VZCZCXYZ0035
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAR #0784 0970734
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 070734Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0907
INFO RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 0063

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000784 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PRM/A 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2016 
TAGS: PREF PHUM RW GH
SUBJECT: REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR RWANDAN REFUGEE GERVAIS 
RUTEBUKA 
 
REF: 03 STATE 326248 
 
Classified By: REF COORD NATE BLUHM FOR REASON 1.4 (D). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Embassy Accra requests authorization for a 
refugee referral to the U.S. Resettlement Program on behalf 
of Rwandan refugee Gervais Rutebuka, his wife, and their 
niece and nephew.  Rutebuka fled Rwanda in 1994 and resided 
in Benin for eight years, where he obtained refugee status 
based on fear of persecution due to his membership in the 
former Mouvement Republicain National pour la Democratie et 
le Developpement.  He has served as a key witness for the 
Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal 
Tribunal for Rwanda, meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.  Because of 
that, he began receiving death threats in his first country 
of refuge and relocated to Ghana in 2002.  As an urban 
refugee, he benefits from limited UNHCR assistance and as a 
francophone, his employment prospects in Accra are extremely 
limited.  We concur with the Office of the Prosecutor that 
resettlement represents the appropriate durable solution for 
Mr. Rutebuka.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Post's refugee referral is for Gervais RUTEBUKA 
(DPOB:  29 APR 1956, Mbogo, Rwanda), who has taken refuge in 
Ghana along with three family members: 
 
Spouse:  Alice Vassella MUKESHIMANA (DPOB:  14 JUN 1978, 
Mbogo, Rwanda) 
Nephew:  Intwari Alain HABIMANA (DPOB:  02 JUL 1988, Mbogo, 
Rwanda) 
Niece:  Ishimwe Aline HABIMANA (DPOB:  02 JUL 1988, Mbogo, 
Rwanda) 
 
Please note that the nephew and niece are twins whose parents 
are deceased. 
 
¶3.  (C) Rutebuka completed his secondary studies in 1977 and 
went on to study management at the Universite Nationale du 
Rwanda from 1977-79.  He worked as the Supervisor of 
Financial Services at the Office of Tourism and National 
Parks from 1979-87.  From 1988-91 he managed a business known 
as ETEX which imported car parts.  During the next two years, 
Rutebuka owned his own real estate business, which also 
provided services in insurance, customs clearance, and taxes. 
 From 1993-94, Rutebuka worked as the Chief of Import/Export 
Services for the International Committee of the Red Cross. 
 
¶4.  (C) When the genocide broke out in Rwanda, Rutebuka 
continued to work, transporting victims to the ICRC hospital 
or to the FAYCAL hospital under the protection of UN 
peacekeepers.  Militants who suspected him of cooperating 
with the rebels threatened his life.  In July of 1994, 
Rutebuka fled to the DRC.  His brother returned to Kigali to 
check on conditions, only to learn that a military officer 
had occupied the family home.  When his brother disappeared, 
Rutebuka decided in November to travel to Benin and seek 
asylum there. 
 
¶5.  (C) In January 2002, Rutebuka met a former classmate, who 
asked him to testify before the International Criminal 
Tribunal for Rwanda.  Rutebuka, as a former employee of the 
ICRC, had first-hand knowledge of the atrocities taking place 
and readily agreed to cooperate.  In May 2002, Rutebuka 
testified against a former GOR official who had been arrested 
in Benin in 1998.  Two months later, he began receiving 
threatening letters and phone calls.  In October 2002, 
unknown assailants entered his home, vandalized his 
belongings, and left a message saying, "Your days are 
numbered."  Rutebuka changed his residence and moved to Ghana 
in November 2002.  In March 2006 he again began receiving 
threats.  Rutebuka's name has become well known among the 
Rwandan diaspora in Benin, Togo, Belgium, and France. 
Rutebuka suffers from sinusitis, persistent headaches, and 
respiratory problems and his wife experiences constant 
abdominal pain.  Despite medical checkups, their condition 
has not improved. 
 
¶6.  (C) Accra has corroborated Rutebuka's story with UNHCR 
and with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. 
 
¶7.  (C) PRM's consideration of this request is greatly 
appreciated. 
 
 
 
 
 
BRIDGEWATER