Diplomats briefed on UN Mapping Report

KENYA - Rwanda’s Deputy High Commissioner to Kenya, Yamina Karitanyi, yesterday told diplomats accredited to Rwanda with residence in Nairobi, that the country opposed the UN Mapping report for a number of reasons which were communicated to the UN before the release of the report. She said that among the reasons for rejection of the report was lack of transparency, unclear sources and unacceptable methodology of approach in compiling the report. Karitanyi, who is also the Minister Counselor, was accompanied by Ephreim Murenzi and Gerald Mbanda, First counselor and First Secretary respectively, said that the report puts forward the concept of “double genocide” theory dismissing the historical concept as to why Rwandan forces went into Zaire at the time (present day DRC). “Rwanda went into DRC to disarm the EX-FAR/ Interahamwe who were using refugee camps as training grounds to destabilize our security and also to free innocent refugees who had been held hostage by the genocidal forces using them as human shields,” Karitanyi said in a statement issued after the meeting. She also observed that cholera outbreak in the refugee camps killed thousands who were buried in mass graves, but the report ignored this fact and shifted the blame of such deaths on Rwandan forces. Karitanyi assured the diplomats that the report will not divert the government of Rwanda from moving forward on her development agenda, reconciliation, fight against corruption and attaining vision 2020. She further stressed that the UN report threatens regional stability and called on the diplomats to urge their countries to continue to support Rwanda’s development programmes. Ends

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Diplomats briefed on UN Mapping Report