Citation
ET 7
113136
} MDHIAN 9496
ni
À, fran Lo
FM UKMIS NEW YORK
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1263
OF 0803547 APRIL 94
INFO IMMEDIATE KAMPALA, PARIS, BRUSSELS, WASHINGTON, DAR ES SALAAM
INFO IMMEDIATE ADDIS ABABA, OTHER SECURITY COUNCIL POSTS
7
MY TELNO 1232: RWANDA AND BURUNDI
SUMMARY
1. Secretary-General's special political adviser briefs Council
members on situation in Rwanda and Burundi: Burundi tense but calm.
No reports of unrest în Bujumbura or elsewhere in the country.
Situation in Rwanda has deteriorated sharply. At least 10 Belgian
UNAMIR soldiers killed, interim Prime Minister reported killed.
Number of Hutu opposition Leaders including 3 ministers and
President of Constitutional Court asbducted. Unconfirmed reports
that they have also been killed. Risk of violence in demilitarised
zone (DMZ). RPF forces maybe making their way from DMZ to Kigali.
UNAMIR urging restraînt on ail sîdes,. Assistant Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping tells us separately Secretariat believe that
things should be given a couple of days to settle down before
decisions are taken as to whether UNAMIR will be able to carry on
in Rwanda or not.
2. Presidential statement adopted condemning recent events and
calliïing for an end to the violence and attacks on UN personnel.
DETAIL
3. During informal consultations of the Security Council on 7
March, Gharekhan (Secretary-General's special political adviser)
briefed Council members on developments in Rwanda and Burundi üin
the Light of the assassination of the Presidents of those countries
reported in TUR.
4. The news on Burundi was relatively good. The situation was
tense but calm with no reports of unrest in Bujumbura or elsewhere
in the country. The President of the National Assembly has taken
charge of the country. The UN fact finding mission (our telno 990
refers) had informed the Secretary-General that the situation was
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calm. They had decided to extend theîr stay in Burundi by a few
days since their presence might be act as a stabilising factor Cand
that withdrawal could, conversely, be taken as signailing Lack of
confidence).
5. Gharekhan said that the picture îin Rwanda was very different.
The situation had deteriorated sharply in Kigali early this
morning. According to reports, the interim Prime Minister had been
executed by members of the Presidential guard but there had so far
been no eyewitness reports. She had apparently sought refuge in
the compound of a UNDP staff member, but the APC's sent by UNAMIR
to rescue her were prevented from getting through by roadblocks.
Her guards were overpowered and she was taken away from the
compound and reportedty killed elsewhere.
6. Gharekhan said UNAMIR premises (and personnel) had been under
sporadic fire. They had returned fire where necessary în self
defence. 10 Belgian UNAMIR soldiers were unaccounted for, and 3
more were reported killed. The Belgians have since told us that 11
were killed and 2 more were unaccounted for. 20 more Belgian
UNAMIR soldiers had been disarmed and detained at the airport by
the Presidential Guard but were otherwise unhurt. A Belgian
© airforce C130 was stationed at Kigali airport but the crew had been
prevented from gaining access to it, again by the Presidential
Guard who are also denying the UN and UNAMIR access to the wreckage
of President Habyarimana's plane). 2 Ghanaïan UNAMIR soldiers were
also unsaccounted for. The Presidential guard had kidnapped a
civilien staff member of UNDP but the UN Force Commander had
secured his release.
7. Gharekhan said the RPF battalion which had come to Kigali as
part of the Arusha Peace Agreement had been confined to their
barracks. They had sought to Leave but UNAMIR had restrained them
as the Presidential Guard were close by. However about a third
forced their way out and there was subsequently fighting in the
streets between the RPF and the Presidential guard, as well as
tooting.
8. The situation had deteriorated still further when the
Presidential Guard started abducting opposition Leaders and their
families. 3 Ministers, the President of the National Assembly and
the President of the Constitutional Court had all been abducted and
there were unconfirmed reports that all had been killed,. The Prime
Minister designate was in hiding and his whereabouts unknown.
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9. There was no authority in control in Kigali. UNAMIR and the
SRSG had urged the military and the gendarmerie to seek to
establish some form of interim authority. UNAMIR had sought to
carry out joint patrols with the gendarmerie in an attempt to
restore some kind of order. The Defence Ministry spokesman had
also appealed several times for calm via radio broadcasts.
10. The Force Commander and the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General had also warned of violence in the demilitarised
zone where the Rwandan Army and the RPF face each other with UNAMIR
deployed in between. The RPF Commander had told the UN Force
Commander his troops would be advancing to Kigali but would avoid
UNAMIR positions on the way. Gharekhan saïîd, however, that any
movement of RPF troops to Kigali from the DMZ would inevitably
result in clashes with Government forces which might impact on
UNAMIR.
11. The consultations then adjourned to allow the NAM caucus to
work on the draft Presidential Statement which had been prepared
earlier by the (New Zealand) Council President and France. The
text in MIFT was subsequently agreed în informal consuttations and
adopted at a formal meeting Later on în the evening. The reference
to the killing of the Belgian pescekeepers was included at the
request of the Belgian Ambassador.
COMMENT
12. A Lot of the talk in the margins of the Security Council
meeting was of the possibility of the withdrawal of UNAMIR in the
face of the breakdown of Law and order in Rwanda. Merimee (France)
told me on the morning of 7 April that French troops in the Central
African Republic were standing by to evacuate EU nationals, but as
yet no decision had been taken, and that two battalions of Belgian
special forces were also standing by. SRE
13. The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, to whom we
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113136 |
MDHIAN PET
spoke Late on 7 April, said that the Secretary-General's Special
Representative and the Force Commander were making a serious effort
to bring the leadership of the police, gendarmerie etc. together
in some form of interim authority to fill the power vacuum. There
was to be à further meeting tomorrow, and UNAMIR's objective was to
get joint UNAMIR/gendarmerie patrols on the streets in Kigali.
Riza said that he thought a couple of days should be allowed for
the dust to settle. It was too early to start talking of
withdrawal yet, though he did not rule it out.
14. See MIFT for text of Presidential Statement.
GOMERSALL
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION 118
MAIN 106
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AD(E) PUSD
AD (S) RAD
APD RFD
CCD , UND
CFSP UNIT | PS
CONSULAR D PS/MR LENNOX-BOYD
EAFD/ODA PS/BARONESS CHALKER
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INFO D//BRIEFWRITERS
LEGAL ADVISERS
NENAD //@RERR
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ADDITIONAL 12
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MODUK//SEC (C0) (c) SNS oT1//D *XA1443
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