Marion Edmunds
The South African government is seeking to play down a report by Amnesty International linking South African arms sales to recent bloodshed in Rwanda.
The office of Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Kader Asmal, which oversees South Africa?s international arms trade, questioned Amnesty International?s findings that South Africa was Rwanda?s largest arms supplier. The Ministry of Defence dismissed the report?s conclusion as ?far-fetched?.
The report, released onSeptember 24, is nevertheless potentially embarrassing to South Africa given Deputy President Thabo Mbeki?s commitment just two months ago to re-open arms sales to Rwanda. The trade was frozen in 1996, but was re-opened mid-year to allow trade of non-lethal military matériel.
It is understood that the National Conventional Arms Control Committee ? the arms sales watchdog chaired by Asmal ? is poised to evaluate applications for permits for the export of more dangerous weapons to Rwanda later this year.
A committee representative refused to disclose whether arms sales to Rwanda were on the agenda at the committee?s next meeting in October, saying disclosures could only be made after decisions had been taken.
The Mail & Guardian established that the report has surprised government officials, who have yet to commit themselves to discussing the report at the committee meeting ? although it will probably be noted.
The Amnesty International report urged South Africa to reconsider military aid to the Rwandan government because ? the report says ? it?s Tutsi-dominated army had been involved in the deaths of 6 000 innocent people this year.
The report claimed that most of the victims were unarmed civilians. The figures were calculated from reports from survivors, witnesses and families of victims.
South Africa froze arms sales to Rwanda late last year, following reports that its Vice-President, Paul Kagame, had authorised troops to undertake raids into former Zaire. Mbeki argued months later that the trade should resume to allow Kagame to repel attacks from Hutus returning to Rwanda from Zaire.
Kagame personally assured Asmal this year that he would not abuse the conditions laid down for South African arm sales to resume. Non-lethal matériel, such as trucks, is now being sold to Kagame?s government.
?The committee has no reason to reject assurances given at the highest level of the Rwandan government on conditions of sale,? Asmal?s representative said. ?These assurances were very much in line with those sought by Amnesty.?
Deputy Minister of Defence Ronnie Kasrils was more strident in his response to Amnesty International. ?These thousands of deaths cannot be connected to weapons which were never delivered. What weapons were delivered came from South Africa in the apartheid era. I have not seen the report yet, but what you are saying to me sounds far-fetched.?