Goma, 26 November 2009 - In an interview with Radio Okapi, Major General Paul Rwarakabije, ex FDLR commander who surrendered and returned voluntarily to Rwanda in November 2003, appealed for his compatriots to do the same, “as fighting was not the way to right any grievance.” In this regard, new messages have been recorded by MONUC’s DDRRR team in eastern DRC, who are preparing these broadcasts for the remaining FDLR rebels in the bush, in renewed efforts at disarmament, demobilization and repatriation.
The actions of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) in the DR Congo continue to cause severe suffering and death among the Congolese population. As a result, the German government has decided to arrest the supreme commander and president of the FDLR Ignace Murwanashaka, along with his first vice president Stratton Musoni on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the DR Congo.
The move by the German government to arrest these leaders according to Rwarakabije is based on the unacceptable actions of the FDLR in the DR Congo.
“I am advising Commander Iyamuremye Gaston and others to open a discussion with MONUC, the DR Congo army, the FARDC, and the International Community to allow FDLR combatants return home peacefully,” he emphasized.
Like other ex-combatants already reintegrated into Rwandan society, Major General Rwarakabije is currently a commissioner of the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, a testament that anyone can obtain a senior position in Rwanda irrespective of your ethic group and social status.
Meanwhile, the DDRRR (Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration) sensitization unit has already been disseminating specially prepared messages targeting FDLR combatants on the arrest of the two FDLR leaders in Germany. A special message has also been recorded and is now being sent to all our active mobile radio stations for broadcast.
The arrest of the FDLR supreme commander and his deputy has been greeted with delight especially in Rwanda and the DR Congo where their actions have largely been felt.
In Goma, senior government authorities were interviewed and encouraged to send out specific messages to the FDLR regarding their vulnerability and unwelcome status in the DR Congo.
The governor of North Kivu, Julien Paluku Kahongya told Radio Okapi that with the arrest of the FDLR leaders, the combatants will now begin to feel uneasy and their morale will be low, a condition that will certainly force them to leave the forest in order for the Congolese people to enjoy peace.
He added that any FDLR combatant who wants to be treated like a refugee must first of all lay down his arm, and ask the International Community to accord him such a status.
FARDC General Amuli has ordered all commanders of units to respect the rights of FDLR combatants who would like to enter the DDRRR process voluntarily in order to be repatriated.