KIGALI, Rwanda
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Vincnent Biruta (pictured) says that Rwanda’s relations with Zambia remain intact despite recent utterances in court by terror suspect Callixte Nsabimana, who alleged that the terrorist organisation he was a spokesman for was supported by Zambian President Edgar Lungu.
The claims by Nsabimana, who faces up to 16 charges, that
President Lungu financially supported the ‘National Liberation Forces (FLN)’,
an armed terrorist organisation founded by the Rwandan Movement for Democratic
Change (MRCD), a political organisation founded by Paul Rusesabagina, among
other members, shocked many.
On July 13, while appearing in the High Court Special Chamber
for International and Cross-Border Crimes in Nyanza District, Nsabimana claimed
that FLN received $150, 000 from Lungu to support their cause to fight the
Government of Rwanda in 2017.
The claims rattled Zambia, with the President Office issuing a
statement strongly condemning the allegations and unequivocally stated that
they are false.
On July 16, President Lungu dispatched his country’s Foreign
Minister Joe Malanji to Kigali to meet President Kagame over the matter, after
the opposition in the Southern African country turned on the heat on his
government to explain more.
Speaking about the issue for the first time on Wednesday, Minister
Biruta said that the matter has been discussed extensively with Zambia in view
of ascertaining the authenticity of the claims but Rwanda also heard about it
for the first time when Nsabimana went to court.
“We heard it as everyone heard it in court. He said what he said
but in the meantime the President of Zambia sent the Minister of Foreign
Affairs as special envoy, to deliver a message to the President of the Republic
of Rwanda,”
“What we can say is that whatever was said was said in court and
the person who said it is there. We have actually given Zambia a greenlight to
send people to discuss with him to understand the source of these allegation
and follow up,” Minister Biruta said
“Certainly, there is a need to understand better where these
claims came from. On our side we only heard this in court and it has not
affected our relations with Zambia. We will continue to work together to find
out the source of these claims,” he expounded.
However, Biruta said that these groups which are intent on
destabilizing Rwanda operate in many places around the continent and the world,
including some people in Zambia who they work with.
“It is not Zambia alone -they operate in Uganda as we said
earlier and many other places. When such allegations come up in court, then
there is a need to investigate more. These people are there, the Government of
Zambia is aware of them,”
“We will continue to work with them to see how these activities
can be stopped. If there are any people who should be prosecuted, then it should
be done but we will continue to work with Zambian authorities to ascertain
these claims,”
Callixte Nsabimana |
Nsabimana faces 17 counts, including terrorism, treason, forming
of an illegal armed group, engaging in acts of terrorism for political gain,
incitement to commit terrorism and murder among other charges.
He is also charged with kidnapping, spreading false information
or propaganda aimed at undermining the Rwandan government abroad, denying
genocide, armed robbery, arson, engaging with foreign nations with a view to
waging war and forgery, among others.
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