26 aprile 1995
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SOMMARIO. Riporta la decisione della Commissione europea degli Aiuti umanitari di sospendere l'erogazione di aiuti deestinati ad essere distribuiti attraverso il governo del Rwanda, dopo i massacri di civili commessi nei campi profughi dall'esercito ruandese.
BRUSSELS - The European Union should suspend aid to Rwanda channeled through the government, the European Commission said on Wednesday, condemning a weekend massacre of refugees in a Rwandan camp.
The EU is the world's main donor of humanitarian aid to Rwanda, providing nearly one billion dollars since October 1993.
"The Commission feels that subject to consultations, aid going through the Rwandan authorities should be suspended," Commission spokesman Nikolaus van der Pas said after a weekly meeting of the EU's executive.
"The Commission firmly condemns the events which have taken place and which led to this appalling massacre," he added.
U.N. troops found more than 5,000 people dead in Kibeho camp in southwest Rwanda on Sunday, according to a U.N. official.
The Commission plans to discuss the issue as soon as possible with the 15 EU member states, the European Parliament and independent aid agencies through which a lot of aid is given.
Aid channelled through the independent agencies would not be affected, van der Pas stressed.
The Dutch on Monday stopped 30 million dollars of aid pledged to the Rwandan government and on Tuesday Belgium suspended direct aid.
The Commission will remind the Rwandan government that further aid depends on respect of human rights and pursuit of efforts for national reconciliation, especially in view of the length of the conflict and number of victims, van der Pas said.
It will examine next week its position on humanitarian aid and whether to focus more on longer term rehabilitation projects and will consult African organisations, such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
Officials said the EU would have to reconsider pouring aid into refugee camps which the Kigali government was intent on closing and into which the Hutu militias were regrouping.
