First Read:
The ‘gods must be crazy’ : Rwanda wins UN INSECURITY Council seat
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-gods-must-be-crazy-rwanda-wins-un.html
Ingabire verdict postponed
Ingabire loses Supreme Court petition
Victoire
Ingabire
Rwanda joins UN security council despite damning Congo report
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/18/congo-rwanda-un-security-council
Congolese ambassador
declares 'sad day for Africa' as Rwanda joins council in spite of
accusations it backs DRC rebellion
Rwanda was unopposed in its bid for a non-permanent African seat on the security council – previously held by South Africa.
The timing of Rwanda's ascent could hardly be more uncomfortable for the UN security council, whose own group of experts have produced a damning report of its support for the rebel M23 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Atoki Ileka, Congo's ambassador to France and former envoy to the UN, said: "It is a dreadful day and a very sad day for Africa because the security council is the UN body in charge of peace and security, and this is a country not committed to peace and security. It's very embarrassing for the UN."
Ileka remained hopeful, however, that the security council would "rubber stamp" the group of experts' final report before Rwanda takes its seat. The report is due to be presented next month whereas Rwanda will not become a member until 1 January 2013.
From this date onward, however, there is the prospect of division and deadlock. The Congolese government is demanding that the security council impose targeted sanctions against Rwandan and Ugandan officials named in the UN experts' report.
An unnamed western diplomat told Reuters that getting unanimity among the 15 council members on Congo's rebellion would be difficult with Rwanda in the room.
Carina Tertsakian, senior researcher on Rwanda for Human Rights Watch, said before Rwanda's election that its membership would present "a clear conflict of interest", saying the country had "for several years undermined initiatives of the security council, for example the arms embargo on Congo".
She added: "Our fear is that having a seat on the security council will enable Rwanda to protect its own officials from sanctions. For the victims – Congolese or Rwandan – of violent abuses by M23, this is a real affront."
An extract of the UN report leaked to Reuters this week named the Rwandan defence minister general, James Kabarebe, a close ally of President Paul Kagame, as effectively commanding the rebellion. It also accused both Rwanda and Uganda of providing weapons, troops and military and political aid to the M23 rebels in their six-month fight against Congolese government troops.
The report has also intensified pressure on Britain to review its decision to restore £16m of aid to Kagame's government.
Rwanda accused the head of the group of experts of "pursuing a political agenda". Uganda called the allegations "rubbish, rubbish, rubbish".
Five security council seats were due to be filled in elections on Thursday. There are five veto-holding permanent members of the council – the US, Britain, France, Russia and China – and 10 temporary members without vetoes.
Rwandan UN diplomat Olivier Nduhungirehe had said his country was not worried about the report harming its security council bid. "The members of the general assembly know exactly what our record is and they cannot be deterred or swayed by a baseless report, which has no credibility," he told Reuters.
"We are the sixth [biggest] troop-contributing country for peacekeeping, we are a leading country in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, we have a record in post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building."
After the UN vote a defiant if somewhat incoherent message was posted on Kagame's Twitter account. "No matter what haters say dO-alwz justice&truth willprevail!!!" it said. "Sometimes it just requires a bit of good fight for allthat..!!! # UN VoTe"
Rwanda was last on the council in 1994-95, a period that coincided with the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Ingabire verdict postponed
The High Court
today postponed a ruling in the case involving Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, the
leader of an opposition party which is yet to be registered.
The Court set
October 30 as the new date for its verdict.
Ingabire is
accused of terrorism, hate speech, among other charges.
Yesterday,
Ingabire lost her Supreme Court petition against use of the law that punishes
genocide ideology in her case, which she argued contravened the constitution.
Her co-accused
– four former senior members of the Congo-based Democratic Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militia largely blamed for the 1994 Genocide
against the Tutsi in Rwanda
– pleaded guilty and implicated her in subversive activities in the country.
Rwanda was unopposed in her bid for the Africa seat, but needed to win a two-thirds majority of the 193-member General Assembly. Rwanda won 148 votes.
Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo thanked UN members for the faith they have shown in Rwanda.
“We are grateful to have won the support of so many of our fellow member states who responded to our message. Rwanda values peace and we are honoured to serve. We particularly thank our friends and allies throughout Africa for their overwhelming support,” Mushikiwabo said.
Rwanda, which enjoyed unanimous backing of the African Union, last served on the Security Council in 1993-94 during which period the country endured Genocide which left more than one million people butchered.
Rwanda is an active member of the UN and the sixth largest contributor to peacekeeping operations worldwide.
“The contrast could not be sharper between that previous tenure -- when a genocidal government occupied a prized Security Council seat as its agents waged genocide back home -- and the Rwanda of today: a nation of peace, unity, progress and optimism,” Mushikiwabo said.
She stressed how this troubling recent history allows Rwanda to offer a unique perspective on matters of war and peace at the Security Council.
“Working with fellow members, Rwanda will draw on its experience to fight for the robust implementation of the responsibility to protect doctrine that demands that the world takes notice -- and action --when innocent civilians face the threat of atrocities at the hands of their governments, with the understanding that situations have specificities that need to be taken into account,” Mushikiwabo said.
The minister promised that Rwanda would seek opportunities to work with fellow UN Security Council members to ensure it is responsive and reflective of the views and aspirations of the developing world, in particular the African continent.
“The world is undergoing a period of exciting but uncertain change.
“Africa is not just growing economically, but our vision and the contribution we can make to the world is also expanding. Over the next two years, we hope to ensure that this new reality is reflected in the way the UN Security Council conducts itself in the 21st century,” Mushikiwabo said.
Despite a candidate-less campaign against Rwanda, complete with the leak of a UN Sanctions report two days before the vote accusing it of supporting the M23 mutineers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda still won the elections in the fist round as other countries entered the second round.
Rwanda will be replacing South Africa whose term expires in December.
The development meant a lot to Rwandans as many of them expressed their excitement on social networking sites.
The Council is the highest decision making organ at the global body, particularly on matters of maintaining peace.
Rwanda will now represent the eastern and southern Africa region for a two-year term commencing on January 1, 2013.
In accordance with the Security Council’s rotation rules, ten non-permanent UN Security Council seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes.
Under the procedure, countries are unofficially divided into five geopolitical regional groups; Rwanda belongs to the Africa Group, with 54 member states that translate into 28 per cent of representation at the UN.
The Africa Group is the largest regional grouping by member states with three seats.
By press time, the general assembly had entered another round of voting to decide who wins the second seat. Cambodia, Bhutan and South Korea are also competing for one available Asia-Pacific seat.
Reactions on the election
“We congratulate the government of Rwanda and we have utmost confidence that it will effectively represent the interests and aspirations of the continent.” said the Ugandan High Commissioner to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero,
"It shows solidarity among African nations. The continent supported Rwanda through the African Union and the East"
African Community, as a bloc, also did. There wasn’t any African country that was challenging Rwanda, which shows how much trust Africa has in Rwanda as a nation.” said the Dean of Faculty of Law at the National University of Rwanda, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja.
Ingabire loses Supreme Court petition
October 19, 2012
The Supreme Court yesterday rejected an application filed by Victoire Ingabire, challenging the constitutionality of the Genocide Ideology Law.
Ingabire had filed the suit claiming that the constitution grants her the right
to freedom of expression.
“The court finds no contradiction between the law and the constitution. it is
true the constitution grants freedom of expression and speech, but the Genocide
Ideology Law puts limitations to avoid abuse of those freedoms,” a nine-man
panel of judges announced.
In her trial, which began in September 2011, the High Court found her
statements at Kigali Memorial Centre – Gisozi to be in clear violation of the
Genocide Ideology Law of July 2008.
Ingabire allegedly espoused the double Genocide theory, and during an
appearance before the Supreme Court, she again claimed that she found nothing
wrong in accusing Tutsis of killing Hutus the same way Hutus killed Tutsis.
Ingabire was not represented by her lawyers in the fully packed courtroom.
The Supreme Court cited the international law and several cases related to hate
speech, including that of a Canadian teacher, James Keegstra, who was charged
with teaching anti-Semitism.
Ingabire, accused of bankrolling terrorism and denying the 1994 Genocide
against the Tutsi, brought a suit in March this year contesting the legality of
genocide ideology law.
Meanwhile, the High Court is expected to announce its verdict today.
She is accused, among other charges, of terrorism after evidence presented by
the prosecution and witness accounts linked her to a group of militiamen based
in the Democratic Republic of Congo with whom she allegedly planned to carry
out subversive activities on Rwandan territory.
Four rebel officers who were part of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation
of Rwanda (FDLR) militia confessed to working with Ingabire to stage subversive
activities in the country.
The prosecution is seeking a life sentence.
Rwanda Government Reaction to the Sit in the UN Security Council which Rwanda won
Rwanda elected to UN Security Council
THE United Nations General Assembly yesterday elected Rwanda
to one of the rotational seats on the UN Security Council for the 2013-2014
term.
Along with Argentina
and Australia, Rwanda
was elected on the first ballot.
Rwanda was unopposed in her bid for the Africa seat, but needed to win a two-thirds majority of the 193-member General Assembly. Rwanda won 148 votes.
Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo thanked UN members for the faith they have shown in Rwanda.
“We are grateful to have won the support of so many of our fellow member states who responded to our message. Rwanda values peace and we are honoured to serve. We particularly thank our friends and allies throughout Africa for their overwhelming support,” Mushikiwabo said.
Rwanda, which enjoyed unanimous backing of the African Union, last served on the Security Council in 1993-94 during which period the country endured Genocide which left more than one million people butchered.
Rwanda is an active member of the UN and the sixth largest contributor to peacekeeping operations worldwide.
“The contrast could not be sharper between that previous tenure -- when a genocidal government occupied a prized Security Council seat as its agents waged genocide back home -- and the Rwanda of today: a nation of peace, unity, progress and optimism,” Mushikiwabo said.
She stressed how this troubling recent history allows Rwanda to offer a unique perspective on matters of war and peace at the Security Council.
“Working with fellow members, Rwanda will draw on its experience to fight for the robust implementation of the responsibility to protect doctrine that demands that the world takes notice -- and action --when innocent civilians face the threat of atrocities at the hands of their governments, with the understanding that situations have specificities that need to be taken into account,” Mushikiwabo said.
The minister promised that Rwanda would seek opportunities to work with fellow UN Security Council members to ensure it is responsive and reflective of the views and aspirations of the developing world, in particular the African continent.
“The world is undergoing a period of exciting but uncertain change.
“Africa is not just growing economically, but our vision and the contribution we can make to the world is also expanding. Over the next two years, we hope to ensure that this new reality is reflected in the way the UN Security Council conducts itself in the 21st century,” Mushikiwabo said.
Despite a candidate-less campaign against Rwanda, complete with the leak of a UN Sanctions report two days before the vote accusing it of supporting the M23 mutineers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda still won the elections in the fist round as other countries entered the second round.
Rwanda will be replacing South Africa whose term expires in December.
The development meant a lot to Rwandans as many of them expressed their excitement on social networking sites.
The Council is the highest decision making organ at the global body, particularly on matters of maintaining peace.
Rwanda will now represent the eastern and southern Africa region for a two-year term commencing on January 1, 2013.
In accordance with the Security Council’s rotation rules, ten non-permanent UN Security Council seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes.
Under the procedure, countries are unofficially divided into five geopolitical regional groups; Rwanda belongs to the Africa Group, with 54 member states that translate into 28 per cent of representation at the UN.
The Africa Group is the largest regional grouping by member states with three seats.
By press time, the general assembly had entered another round of voting to decide who wins the second seat. Cambodia, Bhutan and South Korea are also competing for one available Asia-Pacific seat.
“We congratulate the government of Rwanda and we have utmost confidence that it will effectively represent the interests and aspirations of the continent.” said the Ugandan High Commissioner to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero,
"It shows solidarity among African nations. The continent supported Rwanda through the African Union and the East"
African Community, as a bloc, also did. There wasn’t any African country that was challenging Rwanda, which shows how much trust Africa has in Rwanda as a nation.” said the Dean of Faculty of Law at the National University of Rwanda, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja.
