By Dr BIZIMANA Jean Damascène*
In the areas controlled by the RPF-INKOTANYI, journalists and staff from international non-governmental organizations were able to go with the troops and carry their work in those areas as they wanted. Some of them were surprised by the gravity of the Genocide against the Tutsi and they wrote articles or prepared radio shows that highlighted the tragic history of the Genocide and the violence that took place. Daniel Mermet is one of those who had demonstrated the truth. In the midst of the genocide, the criminal government received weapons purchased by Colonel Bagosora from the Seychelles brought by a Congolese military plane.
1. Daniel MERMET, REPORTER OF RADIO FRANCE INTER, ORGANISED A TEN (10) DAY RADIO BROADCAST ON THE SUPERNATURAL GENOCIDE THAT HE HAD WITNESSED IN NYARUBUYE
Daniel Mermet is a French journalist who worked for one of the country’s leading radio stations called “France Inter”. On May 27, 1994, Daniel Mermet arrived in Nyarubuye with his colleague Jérôme Bastion who works for Radio France Internationale (RFI). Arriving at Nyarubuye Catholic Parish, they were shocked by the supernatural massacre that had taken place. They found the bleeding bodies of the Tutsi killed, others who being torn to pieces and eaten by dogs.
They were also surprised to find a 13-year-old girl named Valentine who had strangely survived the massacre. They spoke to Valentine in details with the help of a translator who had also survived in Nyarubuye, Gaspard Ngarambe. The latter was a student at Grand Seminaire de Nyakibanda at the time, and the genocide found him on holiday in Nyarubuye. The voice of Valentine’s testimony produced a long discussion of broadcast that made the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi known.
From 13/6/1994 to 22/6/1994, Daniel Mermet in his talk show on “France Inter” called “Là-Bas si j’y suis” that ran daily on “France Inter” between 15:00 and 17:00, he broadcasted genocide history shows that he witnessed in Nyarubuye based on Valentine’s testimony. This testimony touched many people’s hearts and helped to recognise the cruelty of the Tutsi killing.
Daniel Mermet also had the opportunity to give a historical account of how the Genocide was planned and carried out. At that time in France many were unaware and even the genocide deniers had started to distort the history.
It was not easy to report such information on Radio France Inter because it was a French government-sponsored radio station and the opinion that the French government had in 1994 was not to portray the true face of the Genocide and not to slander the Government and its forces.
There was a testimony by Philippe Boisserie, who worked for France 2 government television, in an article published in the August 1995 issue of Les Temps Modernes, explaining the instructions by the France Government to French television, radio and state-owned newspapers to hide the truth about the genocide against the Tutsi.
Philippe Boisserie cited the example that on 10/4/1994 he was sent to Rwanda with French troops in an “operation” called Amaryllis, instructed to never publish information about the killings, that his only concern was with the French army and about how foreigners in Rwanda were being evacuated by foreign planes that had come to transport them.
He wrote it in the following words: “Why did they send me to Rwanda?” The instructions given by my administration were very clear. I was only sent to oversee the evacuation of foreigners, especially the French. Evacuation of French was the objective; Rwandans were not cared for and this hurt me. One of my leaders in the media services already known for his clarity told me the following: you are going to monitor the information regarding the repatriation of foreigners living in Rwanda and come back once it is completed. We are not sending you to monitor and publish information relating to black killing between themselves. In any case, no one cares about the killings. »
Daniel Mermet, refused to comply with the directives because of the harshness of the Genocide in Nyarubuye and his humanity after seeing the grief that Valentine, the survivor suffered from and the supernatural atrocities committed against her. He took the testimony of the survivors that he found in Nyarubuye and decided to return to Rwanda many times and publish the history as he had seen it. His courage caused many to understand because many French knew that what had happened in Rwanda was just a war between ethnic groups.
As we speak of the courage of Daniel Mermet, we also thank his fellow journalists who had shown the truth of the Genocide as it was, especially in France even though it was not easy. We can mention Laure De Vulpian (France Culture), Patrick De Saint Exupery (Le Figaro), Monique Mass (RFI), Maria Malagardis and Agnes Rotivel (La Croix), Jean Chatain (L’humanité), Jean-Philippe Ceppi (Libération), Jean-François Dupaquier (L’Evènement du Jeudi), Laurent Bijard (Le Nouvel Observateur), Vincent Hugeux (L’Express), Alain Frilet (Libération), Madeleine Mukamabano and Theogene Karabayinga (RFI), etc…
In Belgium: Marie France Cros (La Libre Belgique), Colette Braeckmann (Le Soir), Jean Pierre Martin (RTL/TVI), … also did a great job of revealing the true nature of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
We also denounce journalists who betrayed the standards of their profession by distorting the history and truth of the Genocide against the Tutsi like Stephen Smith (Le Monde), Pierre Péan (Marianne), Peter Verlinden (VRT), Father Guy Theunis (Dialogue), …
2. WEAPONS BOUGHT BY BAGOSORA REACHED GOMA, CROSSED TO RWANDA AND DISTIBUTED TO GENOCIDAIRES
Due to the fact that Kambanda government was carrying out the Genocide, the United Nations Security Council had adopted Resolution 997 of 17/5/1994 calling for an “embargo” restricting all countries neither to give weapons to Rwanda nor allowing Rwanda to buy weapons. Some countries have not complied with the resolution though.
The Kambanda government had also used tactics to evade the UN resolution in order to continue buying weapons and ammunition to carry out the Genocide. It was in this context that Colonel Bagosora disguised himself into a senior Officer in the Congolese army and went to Seychelles to buy weapons. He did this with the help of South African businessman Petrus Willem EHLERS who was in charge of the arms trade. The Kambanda government has entered into an agreement with the latter, and the money to buy weapons was paid through him.
Colonel Bagosora and Ehlers arrived in Seychelles on 4/6/1994 and began negotiations aiming to buy 80 tons of weapons in the name of the Ministry of Defense of Zaire with the company. The weapons were purchased and reached in Goma on June 13, 1994 brought by Zairean military plane. The plane went again on 17 June 1994 and the third time on June 19, 1994.
The flight certificate allowing Zairean military plane to go to the Seychelles to bring the weapons was signed by the General Baoko-Yoka, who was the vice Minister of Zaire in the Ministry of Defense.
All the weapons were delivered to Goma airport, unloaded and sent to Rwanda. Lieutenant Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva who was the Commander of the Army in Gisenyi was the one who sent the soldiers and the Interahamwe to unload the plane and pack the vehicles that would bring them to Rwanda and handed them over to the Interahamwe and the soldiers of the Kambanda Government.
An investigation into the weapons revealed that Ehlers was paid by the Central Bank of Rwanda for the money used to purchase the weapons, which was transferred to Ehlers’ Account N ° 82113 CHEATA in Switzerland at UBC (Union bancaire privée) in the City of Lugano. The money was paid as follows:
On June 14, 1994, Ehlers was paid $ 592,784 from an account of the Central Bank of Rwanda located at the Bank of France in Paris called the Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP);
On June 15, 1994, Ehlers was paid $ 180,000 and the money was provided by the Central Bank of Rwanda;
On June 16, 1994, Ehlers was paid $ 734,099 from a Central Bank of Rwanda account at BNP in Paris;
On June 17, 1994, Ehlers was paid $ 150,000 by the Central Bank of Rwanda the same as of June 15, 1994.
The issues regarding the purchase and cerebration of these weapons was discussed at the Kambanda Government meetings held on 9 and 17 June 1994.
Colonel Bagosora in his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, on 9 and 10 November 2005, admitted that he went to the Seychelles to buy the weapons, which were brought to Goma on 14 and 16 June 1994 and then brought to Rwanda. He could not deny it because the Court was asking him based on a document in their possession that he had signed which clearly showed that he was the one who bought them.
On July 3, 1994, Jean Kambanda also agreed to the purchase of the weapons in an interview with a French journalist Franck Johannes, a writer in the French newspaper called: Le Journal du Dimanche as follows:”We are receiving weapons, that is clear. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to hold on. I’m starting to understand how we can win a war. The embargo problem is no longer the same as it was a month ago. “
CONCLUSION
The genocide against the Tutsi has enough evidence to show how it was planned and implemented by the government. The government issued the instructions to kill the Tutsi and provided the tools to do so. Government soldiers have been instructed to train killers and to commit genocide instead of protecting civilians.
There are foreigners who helped the criminal government, but there are also foreigners who have learned the truth and strove to make it known abroad and to help the survivors rebuild themselves and rebuild Rwanda. (End).
*Dr BIZIMANA Jean Damascène, Executive Secretary National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG)