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From: Placide Muhigana
To: Conflict of interest : no problem for RPF
RPF & "divisionism" : Partial judge in its
own
case
Twagiramungu Complains of Harassment of His Supporters
Opposition candidate for Rwanda's presidency, Faustin Twagiramungu,
has expressed concern over the 25 August poll being free and fair,
saying that supporters of incumbent President Paul Kagame were
making his supporters "fearful" of openly backing him.
He told reporters on Tuesday in the capital, Kigali, that local
government officials and Kagame's supporters were harassing his
supporters and had detained some of his agents who were on the
campaign trail across the country.
Twagiramungu, 58, is considered the strongest opponent to Kagame in
the country's first presidential poll after the 1994 genocide of 1994. Two
other candidates are also contesting the presidency.
He said he had received reports that the police had arrested some of
his agents "under the guise of fomenting ethnic divisions within the
population to win him votes".
"Ethnicity is being used as a shield to openly silence, intimidate
and harass my supporters," he said. "I don't mind RPF [Rwanda
Patriotic Front ] supporters backing their candidate [Kagame] but let them stop
harassing my campaign agents."
Without giving the number of his supporters who have been detained,
Twagiramungu said that his supporters from the southeastern province
of
Kibuye, the northern province of Ruhengeri and the western provinces of
Kibungo and Umutara were the most harassed.
Twagiramungu, a moderate Hutu who was prime minister for 13 months
in the first government after the 1994 genocide, also said local officials
were sabotaging his efforts by denying him a venue to begin his
campaign.
"Whenever I book a venue, I am told that the RPF has taken the
place," he said. "I have decided to redesign my campaign programme,
which I will be announcing soon."
Only Kagame has held rallies since the campaigning period was
declared officially started on Friday. Twagiramungu and the other two
candidates are yet to hold any rallies, with some citing lack of resources
and campaign venues as the main causes of their delay.
Police spokesman Tony Kuramba told IRIN that Twagiramungu's
claims were unfounded, and that the police had
only questioned
some politicians involved in talk or acts of
fuelling ethnic divisions
between the majority Hutu and minority Tutsi
communities.
"We have been questioning people who are spreading politics
of
ethnicity," Kuramba said. "We do not care whether they are Twagiramungu's supporters or not. The laws are quite clear on the issue of fomenting ethic hatred." UN Integrated Regional Information Networks |
