BRUSSELS — A group composed of three opposition parties in Rwanda has called for “urgent action” from the European Union to use its international influence to prevent a further increase in social and political tension in the country.
Recent interview with US lawyer Peter Erlinder on YouTube.
In an open letter to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, the group said on Monday that the situation in Rwanda is in danger of “degenerating further” ahead of the August presidential elections, threatening peace and security in Rwanda and Central Africa.
“The very tension which is now felt both in the military and in the civil society in general is a result of the government’s repressive measures against those who do not tow the government line,” said the letter by the Permanent Council of Opposition Parties in Rwanda.
The Permanent Council of Opposition Parties in Rwanda brings together United Democratic Forces (FDU–Inkingi), the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and the Parti Social Imberakuri. These parties want to take part in the presidential elections scheduled for 9 August, but so far have not been allowed to register in the elections. The vote will be the second presidential election since the 1994 genocide.
Watch this 2008 EUX.TV interview with Paul Rusesabagina on post-genocide Rwanda.
