Rwanda Man Lights Himself Ablaze Protesting Torture & Inhumanity

RWANDA: FDU-Inkingi condemns increasing violence by security personnel pushing a poor vendor to set himself ablaze.

Sadiki Mutabazi, a young orphan, chose to self-immolate in protest of having been tortured and his belongings taken away by government authorities, an increasing problem in Rwanda.

(KIGALI, Rwanda) - Three days ago, a young orphan known as Sadiki Mutabazi doused and set himself self-ablaze in Rubavu district (Gisenyi) where he worked as a mobile vendor for a living.

He is originally from Gakeri village in Rutsiro District (Ruhango sector, Kavumu cell). This happened after members of local defense force (LDF) and RDF reserve forces harassed and tortured him succeeding the arbitrary confiscation of his goods and cash money worth Frs 300,000.

He was rushed to the emergency unit of a local hospital but later transferred to Kigali University hospital (CHUK) in a critical condition.

Like many other young orphans from vulnerable families, the victim was surviving on very low incomes from street sales in order to feed his family.

The inhumane acts carried on by crappy security personnel in Rwanda are on the rise in the whole country. Acts of intimidation such as man hunt, confiscation of private items, public beating, torture or arbitrary imprisonment are common for lower class citizens.

FDU-Inkingi is denouncing this unrelenting barbaric conduct of members of security apparatus and urges the government of Rwanda to make sure that the life of this burnt young boy is not in danger, to bring to book those involved in this incident and to refund the stolen property.

There is no hope if no justice is done.

FDU-INKINGI

Boniface Twagirimana
Interim Vice President
"DON'T GIVE UP, HE WILL NEVER JAIL A WHOLE NATION" (Mrs. Victoire Ingabire, Kigali Maximum Prison, 5 November 2010)

Submitted by: Jennifer Fierberg, MSW; a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. and Salem-News.com. Jennifer is also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village (www.africaglobalvillage.com)