Warden Messages

Hand Grenade Launched at Genocide Memorial

Greetings US Citizens in Rwanda!

• I want to remind you that as tax season rapidly approaches we have hard copy tax forms available in the consular section. Taxpayers out of the US are allowed 2 extra months (up to June 15, 2007) to file returns without requesting an extension. If an additional 4 months are needed, you may file IRS Form 4868. See www.irs.gov for more information.

• Due to the Easter holiday next week, the consular section will be doing non-immigrant visa interviews on Wednesday, April 4th, so if you could try to come for American Citizens Services at an alternate time, we would appreciate it!

Our schedule is posted on our website at: http://kigali.usembassy.gov under "U.S. Citizen Services".

• Finally, I wanted to share an update from our political and security offices:

In the early morning of 23 March a hand grenade was used to vandalize a Genocide Memorial Site in Gashonga Sector, Rusizi District, Western Province near the border town of Cyangugu. The unidentified perpetrators were driven off by government security forces without causing injuries or extensive damage to the site.

Few additional facts are available but authorities suspect local supporters of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), recently released prisoners and / or gacaca suspects and note that incidents of vandalism and violence against genocide survivors are not uncommon during this time of year due to increased tension during the annual period of mourning.

The annual week of mourning, 7-14 April, is always tense in Rwanda. Factors that will likely aggravate the tension this year include the February release of approximately 7,000 prisoners accused of genocide crimes and the start of nationwide gacaca hearings in July 2006.

There is no change to our security posture at this time, but American citizens should as always exercise caution, especially if attending events at genocide memorial sites.

Rwanda's Consular Information Sheet can be viewed at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1007.html