(ThyBlackMan.com) The urgent need for Former Rwandan Refugees Living in Zambia to acquire Rwandan Passports.
Are Rwandan Refugees living in Zambia permitted to live there without proper documentation?
Was their original UN Refugee status granted legalistically?
If not, What must be done by all the parties affected/concerned “stakeholders”?
It is highly believed that once one has eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however and probable must be the truth.
Therefore, This Article will seek to enlighten the World and particularly-the Zambian people on the dangers they face by condoning the behavior of known Rwandan Genocidaires within their territories and what the lies surrounding this crisis means to the stability of Rwanda and the prevention of another Genocide altogether.
First of all,
Section 11 of CHAPTER 120 of the Zambian Refugees Control Act(CAP 120) reads as follows;
“(1) No refugee shall remain in Zambia-
(a) unless within seven days of his entering Zambia he is issued with a permit to remain by an authorized officer;
(b) Unless he complies with the terms or conditions from time to time annexed to such permit by an authorized officer.
(2) An authorized officer shall not refuse a refugee a permit under this section if the officer has reason to believe that THE REFUSAL OF A PERMIT WILL NECESSITATE THE RETURN OF THE REFUGEE TO THE TERRITORY FROM WHICH HE ENTERED ZAMBIA AND THAT THE REFUGEE MAY BE TRIED, OR DETAINED OR RESTRICTED OR PUNISHED WITHOUT TRIAL, FOR AN OFFENCE OF A POLITICAL CHARACTER AFTER ARRIVAL IN THAT TERRITORY OR IS LIKELY TO BE THE SUBJECT OF PHYSICAL ATTACK IN THAT TERRITORY;
But, save as aforesaid, such authorized officer may in his discretion and without assigning any reason refuse to issue a permit.
(3) If a refugee fails to obtain or is refused a permit in accordance with this section, his presence in Zambia shall be unlawful.”
The provisions found in the Zambian Legislation above necessitate that for one to live in Zambia as a Refugee,
They must possess legitimate documentation allowing them to do so failure of which, Their continued stay must be rendered illegal and they should face the law /“Zambian Criminal System” to its fullest extent.
This is the case of Former Rwandan Refugees living in Zambia who do not have permission to walk nor live in major Zambian cities/towns and yet their various businesses keep mushrooming in these areas.
Does this mean that they are above the law or it is merely that the Zambian Authorities are too afraid of implementing the law on this class of people?
We take judicial notice of the discretion vested in the Enabling Authority but shouldn’t that power be exercised reasonably?
It must be noted that a few months after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, The Zambian Government started receiving thousands of Rwandan Asylum-seekers-most of them fleeing from the heinous crimes they had just committed in Rwanda,
Ignorant of this true state-of-affairs, They were granted UN Refugee Status en masse and without the required scrutiny provided under the Refugee Convention and the UNHCR Guidelines on the determination of Refugee Status.
Ipso facto, Some of these fellows had just murdered innocent Tutsi women and children in cold blood and also in broad daylight with impunity for they had been supported by a genocidal government and saw nothing immoral in killing their neighbors for nothing. They were not remorseful for their actions/omissions then and up to now continue to justify those killings.
It is trite that almost all the Rwandan refugees living in Zambia are Hutu-an ethnic majority fabric that oversaw the perpetration of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Notwithstanding the fact that not all Rwandan Refugees living in Zambia committed Genocide (especially the youths who were toddlers in the year 1994) and the Zambian Government also sheltered Tutsi Refugees(although in a very small number) like Me Ignace-now residing in the US, These unworthy killers/murderers hiding behind the UN Refugee status must not paint a bad image of Rwanda when in the actual sense, They are the real monsters-a shameless generation that rejoiced as thousands of Tutsi families were being destroyed and almost became extinct for political, social and economic reasons.
Their inhumane deeds created inter alia;
-Orphans,
-H.I.V Positive widows,
-Traumatized families,
-An almost failed state,
-Extremist/radical minds and unjustified hatred,
-Divisionism,
-Regionalism,
-Tribalism,
-A broken generation with hurtful/horrible/tragic memories,
-One of the worst genocides known to mankind (the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi),………….., etc…..
Their hope is that by living in exile, They will serve as the opposition to the current Rwandan Government and overthrow this legally-constituted Government after mobilizing themselves militarily and gaining the sympathy and political support of their host states-an unrealistic feat for good will always conquer evil.
They consist of former cadres”Interahamwe”, soldiers, civil servants and politicians whose true/real past identities are not known to the Zambian Government and the UNHCR.
Former Rwandan Refugees living in Zambia are a concern of the Rwandan Government and not the UNHCR.
By virtue of the JUNE/2013 CESSATION CLAUSE ON THE UN REFUGEE STATUS OF RWANDAN REFUGEES LIVING IN ZAMBIA implemented by the Zambian Government as it were in conjunction with the UNCHR,Former Rwandan Refugees living in Zambia no longer enjoy the rights/privileges and other benefits that accrued from the aforesaid nondenominational class.
They live in Zambia illegally and the only recourse they have is to acquire Rwandan Passports as it has been incessantly asked of them by all stakeholders and be declared Foreigners just like anybody else who is of alien origin in Zambia(see Zambia’s Immigration Laws).
But instead of legalizing their stay in Zambia as it should be, They keep on stalling the process by playing extremist politics and blaming the wrong people at the wrong time for reasons only known to themselves.
In some segments, They claim that it is the corruption within the Zambian Government that led to their current predicament, What way to think of one’s bona fide host?
Anyway, Human beings are just ungrateful to say the least. But frankly speaking,
What does Zambia have to benefit from people who;
(1) Do not have registered businesses?
(2) Do not have proper immigration permits?
(3) Do not remit any tax whatsoever?
(4) Whose past are dented and questionable (see Genocidaires)?
The travesty in the Rwandan opposition in exile’s set of ideologies.
In Rwanda, When you hear of the so-called opposition in exile most of them living outside Rwanda as Refugees, All that there is to deduce are insults, biased criticism and blatant lies even where things are clearly moving in the right direction in Rwanda.
To them, Opposition is synonymous to serial enmity but should that be the case?
But what they tend to forget is that Rwanda is a country with a divisive history and only the current Government has managed to truly unify the whole nation in good faith-where no Rwandan is to suffer from any sort of discrimination.
Just after our country’s emancipation from colonial rule which was sought on the pretext of majority rule-(the rationale being that it was high time that the oppressed majority took charge of Rwandan national affairs after apparently being marginalized for years by a tyrannical feudal system controlled by a foreign minority but the truth in the aforesaid narrative seemed doctored as future events proved the contrary to be true.), Greedy politicians took advantage of existing loopholes in the political arena to advance their regional and ethnic agendas-to them, National development was only essential as long as their personal interests were promoted, guaranteed and preserved.
Shortly after independence, Rwanda became an absolute dictatorship by reverting to the principles of colonialism-certain citizens became more equal than others and the marginalization of the Tutsi minority led to the first wave of Rwandan Refugees which has now extended into a generational crisis that must come to an end.
Southern Hutu “ABANYENDUGA” started dictating everything in Rwanda until the Northerners “ABAKIGA” took over by way of a Coup.
Former Rwandan Presidents GREGOIRE KAYIBANDA and his counterpart JUVENAL HABYARIMANA (both Hutu) failed to unify Rwandans because of poor leadership-they valued their perpetual political dominance over the general interests of the Rwandan citizenry.
They marginalized innocent Tutsi and led to their exile.
They ordered the killings of Hutu opponents merely because they could not agree with their retrogressive political ideologies.
They created this Rwandan Refugee mess the current Government is fighting so hard to put to an end.
CONCLUSION.
President Paul Kagame is loved by most Rwandans not because he is a demi-god.
He just understand what it means to live as a “refugee” although the pre-1994 Rwandan Government did not recognize them “Rwandan/Tutsi Refugees who were scattered all over the World) as of Rwandan nationality for sheer political reasons.
Like most of his peers,
He lived as a refugee for decades in Uganda and his dream is that no Rwandan be allowed to go through the difficulties he struggled with from the age of four (4).
That is why He and his Government work tirelessly to ensure that all Rwandans are happy and ask for their contribution from time to time(those within Rwanda and the ones living in exile-in opposition or otherwise)
They value (us) Rwandans no matter where we are/reside and so far have built a country we are proud to call our home-an exemplary nation in the heart of Africa.
That is why there is no basis for Rwandans out there to continue living as Refugees when they have a country that loves them and is ready to forgive them and also receive them without any prejudice.
MAY GOD BLESS RWANDA AND ALL RWANDANS ALL OVER THE WORLD, MAY GOD BLESS OUR DEAR PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME.
Staff Writer; Lionel Nishimwe
We are an ‘ ADVOCACY AGENCY’ that specialises in DISPUTE SETTLEMENT in liaison with relevant ‘LEGAL ADVOCATES’. Can visit our official “fanpage” over at Facebook; Lionel Nishimwe & Ngandu Consultancy.
May contact this brother at; lionelngayaboshya@gmail.com.