank. I am a winner of various community development awards and recognition for my work with disadvantaged communities within underprivileged neighbourhood in UK. I am also the creator of British Grassroot Action Awards. I was Liberal Democrat candidate in 2010 local election in London Borough of Greenwich.
On my spare time a human right activist in relation to African Great Lakes region and coordinator of Global Campaign of Rwandans Human Rights.
In May 2011, the Metropolitan Police gave me a “Threats to life Warning Notice” that they had reliable intelligence which states that the Rwandan Government posed imminent threat to my life. The added that the threat could come in any form.
Fact about the Rwandan support to M23 Support
1. UN group of experts has found credible evidence that Rwandan government directly support the M23 rebel group in Rwanda.
2. Congolese government has reported that it has always knew.
3. Rwandan Government has always denied those allegations, saying that they were baseless.
4. Reasons behind RPF support to M23 rebels.
5. Despite that the Rwandan Patriotic Army (which was an armed group of Rwandan Patriot Front) has become Rwandan Defence Force after armed struggle in 1994, it has continued to be used in serving the interest of the Rwandan Patriotic Front instead of the Rwandan state.
6. Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) as a political party has a lot of economic interest in mines of DRC.
7. Rwandan Patriotic Front has taken advantaged of DRC weak governance, unfinished grievances in East DRC to fuel conflicts that would facilitate them to access various mineral resources.
8. This has enabled RPF to build a strong business empire and became according to the Financial Times investigation “One of the best endowed political movement in the world, relative to the size of the country”
9. To grow that wealth the RPF has closed the private sector to only RPF owned companies or companies on which RPF has invested in.
10. This issue of private sector space that is dominated by RPF owned companies has been known by DFID for some time. It came up in a meeting which was held in December 2010 in Rwanda between DFID secretary of state Andrew Mitchel and Rwandan president Paul Kagame (FOI from DFID). This issue was also raised in a meeting which was held on Tuesday 2 November 2010 between Parliamentary Under Secretary of States O’Brian and DFID Rwanda.
Impact of DFID Budget Support to Rwanda
11. The DFID budget support to Rwanda Government is unrestricted fund, therefore is spent in anything that is part of the general budget.
12. The specific impact of DFID support to Rwanda Government cannot be singled out identified within the general Rwandan government achievements.
13. But the DFID budget support can be attributed in making Rwandan government (RFP) financially comfortable so that they can afford in spending DFID money or any other tax review generated income into military and intelligence activities that lead to conflicts in DRC in order to generate wealth for the RPF.
14. DFID has not contributed in reducing the poverty level in Rwanda. In fact according to UNDP poverty rate in Rwanda is worse than pre-genocide era.
15. More than half of the population was poor, and poverty reduction remain slow (FOI—Minutes of Parliamentary Under Secretary of States O’Brian and DFID Rwanda to discuss DFID Rwanda’s Bilateral Aid Review offer—Tuesday 2nd November 2010 at 11:30)
16. The widely known truth versus facts about Rwandan government achievements and image
17. Why these facts about the Rwandan government are not widely known despite that their consequences reach wider population?
18. Rwandan government PR has been effective in painting an image of a successful story. The story based on fact that 1994 when RPF took over the power it counted as the year 0 of Rwanda growth and development. Forgetting that facts that previous governments have had more than 10 years of growth and built considerable infrastructures (UNDP).
19. Rwandan government has invested some of its generated income into British and USA PR companies to help them to embellish its international image.
20. This has been reported by Guardian in UK and the Global The Globe and Mail in USA in which it was reported that “For a monthly fee of $50,000 plus expenses, the U.S. agency offered a tantalizing prospect to the Rwandan government: a burnished image, a sophisticated media campaign—and a chance at “drowning out” those pesky opposition voices on the Web”
21. It is clear that this amount did not come from targeted development budget, but from the unrestricted budget which us much composed by DFID money.
22. All independent media in Rwanda are closed. Journalists criticising the government have either been assassinated, exiled or imprisoned.
23. Freedom of speech is oppressed in the name of control of speech that can fuel genocide.
24. Political space closed; no criticism and control about the Government actions.
Rwandan Governance Decision Making Environment that Manage to Fuel Conflicts
25. Rwanda political space is limited to RPF and political parties that are in alliance of them.
26. Really opposition partly have not been allowed to work in the country.
27. The main three opposition leaders have been imprisoned for political motivated charges.
28. This gives open political and military space for RPF to operate in without any challenge and control on its actions.
29. Last presidential elections were dominated only by RPF and allied parties. Opposition parties were not allowed to participate, they were harassed and others assassinated prior to election.
30. Rwandan government produced reports on achievements gained as result of support received from DFID cannot be reliable as they are produced by a non-reliable government which has not counter checking independent systems.
Recommendation
31. Rwanda political space should be opened in order to allow non RPF Politian’s to participate in political arena.
32. Strong political decision making which does not include RPF only be important to reduce RPF dominance.
33. Rwandan government should restructure the army in order to make it a mainstream state army instead of RFP serving army.
34. Decision about the Rwandan should consider based on humanitarian and ethical values and based, considering number of people who have been extremely suffering and been uprooted (lives destroyed) in DRC as result of RPF support to M23 rebels in contrast of supposed number of people in Rwanda whose lives have been changes as result of budget support to Rwanda.
35. DFID should stop the whole budget support to Rwanda until it has opened political and economic space and allow Rwanda to become a democracy that follow rule of law and justice. This system is the only one that will guarantee:
(a)
(b)
36. Lastly
Normally Rwanda which has known genocide and unbearable suffering of its people as result of various conflicts, it should be in front line promoting peace, justice and reconciliation not fuelling conflicts in .other countries and not oppressing opponents.
November 2012