Victims of the MRCD-FLN terror attacks have penned a letter to Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, requesting to meet with him when he visits Rwanda next week.
The FLN is the militia outfit that was behind the 2018 and 2019 attacks in South-Western Rwanda, where at least nine unarmed civilians lost their lives, more others injured and property destroyed or looted.
Blinken is set for a three-nation tour in Africa, where he will visit Rwanda for two days starting August 9.
He is expected to engage Rwandan officials on, among other things, the issue of Paul Rusesabagina, the founder of the MRCD-FLN, who is currently serving a 25-year jail term in Rwanda having been convicted of terrorism last year.
He was tried alongside 20 others, among them top military and political leaders of the outfit.
In a letter penned by the victims and sent to the US Embassy in Kigali through their lawyer Faustin Murangwa, they requested an opportunity to have a discussion with Blinken on the devastating impact the attacks had and continue to have on their families.
"We, the victims of the terror attacks carried out by the MRCD-FLN led by Paul Rusesabagina in the Southern and Western Provinces of Rwanda, humbly request an audience with you during your visit to Rwanda this August 2022,” reads the letter in part.
"We wish to ensure our voices and experiences are not erased in the debates surrounding Paul Rusesabagina,” it adds.
The first major MRCD-FLN attack was carried out in Nyabimata, Nyaruguru District in June 2018, with two people dying on the spot, while a third victim succumbed to gunshot wounds later.
The second attack targeted public transport with the assailants ambushing at least three buses on Kigali-Rusizi road, killing at least six passengers in Nyungwe forest, at Kitabi, Nyamagabe District, just a few days before the Christmas of 2018.
Other attacks took place in Rusizi district in 2019, injuring people with grenades and gunshots.
In the letter, victims said they noted with great alarm and sadness that there have been numerous calls from US government officials for the immediate release of Paul Rusesabagina on humanitarian grounds.
"We are very concerned that the justice that was served is now at significant risk considering the pressure being applied to release Paul Rusesabagina,” it continues to read.
"Paul Rusesabagina’s armed group inflicted extreme physical, emotional and financial damage on us. The MRCD-FLN killed innocent men, women and children, leaving widows to raise children alone, orphans to grow without the love and support of their parents, businesses ruined, families dispossessed of their hard-earned property, dreams shattered and our families fearing for their safety,” it adds.
The victims said they welcomed the process that saw Rusesabagina and his co-perpetrators answer for their crimes in a court of law, noting that most of the perpetrators, including Rusesabagina himself admitted to founding the organisation that was behind the 2018/2019 atrocities.
"The court found Paul Rusesabagina guilty of these terrorist acts and sentenced him and his co-perpetrators to imprisonment. Mr. Secretary, we have been encouraged by your demonstrated commitment to prioritise human rights across the globe. The American people share our values of justice and accountability especially as it pertains to the human rights of victims of terrorist acts,” the letter goes on to read.
"We believe our voices should be heard and our human rights considered in your engagement on the issue. We hope to have an opportunity to discuss further our quest for truth, justice and dignity,” it adds.
The letter also includes a list of victims of the MRCD-FLN attacks.