Canadian Member of Parliament Arielle Kayabaga has requested the Canadian parliament to designate FDLR, a UN-sanctioned militia linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda as a terrorist organisation.
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The Liberal MP for London West and first black woman to become elected to the London City Council at age 27 was speaking on April 10, during a parliamentary sitting.
"As we commemorate the 30th year since the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, I reflect on the journey of reconciliation which is a never-ending road. I can't help but notice that those who have reconciled and live side by side did it because justice prevailed," she said.
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Kayagaba made two requests on behalf of her constituents and survivors who are still grappling with what happened in April 1994, mentioning that: "We as Canada being home to many survivors and families of survivors, we designate FDLR as a terrorist organisation as it continues to kill many Tutsi in the region."
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Additionally, she asked that the country commits to bringing genocide perpetrators to justice, noting that Gen. Romeo Dallaire recently pointed out that many have made Canada their home and live freely without consequences.
Kayagaba, who was in Rwanda to attend the national commemoration ceremony observed on April 7, said how she witnessed firsthand how transformative it is when perpetrators ask for forgiveness and victims provide it.
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"There is no healing for the many grieved hearts who relive the Genocide over and over again every April and there is no justice if we leave room for denialism, revisionism and debates that perpetrate anti-Tutsi hate."
The same message was reiterated by Jean-Damascène Bizimana, Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, who said that there cannot be true memory if Genocide crimes continue to be committed in eastern DR Congo by the same perpetrators of 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, hidden and supported by the Congolese government.
He said this during the Kwibuka 30 International Conference, held on April 5 in Kigali.
The FDLR is a genocidal militia group formed by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi who fled to neighbouring DR Congo. They have, for long, been collaborating with the Congolese army, FARDC, a fact which the UN Group of Experts report.
