Genocide denial groups are funded by Belgium, according to Minister Bizimana

Belgian Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Jean-Damascène Bizimana has accused Belgium of supporting prominent groups who deny the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi.

Maxime Prevot, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, claimed that once Rwanda severed diplomatic ties with his nation, “Belgium remains committed to enforcing the law on the denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and respecting international humanitarian law.” Bizimana refuted this claim in a post on X.

According to Bizimana, Belgium is notorious for funding organizations that deny genocide, such as CLIIR, which is headed by Joseph Matata, and JAMBO ASBL, which was established by longtime PARMEHUTU supporters, including Mbonyumutwa’s grandchildren and the offspring of genocide perpetrators found guilty by the ICTR, including Dominique Ntawukuriryayo’s son Placide Kayumba (sentenced to 25 years in prison) and Anastase Nkundukozera’s daughter Laure Uwase (sentenced to life imprisonment by Gacaca courts ).

Agnès Mukarugomwa, Uwase’s mother, is the owner of Ikondera Libre, a radio station that propagates anti-genocide sentiments.

According to Bizimana, Belgium has never prosecuted any genocide deniers, even though they are present on its territory and include Belgian nationals like Peter Verlinden, Father Serge Desouter, and others, aside from providing funds for these denialist lobbies.

Speaking at a previous event is Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Jean-Damascène Bizimana. Belgium is supporting groups who deny the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi, according to the minister.

According to the minister, Belgium does not uphold UN Resolution 2150, which calls for tough measures against the FDLR, a terrorist organization based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and supported by Belgium. The group was established by former Rwandan army members and Interahamwe militia members who carried out the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Belgium does not denounce the Tshisekedi government for providing the FDLR with weapons and working with them. The minister stated that although mercenaries are prohibited by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and its 1977 Additional Protocols, Belgium, like all other European states, has not spoken out against the DRC’s employment of them.

The rights of Congolese refugees who have been displaced by the FDLR since 1994 following their defeat in Rwanda, he said, are still not being addressed by Belgium.

Will these exiles never leave their exile? What sort of international humanitarian law, therefore, is Maxime Prevot talking about?” he continued.

“The genocidal forces were defeated in 1994, but not destroyed,” wrote British author and investigative journalist Linda Melvern.

The FDLR is still determined to carry out the genocide against the Tutsi, despite a global denial effort that blames the victims for their predicament and deceives the gullible. Genocide continues to be an unsolvable crime.

The subject of denial is covered in a chapter of Melvern’s most recent book, Intent to Deceive: Denying the Genocide of the Tutsi. According to her, the central tenet of the denial of the Tutsi genocide was that the killings of civilians between April and July 1994 were the consequence of an unplanned rebellion. Even as the crime occurred, she noted, this stance was most succinctly stated in the Security Council and was incorporated into diplomatic cables, letters, and telegrams.

President Paul Kagame warned Belgium not to impede Rwanda’s progress on March 16. He charged Belgium with plotting to impose sanctions and blaming Rwanda for DR Congo’s issues, despite Rwanda’s sordid colonial past as the primary cause of the region’s persistent issues. A day later, Kigali ordered all Belgian ambassadors to leave the country within 48 hours and broke off diplomatic relations with Belgium.

Since the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo escalated, Belgium has sided with Kinshasa, promoting ethnic violence, blaming Rwanda for the governance shortcomings of the Congolese government, and pushing Western-led sanctions against Rwanda.

Brussels has been at the forefront of calls for European nations to impose sanctions on Rwanda due to its purported backing of AFC/M23 rebels, a Congolese political-military coalition that aims to establish governance that upholds fundamental human rights, protects all Congolese residents, and tackles the underlying causes of violence. Among other vices, the leaders of the insurrection have pledged to eradicate the genocide mentality, corruption, nepotism, and tribalism that are pervasive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Three Rwandan military officers were sanctioned by the EU on Monday, claiming ties to the Congolese uprising. The EU accused the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board of taking advantage of the turmoil in DR Congo to harvest precious minerals from the east of the poorly run country. The penalties, which include asset freeze, were also imposed on the CEO of the organization.

Kagame denounced the “baseless sanctions” that Belgium had pushed Western countries to implement.

The President considers it ironic that the people who are urging sanctions against Rwanda are also the ones who are to blame for the issue.