Only woman in terror trial admits role in conscription of juvenile FLN fighters

Angelina Mukandutiye, the woman accused of sensitizing young girls to join the FLN militia has admitted that she sensitized women to join, without asking for their age. She is the only woman among the 21 suspects being tried in connection with atrocities committed by FLN, n outfit based in DR Congo that is responsible for perpetrating several terror attacks on Rwanda civilians in 2018 and 2019. Prosecution accuses her of committing the crime in her capacity as ‘commissioner in charge of family and women promotion’ in the MRCD-FLN group, where part of her job was to recruit female fighters. In an earlier hearing, prosecutors told court that Mukandutiye sensitized women, including girls that were below the age of 18 to join the militia. They (prosecution) presented some testimonies by girls that were victims of this, including one who said it was kind of forceful. Appearing before court on May 20, Mukandutiye admitted that she encouraged women to join the militia, noting that she did not ask them their ages before urging them to join the group. “When we were in DRC, men would often go to battle and leave me alone with women and children. We were not safe, because the women did not have military skills. So, I realized that they need some military training. I then suggested to ‘General’ Wilson Irategeka (the commander of FLN) that women should get training. He accepted and asked me to sensitize them towards it. “I started to sensitize them, and I did it well. I did not ask them how old they were when I was sensitizing them,” she added. Judge Antoine Muhima asked her how many women or girls she encouraged to join the FLN to which she responded that she could not remember the number, but they were many. “And my work did not go beyond sensitizing. This means, I did not conscript them into the military. I only sensitized them,” she said. Asked about what she knew about the terror attacks by FLN, she said she heard of it while she was in DRC, but she did not know much details about it. “When I was in DRC, I heard that the FLN made attacks in Rwanda. I asked ‘Gen’ Irategeka about it, and he confirmed to me. He said the attacks were meant to show Rwandans that FLN exists,” she said. She said she did not get to know much of what transpired during the attacks, but did not even like the idea of carrying out incursions in Rwanda, “I believed in diplomacy and discussions.” “Later, when I had been brought back to Rwanda, I got to know that terrible things happened during the attacks. I don’t support these acts, and I did not play a role in them. I am so sorry for the people that lost their lives. I ask for forgiveness from families of victims, the whole Rwandan community, and the President of the country,” she said.

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Only woman in terror trial admits role in conscription of juvenile FLN fighters