The deadline for disarmament of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) has passed without the Congo-based rebel group surrendering. The FDLR’s future is uncertain, but there are a number of reasons why these anti-Kagame rebels are reluctant to disarm.

Many observers, including Paul Kagame’s critics of his horrendous human rights record, seem to have swallowed his storyline that he has built a formidable economic powerhouse. But the facts and figures expose the myth.

20 years after the end of the genocide in Rwanda, Rwandans both at home and abroad still live in fear of their government, which goes to unimaginable lengths to hunt down and kill dissidents. The international community must band together to uphold the freedom and human rights of all Rwandans worldwide.