Rwanda National Congress

The Rwanda National Congress (RNC) is Rwandan opposition group in exile, established in the United States on 12 December 2010.[1] Prominent founders included Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa, Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, Gerald Gahima, and Patrick Karegeya.[2] Karegeya was murdered on 31 December 2013. Rudasingwa and Gahima have since left the organization.

Rudasingwa-Nyamwasa break

In July 2016, Rudasingwa formed a breakaway faction called the "New RNC".[3] Rudasingwa lamented "the disruptive influence of Lt. Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa" and the decision "to go ahead with elections in August, 2016, [...] without first discussing and resolving the major problems facing the organization".[4] In September, New-RNC declared that it had "decided to rise to the historic responsibility of naming the crimes committed against the Rwandan Hutu in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo by their rightful name, genocide." It released a list of what it called "masterminds of the genocide against the Rwanda Hutu", which included Nyamwasa.[5] The "old" RNC announced the names of its "newly elected executives" the same month, which did not include Rudasingwa nor Gahima.[6]

Role in Rwanda-Uganda relations

In March 2019, a diplomatic conflict emerged between Rwanda and its neighbor Uganda. The Rwandan minister of foreign affairs Richard Sezibera accused the Uganda of supporting the RNC and allowing them a base in Uganda. Uganda denied the accusations.[7] Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni admitted to meeting with a member of the RNC but said he told them Uganda cannot support their cause.[8]

Other leaders
  • Seif Bamporiki (d. 2021), lived in exile in South Africa[9]
  • Callixte Sankara until 2017[10]

References
  1. About Us Rwanda National Conference, 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. Exiled foes live in fear of Kagame by Donna Bryson, Associated Press, in The Washington Times, 26 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2014. Archived here.
  3. "Rwanda's opposition in diaspora disintegrating". The East African. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  4. "A New RNC under Dr Theogene Rudasingwa". The Rwandan. 1 July 2016.
  5. "The New Rwanda National Congress's Declaration on Genocide against Rwandan Hutu". The Rwandan. 15 September 2016.
  6. "RWANDA NATIONAL CONGRESSE (RNC)-NEWLY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AT THE GLOBAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS". The Rwandan. 8 September 2016.
  7. Team, The Observer. "Uganda responds to Rwanda accusations". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  8. "Uganda denies backing Rwandan rebels as tensions grow". Washington Post.
  9. "Rwandan Seif Bamporiki killed in South Africa". BBC News. BBC World News. 22 February 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  10. "Rwanda: Twagiramungu rejoint la plateforme MRCD". La Libre Afrique (in French). 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
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