ROGER Ntawukuriryayo a Rwandan student at a university, was stabbed by a gang of eight men in Brussels.Jules Mwiseneza, 22, was also attacked by a mob of Congolese youth at a train station in Brussels.These are just two examples of what Rwandans are going through in the European capital.The trend calls for urgent action on the part of the Belgian authorities. Such lawlessness is totally unacceptable in any part of the world.Rwandans living in Belgium have held a peaceful demonstration to raise awareness about the attacks.According to various sources, the attacks are linked to xenophobic sentiments emanating from certain quarters of the Congolese community in Europe.Rwanda has been blamed for fueling the crisis in the Eastern DRC. The allegations are documented in a controversial addendum to a UN Group of Experts report.While the credibility of the report has come to question following revelations that the evidence in the report was fabricated, the damage has already been done.In the DRC, there have been numerous reports of Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese being attacked as well Rwandans who were in the border town of Goma. Some were actually tortured before being dumped on the Rwandan side of the border.Such actions should not go unpunished and the concerned authorities should step up efforts to protect the people, irrespective of where they are from.We wish all those injured a quick recovery.
