Belgium Is funding well-known organizations that deny the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Jean-Damascène Bizimana, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, has said.
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In a post on X, Bizimana debunked claims made by Maxime Prevot, Belgium's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, who said that "Belgium remains committed to enforcing the law on the denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and respecting international humanitarian law" after Rwanda cut diplomatic ties with his country.
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Bizimana said that Belgium is known for genocide denial since it funds notorious genocide denial organizations, including CLIIR, led by Joseph Matata, and JAMBO ASBL, founded by nostalgic supporters of PARMEHUTU, including the grandchildren of Mbonyumutwa and the children of genocide perpetrators convicted by the ICTR, such as Placide Kayumba, son of Dominique Ntawukuriryayo (sentenced to 25 years in prison), and Laure Uwase, daughter of Anastase Nkundukozera (sentenced to life imprisonment by Gacaca courts).
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Uwase's mother, Agnès Mukarugomwa, owns Ikondera Libre, a radio station that spreads hatred and genocide denial.
Beyond funding these denialist lobbies, Bizimana said, Belgium has never prosecuted any genocide deniers, despite their presence on its soil, including Belgian nationals like Peter Verlinden, Father Serge Desouter, and others.
On respect for international law, the minister said Belgium does not enforce UN Resolution 2150, which mandates strict measures against FDLR, a DR Congo-based and Belgium-backed terrorist group founded by members of the former Rwandan army and Interahamwe militia that committed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
"Belgium does not condemn the Tshisekedi regime for arming and collaborating with the FDLR. Like every other European state, Belgium remains silent on the use of mercenaries by the DRC, despite the fact that mercenaries are banned under the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols," the minister said.
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Regarding the rights of Congolese refugees, he stated that Belgium remains silent on the rights of Congolese refugees who have been displaced by FDLR since 1994 after their defeat in Rwanda.
"Will these refugees remain in exile forever? So, what kind of international humanitarian law is Maxime Prevot referring to?" he added.
British investigative journalist and author Linda Melvern weighed in, saying: "The genocidal forces were defeated in 1994, and not destroyed.
"The FDLR remains committed to completing the genocide against the Tutsi while a campaign of denial is waged world-wide blaming the victims for their fate and fooling the unwary. Genocide remains a crime with no end."
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In Melvern's latest book, Intent to Deceive: Denying the Genocide of the Tutsi, there is a chapter on the topic of denial. She wrote that at the centre of the denial of the genocide against the Tutsi was the idea that far from any planning, the killings of civilians in April to July 1994 resulted from a spontaneous uprising. This position, she wrote, was most eloquently outlined in the Security Council even as the crime took place, and was written into diplomatic telegrams, letters and cables.
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On March 16, President Paul Kagame cautioned Belgium against interfering in Rwanda's progress. He accused Belgium of blaming Rwanda for DR Congo's problems and conspiring to impose sanctions, despite its dark colonial history of being the root cause of the region's longstanding problems. A day later, Kigali severed diplomatic ties with Belgium and ordered all Belgian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours.
Since the escalation of ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, Belgium has aligned itself with Kinshasa, fueling ethnic violence, shifting blame onto Rwanda for the Congolese government's governance failures, and driving Western-led sanctions against Rwanda.
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Brussels has been leading calls for European countries to sanction Rwanda over its alleged support for AFC/M23 rebels, a Congolese politico-military alliance fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict. The rebellion's leaders have vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo.
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On Monday, the EU sanctioned three Rwandan military officers, citing connections to the Congolese rebellion. The sanctions, which include the freezing of assets, were also applied to the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board, as the EU accused the agency of exploiting DR Congo's conflict in order to extract valuable minerals from the poorly governed country's east.
Kagame condemned the "baseless sanctions," imposed by Western nations at Belgium's urging.
It is ironic, according to the President, that those responsible for the problem are the same ones calling for sanctions against Rwanda.
