In a hilly neighbourhood of Kigali, Rwanda's capital, beneath a makeshift tent bathed in mid-morning sunlight, a pivotal social experiment unfolds. Across this deeply traumatised central African country, the victims of a state-sponsored genocide are starting to confront their alleged attackers in community courts convened in open fields and school yards.

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have pledged to work together to curb militia groups threatening Rwanda's stability. The two countries have also agreed to reopen embassies in each other's countries for the first time since they went to war five years ago.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has asked members of the newly installed parliament to endorse the establishment of an ombudsman’s office so that senior and grassroots government officials could declare their assets before taking office. "We need to have a continuous assessment of how our leaders accumulate their wealth," he said on Tuesday during the swearing in of his new cabinet in the capital, Kigali.

Rwanda's historic elections sent the world's highest share of women to parliament, knocking long-time champion Sweden from the top spot, the Inter-Parliamentary Union said on Wednesday. Rwanda's women now occupy 48,8 percent of the seats.

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Judith Kanzayire, a 29-year-old mother of three children from northern Rwanda, admits that she was the victim of 'marriage by abduction'. "What can you do? It's the tradition here. We have no choice but to accept it,” she says. When asked if she is happy with her life and if she has learned to love her husband, she laughs out loud. “I'm his wife, and that's the end of it,” she replies.

The party of President Paul Kagame emerged as the victor last Thursday in Rwanda's first multiparty legislative elections since achieving independence in 1962, the head of the election commission said. A five-party coalition led by Kagame's ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front, or RPF, won 40 of the 53 elected seats in the 80-member Chamber of Deputies or lower house.

Mediatrice Ilibagiza, 38, is a widow and mother of three who, like thousands of other Rwandan women, lost her husband during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. She was also among the hundreds of women who were raped by Hutu militiamen known as the Interahamwe and soldiers of the old army, the Forces armees rwandaises, leaving her infected with HIV/AIDS.

This article in the International Journal of Refugee Law analyses the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) with regard to refugee witnesses, and in particular to the claims for witness protection for such persons before the Tribunal. It also examines whether the Tribunal has the power to order states or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to grant or facilitate refugee status to witnesses as a protective measure so as to ensure their appearance before it.

Rwanda's ruling party is likely to dominate the country's new parliament, according to interim results announced by the National Electoral Commission. In five out of 12 provinces so far counted, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, or RPF-led coalition of parties has achieved 75% of the vote.

The cold reality is that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) needs to be a good deal more efficient in handling trials, says a new briefing from the International Crisis Group. Among other things, it should maintain its priority of judging the main suspects from the army and 1994 government, whose trials have been set to begin in the last three months of 2003. It will only be possible to wrap up the initial proceedings within four to five years if the court vigorously reforms how its judges conduct the trials and if it refuses to start any new genocide investigations.

The new Rwandan Constitution contains 22 articles on gender equality and the promotion of women's rights. On the occasion of its promulgation in June, UNIFEM and representatives from various national organisations and institutions organised a series of events in all 11 Provinces to sensitise government officials and the general public on the constitutional rights of women and to celebrate women's involvement in developing the constitution. A UNIFEM brochure on women's rights and gender equality was distributed throughout the Provinces for the occasion. For more information, contact Rose Rwabuhihi, Programme Specialist for
UNIFEM Africa, at [email protected].

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Amnesty International has urged President Paul Kgame to guarantee basic human rights for all Rwandese. "President Kagame should exercise the mandate he has won to guarantee the freedom for all Rwandese and for all sectors of society to express their views, in particular with respect to the ongoing campaign for parliamentary elections scheduled for 29 September through 2 October, " the organisation urged.

Indigenous peoples of east and central Africa resolved last Thursday to form a common front to pressure their respective governments to stamp out discrimination against them and give them due recognition. Meeting in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, the indigenous peoples, commonly known as pygmies, also voiced their objection to their continued absence from government institutions, saying they would fight for greater representation at decision-making levels.

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Rwanda's first multi-party elections, which have been described as free and fair, may pave the way for the central African country to join the East African Community bloc, according to a government official. The official, Seth Kamanzi, who is Rwanda's ambassador to Kenya, told IPS that “the delay in Rwanda becoming a part of the bloc is because it was considered undemocratic”.

Among the tasks ahead for President Paul Kagame is to find ways to build and develop consistently a democratic culture in Rwanda, ensuring that the needs of the Rwandese people are understood and reflected at the highest level of government. This endeavour must begin almost immediately for the forthcoming Parliamentary Elections, according to an analysis of the recent presidential elections by African Rights.

Rwanda's Supreme Court dismissed on Tuesday a petition against the election of incumbent President Paul Kagame filed by his main opponent in the recently concluded election, Faustin Twagiramungu. "The petition is not backed by any evidence to support the accusations. We therefore dismiss this petition," Justice Louis Marie Mugyenzi, of the Supreme Court, ruled.

A Gambian judge is to be nominated by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as the new chief prosecutor for the Rwanda genocide court. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced Hassan Jallow, 52, a former Gambian Supreme Court judge and solicitor general, as his choice. The tribunal, based in Arusha in northern Tanzania, was set up in 1995 to investigate the massacre of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus by Hutu extremists in 1994.

The voting in Rwanda’s first democratic elections was completed peacefully on 25 August, and a landslide victory for the incumbent President Paul Kagame of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) has been declared. African Rights congratulates the people of Rwanda on their courage and commitment to democracy. They, their newly elected President, and concerned members of the international community should now all move forward in a positive spirit to focus upon the many social, economic and political challenges facing the nation.

In a statement released the week before the poll, African Rights emphasised that while the genocide proved how people are mobilised by fear, for democracy to work, all concerned must now understand that voters will only be inspired by hope. We concluded:

"Experience across the globe shows that democracy is a fragile concept touted by many in the quest for power, but rarely delivered intact. No single political party, government or individual can create a democracy. Scrutiny, monitoring, open criticism and time are needed—and so is practice. If on the 25 August the majority of people can journey to the polling stations in peace and mutual tolerance it will be a good start."

Ultimately the poll did, in our view, deliver gains in this respect; political violence played no part in this election and given Rwanda’s history this must be seen as an achievement. As African Rights emphasised in its statement of 19 August, voters’ perceptions were bound to be coloured by the legacy of genocide and war, including ongoing concerns in relation to genocide justice, human rights and regional insecurity. Some caution and even hostility towards multiparty democracy, and the freedoms required to implement it, was therefore inevitable.

African Rights had called upon the candidates to collectively seize the moment to demonstrate a genuine commitment to the welfare of ordinary people of all ethnicities. It was nevertheless disappointing that both the campaigning and the reporting of the elections were dominated by concerns about “divisionism” so that little space was left for the articulation of practical agendas in relation to poverty, development, justice, regional security/ foreign policy, or HIV/AIDS. The result was that the quality of debate was narrow and at times lacklustre.

It is questionable whether the electoral process will have served to substantially invigorate national politics. And it remains to be seen whether the electorate believe their leaders will be accountable to them on a wide range of issues. As is so common in fledgling democracies, neither campaigning nor voting was entirely without risks or fears. This is not to suggest, however, as some human rights organisations and commentators argued prior to the elections, that the process itself was so flawed as to be unworthy of international funding. There was evident support for “free and fair” elections in the country as the determination shown by so many Rwandese individuals, businesses and organisations to help make up the shortfall in the budget of the National Electoral Commission illustrated.

African Rights was able to observe the voting at 13 polling stations, as summarised in a forthcoming paper. We cannot testify to events on a national scale, but our sample reveals only minor mistakes on the voting day which, given the scale of President Kagame’s victory, could not have affected the result. There was no evidence of intimidation at the polling stations we visited and no indication of a systematic effort to manipulate the result. Perhaps the most notable deficit, in fact, was the lack of international observers—despite over 1000 invitations issued, less than 100 were present.

Certainly there is scope for analysis of the context in which the elections took place—shaped by both historical and the events of the past year—and how this contributed to the voters’ choices. Indeed, there is scope for reflection upon the definition and implementation of democracy in Rwanda and beyond. But we should not lose sight of some favourable outcomes. There was a respectable turnout of voters in Rwanda’s first poll. We cannot be sure of the personal motivations of each individual in making their choice, but through their shared experience of voting in peace, they have defied their past. It is to be hoped that Rwanda will emerge from its elections more secure and with a greater confidence about its future.

* Rakiya Omaar is the director of African Rights. For a copy of African Rights’ statement of 19 August or to request an email copy of the forthcoming paper summarising our observations of the voting in Nyamirambo, Gikondo, Kanombe and Kicukiro in Kigali. Please email us at [email][email protected]