Bizimungu Under House Arrest

KIGALI, Thursday – Rwanda's former President Pasteur Bizimungu has been placed under house arrest for attempting to launch an opposition political party, officials and witnesses said yesterday. Bizimungu, an ethnic Hutu, resigned as president 14 months ago after falling out with leading members of the country's Tutsi-dominated ruling party, and was replaced by military strongman Paul Kagame. He had recently become unhappy with the direction the government was taking and the suppression of internal dissent, deciding the only option was to launch his own opposition party, supporters said. Bizimungu invited journalists to his house on Wednesday to tell them about his party, the Democratic Party for Renewal (PDR), but security forces broke up the meeting and placed Bizimungu under house arrest, witnesses said. Rwandan state radio said the party's creation was illegal, quoting a statement from a Wednesday meeting by the council of ministers. "The council of ministers condemned the actions of certain persons such as Pasteur Bizimungu, to create political parties, actions aimed at disturbing the situation in the country," Radio-Rwanda said. While president, Bizimungu was held up as a powerful symbol of reconciliation between Hutus and Tutsis in a country still coming to terms with its 1994 genocide. His departure last year was seen by many as a sign that Kagame, a Tutsi, was tightening his grip on power. "People are fleeing the country and going outside to form political parties, which is an indication they (the government) do not tolerate dissent," said Charles Ntakirutinka, a former minister under Bizimungu and PDR vice-president. Ends