UN accuses Rwandan government of genocide, Rwanda reacts by arresting innocent opposition leader

Posted by Aimable Mugara on October 16, 2010

On October 1st, 2010 the United Nations Human Rights Commission released a report on crimes that were committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 and 2003. The UN report said that “The extensive use of edged weapons (primarily hammers) and the apparently systematic nature of the massacres of survivors after the camps had been taken suggests that the numerous deaths cannot be attributed to the hazards of war or seen as equating to collateral damage. The majority of the victims were children, women,elderly people and the sick, who were often undernourished and posed no threat to the attacking forces. Numerous serious attacks on the physical or mental integrity of members of the group were also committed, with a very high number of Hutus shot,raped, burnt or beaten. If proven, the incidents’ revelation of what appears to be the systematic, methodological and premeditated nature of the attacks listed against the Hutus is also marked: these attacks took place in each location where refugees had allegedly been screened by the AFDL/APR over a vast area of the country. The pursuit lasted for months, and on occasion, the humanitarian assistance intended for them was allegedly deliberately blocked, particularly in the Orientale province, thus depriving them of resources essential to their survival. Thus the apparent systematic and widespread attacks described in this report reveal a number of inculpatory elements that, if proven before a competent court, could be characterized as crimes of genocide.”
Less than 2 weeks later, in what appears to be an attempt to distract the world’s opinion from the UN’s findings, the same Rwandan government accused of genocide by the UN arrested opposition leader Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza on October 14, 2010. This is the second time in less than a year that this opposition leader has been arrested by the Rwandan government. The first time in April 2010, she was released on bail and was under virtual house arrest. It is very suspicious that out of the only 3 real opposition leaders in Rwanda, two of them are now in jail and the third one is in exile.
The current Rwandan government’s abuse of prisoners has been documented by many human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Mrs Ingabire is currently at risk of torture, or even death while incarcerated.
This is a very sad moment for Rwanda because the current Rwandan government which is accused of genocide by the UN is continuing to send a message that if you participate peacefully in the country’s political process, there is a price to pay. If the government thinks that the people may vote for you, you will be jailed. This disrespect for human rights and democracy is exactly what caused the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the 1996-1997 genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The extremists’ belief that the only way to resolve political issues is through violence is exactly what caused those genocides. For 50 years, there has never been a peaceful transfer of power in Rwanda. Every president of Rwanda who has ever lost power lost it only by being killed or by being jailed. Mrs Victoire Ingabire believed in a new Rwanda. A new Rwanda where power can be changed peacefully, at the ballot box.
This year marks a turning point in Rwanda’s future. What happens from now on will determine whether the 50 year curse of using violence to make political change in Rwanda remains the only way possible. Whether genocides committed by extremist Tutsis and genocides committed by extremist Hutus continue to be the only way to change power. Or whether non-violent peaceful democratic ways championed by Mrs Ingabire remain a viable option to create political change in Rwanda.
Below are 4 examples of actions you can take to help the Rwandan people in this very dark moment of Rwandan history:
1. Donate to Mrs Ingabire’s Legal Defense Fund at http://ww.fdu-rwanda.org/donation
In the Comments field, please note “Ingabire’s Legal Defense Fund”
2. Contact your local Human Rights Watch office and let them know of today’s injustice and how Mrs Ingabire is at risk of torture and assassination.
Contact info can be found at: http://www.hrw.org/en/contact-us
3. Contact Amnesty International Secretariat and let them know of today’s injustice and how Mrs Ingabire is at risk of torture and assassination.
Contact info can be found at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/contact
4. Contact any other organizations you can think of such as media, human rights organizations, international aid groups, embassie

Related articles

• Rwandan opposition head arrested (bbc.co.uk)
• Rwandan police arrest top opposition leader (sfgate.com)
• Rwandan Police Arrest Top Opposition Leader (nytimes.com)
• Rwandan police arrest opposition leader (telegraph.co.uk)
• Rwandan police arrest top opposition leader (foxnews.com)
• Rwandan police arrest top opposition leader (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• U.N. report accuses Rwanda of Congo killings (cnn.com)
• Facing life in jail, the woman who dared to take on Paul Kagame (independent.co.uk)
• Sympathy for Rwanda begins to fade (theglobeandmail.com)
• U.N. Report on Congo Released to Angry Responses (nytimes.com)

Rwanda Circa 1994 is No Nazi Germany

For OpEdNews: Aimable - Writer

The mainstream media narrative regarding the tragic events that took place in Rwanda in 1994 seek to portray an image of evil Hutus suddenly killing their own evil leader and then proceeding by butchering their angel Tutsi neighbors for no reason whatsoever. This narrative claims that all Tutsis are good people while all Hutus are bad people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In Rwanda, there are two groups of Tutsis. The extremist Tutsis who grew up in neighboring Uganda and the moderate Tutsis who grew up in Rwanda and other countries. The extremist Tutsis who grew up in Uganda have never liked the moderate Tutsis who grew up in Rwanda. Whereas the extremist Tutsis believe they are royal blood who are born to rule, the moderate Tutsis consider themselves normal human beings. But somehow the extremist Tutsis have used the moderate Tutsis as pawns to be sacrificed in their quest for power.

On January 28, 1993 exactly 15 months before the so-called "Tutsi genocide", it was the first time that anyone had ever mentioned the word "genocide" in relation to Rwanda. This word was mentioned by extremist Tutsis who were part of the RPF rebel group. From that moment on, these extremist Tutsis in the RPF started using the word "genocide" in all their interviews, their speeches, their written materials, everything. On the other hand, on February 8, 1993 exactly 11 days after the first mention of that word, the extremist Tutsi forces in the RPF butchered 40,000 unarmed Hutu civilians in one day in the regions of Ruhengeri and Byumba in Rwanda. Since then, the extremist Tutsis in the RPF escalated their killings of the Hutu civilian population over the following 15 months. This appears to have been a calculated effort to provoke the Hutu extremists into mass revenge killings, which would then be labeled "genocide" and with the international community on their side, the extremist Tutsis can take over power. The extremist Tutsis' wishes appear to have been granted on April 6, 1994 when they finally killed two Hutu Presidents, president Habyarimana of Rwanda and president Ntaryamira of Burundi as well as the Hutu Chief of Army. The Hutu extremists after 15 months of sustained provocations launched into mass revenge killings against moderate Tutsis that have since been labeled the "Tutsi genocide."

A fair review of Rwandan history that fully examines all the actions that have been taken by extremist Tutsis since January 28, 1993 when they first claimed "genocide" can only lead to one conclusion: the extremist Tutsis continuously intentionally provoked extremist Hutus over a 15 month period into the mass killings until the extremist Hutus were foolish enough to oblige them.

The mainstream media narrative implies that there is a comparison between Nazi Germany and Rwanda circa 1994. What this mainstream media does not realize or intentionally ignores are some of the differences below:


1. The Jews in Germany have never enslaved Germans and never claimed that they were superior and born to rule over the German masses. Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda were an aristocratic minority that enslaved the Hutu peasant majority for over 400 years all the way until 1959. When the Hutu peasants asked for democracy the extremist Tutsis responded that the Hutu masses were inferior by birth and were born to be ruled by the superior Tutsi aristocrats.

2. The Jews in Germany have never started a war attacking Germany from a foreign country. Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda attacked the country from Uganda on October 1st, 1990. This was more than 5 times since 1960 that the extremist Tutsis had attacked the country.

3. The Jews in Germany did not spend a 4 year war fighting to gain power and in the process killing innocent German civilians. Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda fought since October 1990 until April 1994 fighting to gain power and in the process displaced 1 million civilians and killed thousands others, an example being on February 8, 1993 when the Tutsi extremists in the RPF killed 40 thousand unarmed civilians in Byumba and Ruhengeri.

4. The Jews in Germany did not kill the German president, together with the Austrian president, the Chief of Army and several high-ranking officials after they had signed a peace treaty with them. Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda killed the Hutu President of Rwanda, the Hutu President of Burundi, the Hutu Chief of Army and several high-ranking officials after they had signed a peace treaty with them.

5. The Jews in Germany did not follow the Germans into exile in neighboring countries and kill hundreds of thousands of them in forests like hunted animals. Some extremist Tutsis in Rwanda bombed refugee camps in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and chased the survivors into the forests of the Congo (DRC) where they butchered hundreds of thousands of them.

Therefore, I really think it is completely wrong to compare Hitler's Germany to 1994 Rwanda.

Rwanda will never move forward until the crimes against humanity committed by extremist Tutsis are acknowledged too. The saddest part in all this is that the moderate Tutsis and the moderate Hutus are the ones that have suffered whenever the extremist Hutus and the extremist Tutsis decided to kill people.

May 19, 2010 – A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to General Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

By Aimable Mugara

May 19, 2010

H. E. General Paul Kagame
Office of the President
Republic of Rwanda
P.O. Box 15 Urugwiro Village
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 572431

Copy:

Prosecutor General
Martin Ngoga
National Public Prosecution Authority
BP 1328
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 589501

Commissioner General Emmanuel Gasana
Rwandan National Police
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 586602

Chief Executive Officer
Editor-in-Chief
The New Times Publications SARL
Immeuble Aigle Blanc
P.O. Box 4953
Kigali – Rwanda

A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to General Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

Dear General,

There are 12 weeks left before the elections. This is my tenth letter and there are 12 letters left. This week, Rwanda continues to be an example of what can go wrong in a nation that is devoid of good leadership. The political space continues to be muzzled; citizens’ security in the country continues to get worse, citizens abroad continue to protest and prominent foreign media continue to reveal the true colors of what is actually taking place in Rwanda.

We all heard about your nomination by the RPF party to be their candidate in the August 2010 presidential elections. It was a little shocking to hear that all the other candidates in your party that would have stood against you dropped out via writing and that in the end you stood unopposed. I really hope this will not be the case for the national elections. There is a lot of strength that comes from voters having choices. In the meantime, we saw a request from some opposition parties to delay the upcoming elections, considering that the current situation is not conducive to free and fair elections. This is a request that I wholeheartedly agree with and hope will be implemented. There is no point pretending to have elections when some opposition politicians have been denied the fundamental right to register their parties and some opposition politicians who clearly have a strong chance of winning the elections have been dragged to court on some questionable charges.

Unfortunately there was also the sad news of the 2 grenade attacks in the capital city that killed two people and injured more than 30 people. Such attacks perpetuate the cycle of violence that has plagued our nation for more than 50 years, where various groups including your RPF party have decided to use violence to resolve political issues. The loss of innocent lives in all this violence is deplorable. I call upon you to open up the political space in Rwanda in order to demonstrate that political change can be made peacefully. As long as your government continues to crack down on your political opponents, you will be giving excuses to the groups that believe that violence is the only way to make political change in Rwanda.

Across the ocean in Belgium, we continue to see a group of patriots who for more than 3 weeks have laid siege to the Rwandan embassy there. Ambassador Gérard Ntwari complained to the Belgian ministry of foreign affairs that these demonstrators were tarnishing Rwanda’s image in Belgium. The Belgian authorities rightfully reminded him that it is a democratic country where people have the right to express themselves. Indeed, it is the non-democratic actions of Rwanda’s government that tarnish the country’s image, actions that force these patriots to protest against their country instead of speaking well of it.

On the other side of the oceans, the New York Times once again in its journalistic excellence exposed the truth about what is really going on in Rwanda. We learned about how in the country’s colleges and universities, the much vaunted reconciliation has not taken hold at all. We were also shocked to find out that a university professor was sentenced to 5 years in jail because one of his students reported to the police that this professor insulted you. There is something quite rotten about a university professor being sentenced to 5 years in jail for apparently insulting the president. This puts our country right in the middle of the Dark Ages, more than two thousand years ago. I really hope this professor is freed immediately, as this is no way to run a nation.

Sometime I try really hard to understand your government’s actions. On one hand, your government talks a lot about wanting what is good for the nation in the long-term. But on the other hand, many of the actions taken seem to benefit only a select few in the short term and cause a lot of problems for everyone over the long haul. If you really care for the long-term well-being of our nation, there is no benefit in continuing to crack down on opposition politicians. Similarly, there is no benefit in continuing to deny the citizens so many of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Aimable Mugara
Toronto, Ontario Canada

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