Each year, Banyamulenge Tutsi survivors and victims around the world commemorate the Gatumba, Burundi refugee camp massacre, which occurred on August 13, 2004. More than one-hundred-and-fifty innocent people – most women and children – were murdered simply because of their Banyamulenge Tutsi ethnicity.
This Commemoration Day celebrates the lives of those lost and forever altered by that day’s violence. Survivors and their families rekindle old bonds and forge new connections, pay respect to those who were murdered, and continue to heal ongoing emotional and physical wounds. Testimony will be offered by survivors and victims so the memory of this crime is not forgotten. This memorial is not just retrospective, however, as one of its primary purposes is to call for an abolition of violence against all civilian populations throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region of Africa.
In this commemoration we will be joined by similar remembrances across much of Africa, especially Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and the DRC, where other Banyamulenge populations will spend the day in recollection, commemoration and community. We will be joined not just by Banyamulenge Tutsi throughout Africa, but also in Holland, Canada and Australia. This year’s official event in the United States will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, and more information about it may be found www.hmsv.or, and http:www.//67.222.39.115/gatumba/
We respectfully and sincerely implore you to assist us in the following efforts, which are central to the purpose of Commemoration Day:
Expanding the worldwide network of those who stand united with the Banyamulenge Tutsi survivors for justice
Working to spread awareness through traditional and new media of the plight of Banyamulenge Tutsi victims and survivors
Pressing politicians and international organizations, (namely the UN) to deliver justice to the Banyamulenge Tutsi survivors and victims, by signing this petition:http://criminaljustice.change.org/petitions/view/petition_for_justice_on_behalf_of_the_victims_of_the_banyamulenge_tutsi_massacre
Providing funding for Banyamulenge Tutsi survivors and victims who remain in Burundi and lack the means to attend commemoration ceremonies and engage in other healing activities. Donations may be sent directly to:
Jean Claude Musore
3055 Curran Avenue, Ste. C
Oakland, CA 94602
Or through PayPal via the Humura Mulenge Survivors & Victims website :www.hmsv.org
Humura Mulenge Survivors &Victims was founded in 2008, to serve the Banyamulenge Tutsi survivors, victims and their families, who survived genocide, massacre, war and violence at the hands of their originating countries and who are now living in the United States. To date, we served more than 2000 Banyamulenge Tutsi survivors and victims around the United States.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Emergency situation of Congolese Tutsi refugees In Gihinga Mwaro/ Burundi
We are sounding a cry of alarm for the Congolese Tutsi refugees who live in the Gihinga Mwaro camp in Burundi. We hope you will be able to respond regarding what is currently happening in the camp.
The refugee camp of GIHINGI/MWARO (GM) is located in the north of Burundi, a few kilometers from the capital city of Bujumbura. Over 2,700 Congolese Banyamulenge Tutsi refugees have lived there since the Gatumba massacre of 2004. The massacre of the Banyamulenge Tutsi people, which happened on August 13, 2004 at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi, is well documented.
Since this September, the Burundian government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Burundi (UNHCR) have decided to move the camp from GM to Bwagiriza, in the province of Ruyingi, north-east Burundi. The camp residents have been asked to move by the end of this September, whether they would like to or not. People have been asking themselves why they are being asked to relocate.
The refugees are afraid to move to Ruyingi, because they do not feel this area of Burundi is safe for them. Ruyingi is very close to the Tanzanian border, and only 80 kilometers from another refugee camp where Bembe refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo reside. The Bembe and the Banyamulenge populations have been in conflict for many generations. The GIHINGI/ MWARO refugees are fearful for their safety and security in such close proximity to members of the Bembe ethnic group.
As per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly, Resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948):
• Article 3: Everyone has right to life and security of person.
• Article 14: Everyone has right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• Article 20: Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• Article 27: Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interest resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is author.
We have spoken to over 20 families by telephone, to ask them what they think about the move to Ruyingi. Every single family expressed that they would feel extremely unsafe to relocate to this camp. We asked them why they felt this way. This is what they told us:
1. The province of Ruyingi is not safe for us. We have heard that there is a lot of violence in this remote and unpopulated region of Burundi, and we as a people cannot be exposed to further attacks and killings.
2. We survived the massacre in Gatumba. This massacre took place in large part due to the camp’s proximity to the Congolese border. The location allowed rebels and armed forces access to the camp, and we are afraid that the Bwagiriza camp would present the same insecurity for us.
3. We were not given any protection from the attacks at Gatumba, even though the camp was close to the capital city of Bujumbura. The Bwagiriza camp is far more remote, and protection would be all the more unlikely.
As per the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, signed at Geneva on 28 July 1951.
• Article 26 (freedom of movement): Each contracting state shall accord to refugees lawfully in its territory the right to choose their place of residence to move freely within its territory subject to any regulations applicable to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
• Article 32: The contracting states shall not expel a refugee lawfully in their territory saves on ground of national security or public order.
Among the 2700 refugees from GIHINGA/MWARO, 140 people have already moved to the Ruyingi camp. Of these 140 people, there are only 4 Banyamulenge Tutsi families. These four families elected to relocate because of their fear of famine. The families we spoke to by phone told us the following:
Beginning on September 9, 2009, all of us refugees at GIHINGA/MWARO began to receive food rations for two weeks only, instead of the usual two months. The four families who decided to move to Ruyingi did so because their food supplies had already ended, and they were afraid of starving.
The children had already begun the school year, but all their school supplies were taken away, and the school doors were locked so they could no longer attend classes there. The refugee teachers decided to continue teaching the children nonetheless, and they met for classes in the churches. Now the church buildings have been destroyed, forcing the teachers to hold classes outside, under the trees. The health clinic has also been closed, and we refugees at GM thus no longer have access to health care, food, or education.
As per the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989:
• Article22: Children have the right to special protection and help if they are refugees (if they have been forced to leave their home and live in another country) as well as all rights in this convention.
• Article 26: children –either through their guardians or directly-have the right
• To help from the government if they are poor or in need.
• Article 43-54 :( implementation measures): These articles discuss how governments and international organization like UNICEF should work to ensure children are protected in the rights.
• Article 22 :( Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, signed at Geneva on 28 July 1951): The contracting states shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to nationals with respect to elementary education.
The families we spoke to on the phone also shared with us the following:
We feel that it would be preferable for us to return to our country, The DRC, rather than go the camp at Bwagiriza. However, our country is still experiencing extreme levels of violence and conflict. Particularly being from the Congolese Tutsi minority, there would be no safety for us there. If we were to return to our country, we would not have access to food, shelter, health care, or education, let alone protection, and we would not be able to survive.
Despite the threat we face if we return to our country, we feel so unsafe to move to the Bwagiriza camp, that we prefer to return to the DRC nevertheless. If we have to face death, we would rather die in our homeland, than in a far away refugee camp.
We are wondering why the Congolese government does not act on behalf of the Congolese Tutsi population living in refugee camps in other countries. We have the impression that it is because the government does not want the Tutsi population to return to the DRC.
To any person or organization reading this letter, we would like to ask you to please consider the serious situation that the refugees at the GIHINGA/MWARO camp are facing at this time. Their safety and survival are at risk, and they need all the support and protection they can receive from the international community and NGOs around the world.
Thank you.
For more Questions send your comment to
Humura Mulenge Survivors&Victim(HMSV)
Jmusore@gmail.com
The refugee camp of GIHINGI/MWARO (GM) is located in the north of Burundi, a few kilometers from the capital city of Bujumbura. Over 2,700 Congolese Banyamulenge Tutsi refugees have lived there since the Gatumba massacre of 2004. The massacre of the Banyamulenge Tutsi people, which happened on August 13, 2004 at the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi, is well documented.
Since this September, the Burundian government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Burundi (UNHCR) have decided to move the camp from GM to Bwagiriza, in the province of Ruyingi, north-east Burundi. The camp residents have been asked to move by the end of this September, whether they would like to or not. People have been asking themselves why they are being asked to relocate.
The refugees are afraid to move to Ruyingi, because they do not feel this area of Burundi is safe for them. Ruyingi is very close to the Tanzanian border, and only 80 kilometers from another refugee camp where Bembe refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo reside. The Bembe and the Banyamulenge populations have been in conflict for many generations. The GIHINGI/ MWARO refugees are fearful for their safety and security in such close proximity to members of the Bembe ethnic group.
As per the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly, Resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948):
• Article 3: Everyone has right to life and security of person.
• Article 14: Everyone has right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• Article 20: Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• Article 27: Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interest resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is author.
We have spoken to over 20 families by telephone, to ask them what they think about the move to Ruyingi. Every single family expressed that they would feel extremely unsafe to relocate to this camp. We asked them why they felt this way. This is what they told us:
1. The province of Ruyingi is not safe for us. We have heard that there is a lot of violence in this remote and unpopulated region of Burundi, and we as a people cannot be exposed to further attacks and killings.
2. We survived the massacre in Gatumba. This massacre took place in large part due to the camp’s proximity to the Congolese border. The location allowed rebels and armed forces access to the camp, and we are afraid that the Bwagiriza camp would present the same insecurity for us.
3. We were not given any protection from the attacks at Gatumba, even though the camp was close to the capital city of Bujumbura. The Bwagiriza camp is far more remote, and protection would be all the more unlikely.
As per the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, signed at Geneva on 28 July 1951.
• Article 26 (freedom of movement): Each contracting state shall accord to refugees lawfully in its territory the right to choose their place of residence to move freely within its territory subject to any regulations applicable to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
• Article 32: The contracting states shall not expel a refugee lawfully in their territory saves on ground of national security or public order.
Among the 2700 refugees from GIHINGA/MWARO, 140 people have already moved to the Ruyingi camp. Of these 140 people, there are only 4 Banyamulenge Tutsi families. These four families elected to relocate because of their fear of famine. The families we spoke to by phone told us the following:
Beginning on September 9, 2009, all of us refugees at GIHINGA/MWARO began to receive food rations for two weeks only, instead of the usual two months. The four families who decided to move to Ruyingi did so because their food supplies had already ended, and they were afraid of starving.
The children had already begun the school year, but all their school supplies were taken away, and the school doors were locked so they could no longer attend classes there. The refugee teachers decided to continue teaching the children nonetheless, and they met for classes in the churches. Now the church buildings have been destroyed, forcing the teachers to hold classes outside, under the trees. The health clinic has also been closed, and we refugees at GM thus no longer have access to health care, food, or education.
As per the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989:
• Article22: Children have the right to special protection and help if they are refugees (if they have been forced to leave their home and live in another country) as well as all rights in this convention.
• Article 26: children –either through their guardians or directly-have the right
• To help from the government if they are poor or in need.
• Article 43-54 :( implementation measures): These articles discuss how governments and international organization like UNICEF should work to ensure children are protected in the rights.
• Article 22 :( Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, signed at Geneva on 28 July 1951): The contracting states shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to nationals with respect to elementary education.
The families we spoke to on the phone also shared with us the following:
We feel that it would be preferable for us to return to our country, The DRC, rather than go the camp at Bwagiriza. However, our country is still experiencing extreme levels of violence and conflict. Particularly being from the Congolese Tutsi minority, there would be no safety for us there. If we were to return to our country, we would not have access to food, shelter, health care, or education, let alone protection, and we would not be able to survive.
Despite the threat we face if we return to our country, we feel so unsafe to move to the Bwagiriza camp, that we prefer to return to the DRC nevertheless. If we have to face death, we would rather die in our homeland, than in a far away refugee camp.
We are wondering why the Congolese government does not act on behalf of the Congolese Tutsi population living in refugee camps in other countries. We have the impression that it is because the government does not want the Tutsi population to return to the DRC.
To any person or organization reading this letter, we would like to ask you to please consider the serious situation that the refugees at the GIHINGA/MWARO camp are facing at this time. Their safety and survival are at risk, and they need all the support and protection they can receive from the international community and NGOs around the world.
Thank you.
For more Questions send your comment to
Humura Mulenge Survivors&Victim(HMSV)
Jmusore@gmail.com
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