PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS NATIONWIDE IN SUPPORT OF

UNCLAS KIGALI 000810 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM RW SUBJECT: PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS NATIONWIDE IN SUPPORT OF ARRESTED OFFICIAL REF: KIGALI 796 ¶1. (U) Following nine days of demonstrations in front of the German Embassy in Kigali concerning the arrest of Chief of Presidential Protocol Rose Kabuye in Stuttgart (with occasional protest marches in front of the Deutsche Welle radio station complex and the European Union offices, also in Kigali) (reftel),large nationwide demonstrations occured on November 19 to protest her arrest. Embassy officers estimated that crowds lining the residential streets around the German Embassy site likely numbered in excess of 50,000 persons. Crowds traveling the roads to the Deutsche Welle complex on the edge of Kigali probably numbered several hundred thousand. Marches occured in other towns and hamlets throughout the country -- Ambassador saw about ten thousand persons gathered in the small town of Ruhengeri in the north of the country, for example. ¶2. (SBU) The nationwide marches were uniformly peaceful and orderly, with security forces closely monitoring the progress of the assembled crowds. Ostensibly called by local NGOs and media houses, the marches were in fact organized by the government and ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF). Instructions went out from the central authorities to all administrative levels of the government to assemble their populations for the marches. Some residents of outlying districts of Kigali assembled as early as 5 am, with others gathering later in the morning. Some marchers carried signs denouncing the German and French governments (the German arrest made on behalf of French authorities),and a few chanted slogans, but most simply walked quietly to their assigned assembly points. Near the German Embassy, a reggae band entertained the crowds as they swelled throughout the mid-morning hours. Heavy late morning rains brought the demonstrations in the capital to a close before noon. Other areas of the country held marches later in the day. Local media, including government television and radio, offered extensive coverage of the demonstrations. Government officials held a press conference in Kigali in the afternoon to highlight the demonstrations and express support for Kabuye. ¶3. (SBU) Mission understands that Rose Kabuye has in fact been transferred to France on November 19 (GOR officials tell us she boarded an airplane for Paris in the afternoon) to be examined by the two French judges in the case. Rwandan officials here assert that Kabuye will clearly show that she had no role in the shooting down of the President Habyarimana jet in April 1994, the event which touched off the genocide. One of the most prominent of the witnesses to the alleged Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) shootdown of the jet, a former RPA officer, has reportedly recanted his testimony, a happenstance which must hearten Rwandan officials. In the interim, we expect that the GOR will continue its campaign against the arrest of Kabuye, having demonstrated today that it can if it wishes produce large crowds of Rwandans on short notice in support of its policies and personnel. SYMINGTON