Sarkozy admits to errors in France's Tunisia policy. UK should admits their errors of judgement about Kagame's Rwanda
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that France "underestimated" the gravity of Tunisian political discontent, while noting that France's former colonial role required it to steer clear of Tunisia's "internal affairs".
Following fierce criticism of France’s position on the Tunisian crisis, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has admitted that his government “underestimated” the gravity of the situation in the North African nation.
Speaking to the press on Monday, Sarkozy noted that Tunisia’s economic and social successes masked a deep political discontent. “[B]ehind the emancipation of women, the drive for education and training, the economic dynamism, the emergence of a middle class – there was despair, a suffering, a sense of suffocation,” he said. “We have to recognise that we underestimated this.”
Sarkozy’s remarks come as France tries to adjust its diplomatic stance toward a former protectorate, with past policies having been characterised as deeply inconsistent.
Getting rid of ‘colonial habits’
France has been criticised for turning a blind eye to ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s repressive regime over his 23 years in power, while praising the leader’s economic initiatives and anti-terrorist rhetoric.
On January 11, as Tunisia’s anti-government street protests continued to gather force, French Foreign Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie sparked controversy by suggesting that France might consider helping Tunisian security forces better control the protesters. Her comments were slammed in France by the opposition Socialists and on the Web, where anti-Ben Ali activists had been voicing their anger and organising street demonstrations via Twitter and Facebook. In an interview with France24.com after Alliot-Marie’s statement, Vincent Geisser, a researcher specialising in the Arab world at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, called the French response to the events in Tunisia “unrealistic and shocking to many people”.
France altered its tone when intensifying protests drove Ben Ali to flee the country on January 14, with French authorities refusing to grant their former ally refuge.
At the same time, reports surfaced that several of Ben Ali’s closest relatives, including his daughter, were already staying at a luxury hotel at the Euro Disney resort near Paris. A day later, after a Sarkozy administration spokesperson stated that Ben Ali’s relatives had no reason to remain, they left Paris for the Middle East.
French officials from both sides of the political spectrum have long offered only muted reactions to civil rights issues in Tunisia. In his press conference on Monday, Sarkozy cited France’s colonial history in the region – Tunisia acquired total independence in 1956, following a violent backlash against French rule – as the reason for treading lightly in reacting to the situation unfolding in Tunisia.
Copycat effect: How one man's self-immolation engulfed a region “The colonial power always lacks legitimacy in passing judgment on the internal affairs of an ex-colony,” Sarkozy said. “I do not want France to be likened to a country that has kept its colonial habits.”
Sarkozy also said that he had asked Prime Minister François Fillon to prepare an emergency aid package for Tunisia to help ease the country’s transition toward a new government.
France is Tunisia’s top trading partner and more than 20,000 French citizens currently reside in the country, which is known as much for its glittering Mediterranean coast as for its political woes. The Tunisian diaspora in France is estimated to be roughly 700,000 strong.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110124-sarkozy-admits-errors-tunisia-response-policy-alliot-marie-ben-ali-anti-government-protests
The dictator Kagame at UN
Dictators like Kagame who have changed their national constitutions to remain indefinitely on power should not be involved in UN high level and global activities including chairing UN meetings
24 Jan 2011
17 Jan 2011
Rwanda 2008 Polls: A Mockery of Democracy?
Rwanda 2008 Polls: A Mockery of Democracy?
Rwandese MP's Taking Oath
The media around the world has been awash with headlines of how Rwanda has emerged the giant in the field of gender parity in politics. The recently concluded 2008 parliamentary polls closed with women bagging 56.25 percent of the contested seats. These polls in which women scooped 44 seats in the country’s lower house marked quite a new era in the African and global political arena.
In this not-so hotly contested legislative September polls, the predictions came true. The ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) took the lead while (the party always on the second spot) the Social Democratic Party (PSD) maintained its rank with the Liberal Party (PL) behind it.
Something that probably interested the world was that Rwandans voted their women representatives who were to occupy their reserved 24 seats, and the curve was higher for the female gender in the end.
This development has been successive. In 2003, Rwanda had 39 women parliamentarians who became part of the 80- member house of chamber of deputies-and it was still a world record, where this small state recorded the highest number of women legislators in Africa and the entire the globe.
Around this time (2003), the UN had set a target for nations to implement a 30 percent female representation in parliament. Here, Kigali moved very quickly to fix an additional 15 seats on top of the stipulated 24 reserved seats.
After the recent polls, which resulted in a 56.25 percent win for women, it automatically shows the women will have an upper hand in shaping the country’s future, particularly, in terms of forging more pro-active policies that would drastically turn around this post conflict country.
This was really a moment to toast to Rwanda. At least there’s now an element of gender promotion in her decision making process-though actually it cannot be described as gender parity in Rwanda’s politics since women still outnumber men.
‘Political gimmick’
However, as the world swings the flag of glory for the Kigali establishment’s promotion of equal opportunity politics, there remains a mystery. The world has either failed to understand the stunt behind Rwanda’s gender politics or it is simply a tactic by the international community to ignore the cruel situation here.
Rwanda has a number of parties for instance RPF, Democratic Republican Movement (Mouvement démocratique républicain), Christian Democratic Party (Parti démocratique chrêtien), Islamic Democratic Party (Parti démocratique islamique), Rwandan Socialist Party (Parti socialiste rwandais), Democratic Union of the Rwandan People (Union démocratique du People rwandais), Social Democratic Party (Parti social démocrate), Liberal Party (Parti libéral) and Party for Progress and Concord (Parti pour le Progrès et la Concorde) among others.
Out of these, a few have managed to survive. Parties like the Democratic Republican Movement, Christian Democratic Party, Islamic Democratic Party, Rwandan Socialist Party and the Democratic Union of the Rwandan People only exist by name.
A clear example is PL, where charismatic politicians and statesmen like Polycarp Gatete, Elie Ngirabakunzi and Isaie Murashi were illegitimately pushed out of the house. These eloquent, vocal and inspirational legislators from the opposition camp were quickly shaping Rwanda’s politics and holding the government accountable. Their noble service was painfully brought to an end by Mr Protais Mitali.
Assisted by Rwanda’s renowned opposition hit men like James Musoni and National Security Service boss Lt Col. Emmanuel Ndahiro (RPF Stalwarts), Mitali, who was ‘bribed’ with a ministerial post of Trade and Commerce bought himself into the high ranks of the party and subsequently threw out the legislators.They simply became victims for bringing RPF into check for the good of Rwanda and her people.
Through similar tactics, opposition has become toothless. It has been incapacitated by a classical syndicated mafia campaign mixed with both political and military intelligence personnel. Most of their leaders have been intimidated hence forcing them into a compromise in RPF interest. Some have threats of the 1994 genocide charges dangling over their heads, although they never participated in this mayhem. The mafia group can easily line up witnesses, and this is not new in Rwanda’s field of dirty politics.
While some have been “bribed” into offices, where they enjoy state privileges like 24-hour air-conditioning, foreign trips and allowances and have buried their political ambitions, it is a harsh story on another end. Others simply fear to have their weight thrown behind bars on faked charges of defilement, corruption and abuse of office, which has been so much prominent in Kigali.
Our dear statesmen, who would be checking the excesses of the RPF have been bundled under the league that compulsorily agreed to enter into a courtship of inconvenience with it (RPF) in the infamous coalition dubbed Coalition Rwandan Patriotic Front.
Opposition politicians are choking in an increasingly fragile environment so hostile to them, but this oppressive scenario has become normal to the world. They have been reduced to the story of a ‘cry baby.’Many observer teams in the recently concluded polls in Rwanda produced clean scripts in praise of Rwanda in the aftermath of the parliamentary electoral process, even when the process looked very traditional.
In fact, the EU and the League of Human Rights in the Great Lakes region (LDGL) sounded an alarm in this direction. LDGL announced widespread irregularities in the exercise that included poor quality of the ballot, failure to seal ballot boxes, widespread lack of witnesses for independent candidates and political parties apart from those of the RPF, low qualification of Chief Electoral Officers, intemperate soldiers, policemen, village headmen (Imidugudu) and elements of the Local Defense Force in some polling stations among others.It subsequently recommended that observers be allowed to participate in all elections, even in the compilation of results by National Electoral Commission.
Instead, such observations were treated with hostility, and it is obvious that, while EU can’t be ignored, chances are very high that the Kigali establishment will ban whistle blowers like LDGL from monitoring elections in future-and still the world will remain silent. Rwanda has become a one party dominant state with RPF in power. Opposition parties are cuffed and have less or no ability to move anything-and more painfully they have no real chance of gaining power.
It is true that voting majority women in parliament is a success. However, possibilities are very high that they will have no change in Kigali’s unitary government under an authoritarian style of leadership.In such a hostile political arena, they will have no option but to become ‘Yes MPs’, which is a deep cry in Rwanda, a country just emerging from ashes, and in dire need of one common good-democracy.
Most political analysts have concluded that the new women MPs elect will be seat-fillers, who are in the lower legislative chamber to please the government in the chase for the buttered side of bread. If the alarming situation of suppressing multiparty democracy and gross violation of human rights, especially, in exercising their rights to leadership and good governance remain unabated in Rwanda, it is inevitable to say that whatever the government's intentions in building the Rwandan woman's solidarity, the results will be disastrous.
It is useless for the world to celebrate gender parity in Rwanda’s politics when actually the 4.7 million registered voters out of a population of more than 9 million here are going to the polls in the interest of the government.
If the West can’t see this, then Africans should give a hand to Rwandans who are craving for democracy. It is time for the world to pause and have a rethink of Rwanda’s destiny, and stand up to be counted in influencing change at this time when people in this post genocide state cry for a new dawn, a world where they can all participate and be heard.
By Robert Mukombozi
Correspondent
http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php?article=3613
Rwanda Polls Not Free and Fair
Voting Gets Underway
The East African Community EAC has dispatched a team to monitor elections in Rwanda, a new member of the bloc. This tiny East African state is bracing itself for parliamentary polls this month.
The twenty five member delegation led by Dr Aman W Kabourou, a Tanzanian member of the East African Legislative Assembly has already arrived in Kigali, the Rwandan capital to prepare for the job in the elections scheduled for September 15 – 18, 2008. The contingent comprises of five members from the East African Legislative Assembly, and five from the Secretariat.
And according to Arusha officials, the deployment of an observer mission to Rwanda is a further contribution by the East African Community to supporting democracy in the region. The team is in Rwanda primarily to ensure that the electoral process in this once volatile state is smooth. The aim is to see continued improvement in the management of electoral processes in the region.
According to the mission plan, which The Citizen has seen, the observer team will be deployed in the five provinces of Rwanda that include Kigali city, Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern. In these provinces, the team is expected to witness the election process in sampled areas in the various constituencies, including the polling stations in line with the Arusha Headquarters’ mandate.
Article 3 of the Treaty Establishing the East African Community requires “…adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice….”
Rwanda's Parliament is bicameral with two chambers, the Senate (Upper Chamber) and the Chamber of Deputies (Lower Chamber). Now, the National Electoral Commission in Kigali has already confirmed that elections for the 80 Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Lower Chamber will begin on the 15th of September 2008.
As the country warms up for polls, Rwanda’s lower house widely known as the Chamber of Deputies has already been dissolved. The Chamber of Deputies, which was instituted in October 2003 just after a nine year transition in this former central African state’s post-genocide era, was disbanded in mid August by President Paul Kagame.
In Rwanda, the constitution stipulates that parliament shall be dissolved a month to the next legislative polls. NEC officials have said that of the 80 legislators, 53 will be elected for a five year term by proportional representation and 24 will be elected by electoral colleges within provincial councils. The remainder will be appointed by the National Youth Council, and one by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled.
The Iron Fist
However, as the polls draw closer the fear amongst the entire population and the opposition is growing. The oppressive tactics of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front of President Kagame against the Opposition has created an uncertain political landscape-of fear and persecution to neutralise its already light-weight opponents most of whom are working under its wings in the so-called “Government of National Unity.”
The opposition members fear to erect podiums especially in rural Rwanda, where the message by RPF has been uniform: parties were the root cause of the 1994 genocide.
In fact, during the 2003 parliamentary elections, a total of eight parties formed a coalition to back the RPF from which it garnered an impressive 70 percent of the votes. It is from this “coalition” that some of the parties under the ruling party’s favour were able to secure some seats in the lower house.
Will the case be different soon? No. I am convinced the opposition has very few options: to remain silent and wait for handouts from Mr Kagame’s political Kitchen or strip their chests bare in the shooting field. Now, with no options in this round, the Political parties in Rwanda are trying as much to read from the same script. They have turned their fate to soft talk. Already, the constitution is not on their side.
It requires each party to attain five percent of the vote in order to win a parliamentary seat, and political analysts have already made their position clear-this is a one-man show in this country whose democratic credentials are increasingly falling under the waters.
Though the issue of continued oppression of the Opposition in Rwanda stands prominent, EAC has strong belief the exercise this time may be fair-in this mission of mutual interest, and that the institution may come up with best electoral practices.
The EAC has played the observer role in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania but in almost all scenarios the ugly picture was the same, and they are not to blame. And now particularly in Rwanda, EAC must know that the issue is more than fair polls. It’s about changing the tainting politics of RPF, a party that has never seen sense in multiparty politics but cosmetically continues to win “fame” from the International Community in this field.
If the terrain remains the same, then the opposition in Rwanda has no option but to wait for a better landscape in future, which is the prayer of Rwanda citizenry.
By Robert Mukombozi
http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php?article=3558
Rwandese MP's Taking Oath
The media around the world has been awash with headlines of how Rwanda has emerged the giant in the field of gender parity in politics. The recently concluded 2008 parliamentary polls closed with women bagging 56.25 percent of the contested seats. These polls in which women scooped 44 seats in the country’s lower house marked quite a new era in the African and global political arena.
In this not-so hotly contested legislative September polls, the predictions came true. The ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) took the lead while (the party always on the second spot) the Social Democratic Party (PSD) maintained its rank with the Liberal Party (PL) behind it.
Something that probably interested the world was that Rwandans voted their women representatives who were to occupy their reserved 24 seats, and the curve was higher for the female gender in the end.
This development has been successive. In 2003, Rwanda had 39 women parliamentarians who became part of the 80- member house of chamber of deputies-and it was still a world record, where this small state recorded the highest number of women legislators in Africa and the entire the globe.
Around this time (2003), the UN had set a target for nations to implement a 30 percent female representation in parliament. Here, Kigali moved very quickly to fix an additional 15 seats on top of the stipulated 24 reserved seats.
After the recent polls, which resulted in a 56.25 percent win for women, it automatically shows the women will have an upper hand in shaping the country’s future, particularly, in terms of forging more pro-active policies that would drastically turn around this post conflict country.
This was really a moment to toast to Rwanda. At least there’s now an element of gender promotion in her decision making process-though actually it cannot be described as gender parity in Rwanda’s politics since women still outnumber men.
‘Political gimmick’
However, as the world swings the flag of glory for the Kigali establishment’s promotion of equal opportunity politics, there remains a mystery. The world has either failed to understand the stunt behind Rwanda’s gender politics or it is simply a tactic by the international community to ignore the cruel situation here.
Rwanda has a number of parties for instance RPF, Democratic Republican Movement (Mouvement démocratique républicain), Christian Democratic Party (Parti démocratique chrêtien), Islamic Democratic Party (Parti démocratique islamique), Rwandan Socialist Party (Parti socialiste rwandais), Democratic Union of the Rwandan People (Union démocratique du People rwandais), Social Democratic Party (Parti social démocrate), Liberal Party (Parti libéral) and Party for Progress and Concord (Parti pour le Progrès et la Concorde) among others.
Out of these, a few have managed to survive. Parties like the Democratic Republican Movement, Christian Democratic Party, Islamic Democratic Party, Rwandan Socialist Party and the Democratic Union of the Rwandan People only exist by name.
A clear example is PL, where charismatic politicians and statesmen like Polycarp Gatete, Elie Ngirabakunzi and Isaie Murashi were illegitimately pushed out of the house. These eloquent, vocal and inspirational legislators from the opposition camp were quickly shaping Rwanda’s politics and holding the government accountable. Their noble service was painfully brought to an end by Mr Protais Mitali.
Assisted by Rwanda’s renowned opposition hit men like James Musoni and National Security Service boss Lt Col. Emmanuel Ndahiro (RPF Stalwarts), Mitali, who was ‘bribed’ with a ministerial post of Trade and Commerce bought himself into the high ranks of the party and subsequently threw out the legislators.They simply became victims for bringing RPF into check for the good of Rwanda and her people.
Through similar tactics, opposition has become toothless. It has been incapacitated by a classical syndicated mafia campaign mixed with both political and military intelligence personnel. Most of their leaders have been intimidated hence forcing them into a compromise in RPF interest. Some have threats of the 1994 genocide charges dangling over their heads, although they never participated in this mayhem. The mafia group can easily line up witnesses, and this is not new in Rwanda’s field of dirty politics.
While some have been “bribed” into offices, where they enjoy state privileges like 24-hour air-conditioning, foreign trips and allowances and have buried their political ambitions, it is a harsh story on another end. Others simply fear to have their weight thrown behind bars on faked charges of defilement, corruption and abuse of office, which has been so much prominent in Kigali.
Our dear statesmen, who would be checking the excesses of the RPF have been bundled under the league that compulsorily agreed to enter into a courtship of inconvenience with it (RPF) in the infamous coalition dubbed Coalition Rwandan Patriotic Front.
Opposition politicians are choking in an increasingly fragile environment so hostile to them, but this oppressive scenario has become normal to the world. They have been reduced to the story of a ‘cry baby.’Many observer teams in the recently concluded polls in Rwanda produced clean scripts in praise of Rwanda in the aftermath of the parliamentary electoral process, even when the process looked very traditional.
In fact, the EU and the League of Human Rights in the Great Lakes region (LDGL) sounded an alarm in this direction. LDGL announced widespread irregularities in the exercise that included poor quality of the ballot, failure to seal ballot boxes, widespread lack of witnesses for independent candidates and political parties apart from those of the RPF, low qualification of Chief Electoral Officers, intemperate soldiers, policemen, village headmen (Imidugudu) and elements of the Local Defense Force in some polling stations among others.It subsequently recommended that observers be allowed to participate in all elections, even in the compilation of results by National Electoral Commission.
Instead, such observations were treated with hostility, and it is obvious that, while EU can’t be ignored, chances are very high that the Kigali establishment will ban whistle blowers like LDGL from monitoring elections in future-and still the world will remain silent. Rwanda has become a one party dominant state with RPF in power. Opposition parties are cuffed and have less or no ability to move anything-and more painfully they have no real chance of gaining power.
It is true that voting majority women in parliament is a success. However, possibilities are very high that they will have no change in Kigali’s unitary government under an authoritarian style of leadership.In such a hostile political arena, they will have no option but to become ‘Yes MPs’, which is a deep cry in Rwanda, a country just emerging from ashes, and in dire need of one common good-democracy.
Most political analysts have concluded that the new women MPs elect will be seat-fillers, who are in the lower legislative chamber to please the government in the chase for the buttered side of bread. If the alarming situation of suppressing multiparty democracy and gross violation of human rights, especially, in exercising their rights to leadership and good governance remain unabated in Rwanda, it is inevitable to say that whatever the government's intentions in building the Rwandan woman's solidarity, the results will be disastrous.
It is useless for the world to celebrate gender parity in Rwanda’s politics when actually the 4.7 million registered voters out of a population of more than 9 million here are going to the polls in the interest of the government.
If the West can’t see this, then Africans should give a hand to Rwandans who are craving for democracy. It is time for the world to pause and have a rethink of Rwanda’s destiny, and stand up to be counted in influencing change at this time when people in this post genocide state cry for a new dawn, a world where they can all participate and be heard.
By Robert Mukombozi
Correspondent
http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php?article=3613
Rwanda Polls Not Free and Fair
Voting Gets Underway
The East African Community EAC has dispatched a team to monitor elections in Rwanda, a new member of the bloc. This tiny East African state is bracing itself for parliamentary polls this month.
The twenty five member delegation led by Dr Aman W Kabourou, a Tanzanian member of the East African Legislative Assembly has already arrived in Kigali, the Rwandan capital to prepare for the job in the elections scheduled for September 15 – 18, 2008. The contingent comprises of five members from the East African Legislative Assembly, and five from the Secretariat.
And according to Arusha officials, the deployment of an observer mission to Rwanda is a further contribution by the East African Community to supporting democracy in the region. The team is in Rwanda primarily to ensure that the electoral process in this once volatile state is smooth. The aim is to see continued improvement in the management of electoral processes in the region.
According to the mission plan, which The Citizen has seen, the observer team will be deployed in the five provinces of Rwanda that include Kigali city, Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern. In these provinces, the team is expected to witness the election process in sampled areas in the various constituencies, including the polling stations in line with the Arusha Headquarters’ mandate.
Article 3 of the Treaty Establishing the East African Community requires “…adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice….”
Rwanda's Parliament is bicameral with two chambers, the Senate (Upper Chamber) and the Chamber of Deputies (Lower Chamber). Now, the National Electoral Commission in Kigali has already confirmed that elections for the 80 Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Lower Chamber will begin on the 15th of September 2008.
As the country warms up for polls, Rwanda’s lower house widely known as the Chamber of Deputies has already been dissolved. The Chamber of Deputies, which was instituted in October 2003 just after a nine year transition in this former central African state’s post-genocide era, was disbanded in mid August by President Paul Kagame.
In Rwanda, the constitution stipulates that parliament shall be dissolved a month to the next legislative polls. NEC officials have said that of the 80 legislators, 53 will be elected for a five year term by proportional representation and 24 will be elected by electoral colleges within provincial councils. The remainder will be appointed by the National Youth Council, and one by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled.
The Iron Fist
However, as the polls draw closer the fear amongst the entire population and the opposition is growing. The oppressive tactics of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front of President Kagame against the Opposition has created an uncertain political landscape-of fear and persecution to neutralise its already light-weight opponents most of whom are working under its wings in the so-called “Government of National Unity.”
The opposition members fear to erect podiums especially in rural Rwanda, where the message by RPF has been uniform: parties were the root cause of the 1994 genocide.
In fact, during the 2003 parliamentary elections, a total of eight parties formed a coalition to back the RPF from which it garnered an impressive 70 percent of the votes. It is from this “coalition” that some of the parties under the ruling party’s favour were able to secure some seats in the lower house.
Will the case be different soon? No. I am convinced the opposition has very few options: to remain silent and wait for handouts from Mr Kagame’s political Kitchen or strip their chests bare in the shooting field. Now, with no options in this round, the Political parties in Rwanda are trying as much to read from the same script. They have turned their fate to soft talk. Already, the constitution is not on their side.
It requires each party to attain five percent of the vote in order to win a parliamentary seat, and political analysts have already made their position clear-this is a one-man show in this country whose democratic credentials are increasingly falling under the waters.
Though the issue of continued oppression of the Opposition in Rwanda stands prominent, EAC has strong belief the exercise this time may be fair-in this mission of mutual interest, and that the institution may come up with best electoral practices.
The EAC has played the observer role in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania but in almost all scenarios the ugly picture was the same, and they are not to blame. And now particularly in Rwanda, EAC must know that the issue is more than fair polls. It’s about changing the tainting politics of RPF, a party that has never seen sense in multiparty politics but cosmetically continues to win “fame” from the International Community in this field.
If the terrain remains the same, then the opposition in Rwanda has no option but to wait for a better landscape in future, which is the prayer of Rwanda citizenry.
By Robert Mukombozi
http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php?article=3558
14 Jan 2011
A Look Back on 2010 – A Damning Year for Kagame
By Sunkissed
January 5, 2011
2010 was a quiet year for Back To My Roots, but a damning one for Kagame and his cronies. Time after time, and location after location criminal Kagame was challenged, discredited, and outright humiliated. 2010 was very much a damning year for Kagame, and one can only be filled with glee at the prospects of 2011. I can’t promise that blogging will be more regular, but it should be a good year to challenge the Kagame & Co narrative about what happened in Rwanda, who was responsible for what, and who is getting away with murder. The world now knows what Kagame did in Congo, and it’s only a matter of time before the establishment of Rwanda narrative, and the discovery by many, and the acknowledgment of institutions of Kagame & Co’s substantial crimes against humanity.
Earlier in the year, Kagame’s biggest thorn in his side touched down in Kigali. And since then, it’s been nothing but a downward spiral for Kagame. A self-identified Hutu, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza went to challenge Kagame and the RPF for the presidency of Rwanda. She was attacked by a mob, had her goods stolen (and returned), and her party was prevented from registering to take part in the elections. She was put on house arrest, and was subsquently placed in a maximum security prison, where she remains today. The other presidential hopeful, Bernard Ntaganda of the party PS-Imberakuri was also arrested, along with dissident Deo Mushayidi. Left and right news papers were closed down, writers, editors, and publishers exiled, and even murdered. An American law professor and ICTR lawyer was arrested in Rwanda but eventually released due to diplomatic pressures. He is now wanted back in Rwanda “Dead or Alive.’ Eventually, an “election” did take place, where Kagame of RPF ran against himself and won against himself with a 93% of the vote. In a bizarre move, a war crimes prosecutor, attended his inauguration, and not for reasons you might expect, but to attempt to gather heads of states against another African war criminal. Among his other bizarre and ironic guests were Congolese President Kabila. And that was all just inside Rwanda.
Though Rwanda, Kagame, and the RPF were being reckless (a very generous term) within the country, the story abroad was another matter. When Kagame visited a Oklahoma Christian University in the USA he was not only met with demonstrators, but was served with a lawsuit for his crimes in Rwanda and Congo. He allegedly had to take a back door route to get into the university due to the demonstrators. When he visited Spain in the middle of the Summer, the Prime Minister of Spain Zapatero not only refused to meet with him but he was met with a crowd of protesters as well. In August, a UN Mapping Report document the most serious violations to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 and 2003 was leaked to the press. The Report alleged that Rwandan troops may have committed “possible genocide” within DRC during that period. The same report was later released in October, alleging the same crimes. In September, a Spanish delegation arrived to protest Kagame’s Millenium Goals co-chairship with the Spanish president Zapatero. When he went to Europe for the European Development Days, Kagame was met with a fervor of protestors, passionately demonstrating against his crimes in crimes in Central Africa. Kagame was so humiliated he left without giving his planned speech. The Netherlands withheld their aid from Rwanda, driving home the point that it is not alright for criminals to be rewarded. And finally, a French judge filed charged against Kagame’s allies.
It was a quiet year for Back To My Roots, but a very big one for hits against Kagame, his army, and his party’s reputation, integrity, and credibility. The furor is abundant. And though he continues to receive support from his western “friends” their blind support only serves to reinforce their complicity in his crimes.
Here is to an even stronger year ahead for progress against Kagame’s RPF their associates. It’s a lot of work, but the momentum is building.
Related: 2008 Year in Review
Earlier in the year, Kagame’s biggest thorn in his side touched down in Kigali. And since then, it’s been nothing but a downward spiral for Kagame. A self-identified Hutu, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza went to challenge Kagame and the RPF for the presidency of Rwanda. She was attacked by a mob, had her goods stolen (and returned), and her party was prevented from registering to take part in the elections. She was put on house arrest, and was subsquently placed in a maximum security prison, where she remains today. The other presidential hopeful, Bernard Ntaganda of the party PS-Imberakuri was also arrested, along with dissident Deo Mushayidi. Left and right news papers were closed down, writers, editors, and publishers exiled, and even murdered. An American law professor and ICTR lawyer was arrested in Rwanda but eventually released due to diplomatic pressures. He is now wanted back in Rwanda “Dead or Alive.’ Eventually, an “election” did take place, where Kagame of RPF ran against himself and won against himself with a 93% of the vote. In a bizarre move, a war crimes prosecutor, attended his inauguration, and not for reasons you might expect, but to attempt to gather heads of states against another African war criminal. Among his other bizarre and ironic guests were Congolese President Kabila. And that was all just inside Rwanda.
Though Rwanda, Kagame, and the RPF were being reckless (a very generous term) within the country, the story abroad was another matter. When Kagame visited a Oklahoma Christian University in the USA he was not only met with demonstrators, but was served with a lawsuit for his crimes in Rwanda and Congo. He allegedly had to take a back door route to get into the university due to the demonstrators. When he visited Spain in the middle of the Summer, the Prime Minister of Spain Zapatero not only refused to meet with him but he was met with a crowd of protesters as well. In August, a UN Mapping Report document the most serious violations to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 and 2003 was leaked to the press. The Report alleged that Rwandan troops may have committed “possible genocide” within DRC during that period. The same report was later released in October, alleging the same crimes. In September, a Spanish delegation arrived to protest Kagame’s Millenium Goals co-chairship with the Spanish president Zapatero. When he went to Europe for the European Development Days, Kagame was met with a fervor of protestors, passionately demonstrating against his crimes in crimes in Central Africa. Kagame was so humiliated he left without giving his planned speech. The Netherlands withheld their aid from Rwanda, driving home the point that it is not alright for criminals to be rewarded. And finally, a French judge filed charged against Kagame’s allies.
It was a quiet year for Back To My Roots, but a very big one for hits against Kagame, his army, and his party’s reputation, integrity, and credibility. The furor is abundant. And though he continues to receive support from his western “friends” their blind support only serves to reinforce their complicity in his crimes.
Here is to an even stronger year ahead for progress against Kagame’s RPF their associates. It’s a lot of work, but the momentum is building.
Related: 2008 Year in Review
10 Jan 2011
UK: Rwandan Refugees Warned of Elimination Plans
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8 Jan 2011
Rwanda: The Emperors Have No Clothes
By Jennifer Fierberg, MSW
The Africa Global Village
January 7, 2011
The emperors stand naked in front of the word being exposed for crimes against humanity. But who are these emperors? In an article dated 5 January 2011 entitled, ”US Firm gets contract to train Rwanda Soldiers,” by the government-controlled Rwandan News Agency, it is stated that, “The US State Department has granted a multi-million dollar contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leading global security company to train Rwandan soldiers in peacekeeping operations, the firm announced.” In this capacity Northrop stated Tuesday that “the work to be performed involves peace support operations training, train-the-trainer courses for peacekeeping cadre and enhancing the capacity of all three countries (Rwanda, Kenya and Burundi) to participate in multinational peacekeeping operations.” Yet it seems that Northrop Gruman and the US Government are falling into a trap by failing to recognize how Kagame manipulates international peacekeeping to entrench his absolute rule that is responsible for gross human rights abuses in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region.
In the latter part of 2010 the UN published its Mapping Report of the DRC. The statements in this report should have been published to the international community years ago. This report has come under much scrutiny by political leaders, journalists and members of society.
Of all the serious atrocities documented by the mapping team, however, the allegation that Rwandan troops and their Congolese allies may have committed genocide against Hutu refugees has stirred up the most controversy, triggering yet another wave of damning press reports against the Rwandan government. This report was “leaked” and after decades of cataclysmic failures by the UN in the region it is hard to see how the international system of democratic relations will follow-through with these egregious violations against humanity.
While the report was published with intentions of exposing injustices in the region and was conducted by credible reporting agencies by credible people, what has it done? There have been absolutely no changes from this report and it has all but been swept into silence under the rug of diplomatic relations based on ongoing intimidation and blackmail from President Kagame to the international community (notably Washington and London) due to their inaction based on the 1994 Genocide and Rwanda’s contribution to peacekeeping operations in Darfur.
The Harvard Law record stated in an article published in October 2010 that the 556-page report describes 617 acts of violence allegedly committed by the armed forces of seven countries and several militias in the DRC between 1993 and 2003. A draft that was leaked to the press on August 26 triggered a massive media storm and strong protests from the countries whose troops stood accused.
In a phone interview with Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa regarding the UN Mapping Report he stated that “Kagame has been protected for too long.” Dr. Rudasingwa further stated that, Kagame has exposed himself by going too far and thus forcing those closest to him to break their silence to his tyrannical regime.” Dr. Rudasingwa is currently awaiting sentencing in Rwanda due on January 14, 2011. He is facing 35 years in a Rwandan prison after being tried in absentia over politically motivated trumped up charges including terrorism, ethnic divisionism and defaming President Kagame. This is a popular mode of operation for Kagame. He is quite well known for his power play of killing and jailing political opponents, forcing people into exile and hunting them there. He has done this time and again since he took power.
Exiled Political leader, John V Karuranga, President of the Rwanda Peoples Party stated in his response to the report, “We have chilling reports of how Rwandan refugees in many parts of the world are being deliberately subjected to horrendous daily attacks by RPF external operatives. There are substantiated evidences of assassinations, kidnappings, mysterious disappearance and harassments by the Rwandan government officials both inside and outside Rwanda.” Again, this fits with Kagame’s destructive regimes, gross human rights abuses in Rwanda and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.
So, which is the emperor who stands before us with no clothes? The answer is not as obvious as it seems. There has been too much preventable suffering in the Great Lakes Region. The international system does not seem to have interest in Africa in the area of conflict or Governments who rule in tyranny. The international community is more concerned with their investments in raw materials and for geo-strategic reasons.
Time and again, "reputable" international organizations have put everything in place for the eruption of bloodshed and then turned around to claim legitimacy and capacity to deescalate the resulting cycle of violence, often downplaying their own role in further worsening the situation. It is time to recognize that no genuine progress in the quest for sustainable peace and justice in the Great Lakes Region of Africa will be achieved as long as international justice remains a one-way street.
President Kagame continues to deny the media, civil society and political parties the freedom to function independently. His belligerent posture to neighboring countries is a source of regional and international destabilization. It is time for the International allies (US and UK) to make a choice. They can continue to support and fund Kagame while he uses the Darfur Peace Keeping mission as a bargaining tool to blackmail the US and UK into silence about his gross human rights abuses and absolute rule. Alternatively, Kagame’s allies and the rest of the international community could support Rwandans in their search for freedom in a peaceful manner. The first path will inevitably lead to endless bloodshed and instability in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region. The latter is the only durable solution to freedom, security, and rule of law, democracy and prosperity.
Related Materials:
US firm gets contract to train Rwanda soldiers
DRC: Mapping human rights violations 1993-2003
Rwanda Briefing by Nyamwasa & Co.
RWANDA' S OTHER GENOCIDE
The Africa Global Village
January 7, 2011
In the latter part of 2010 the UN published its Mapping Report of the DRC. The statements in this report should have been published to the international community years ago. This report has come under much scrutiny by political leaders, journalists and members of society.
Of all the serious atrocities documented by the mapping team, however, the allegation that Rwandan troops and their Congolese allies may have committed genocide against Hutu refugees has stirred up the most controversy, triggering yet another wave of damning press reports against the Rwandan government. This report was “leaked” and after decades of cataclysmic failures by the UN in the region it is hard to see how the international system of democratic relations will follow-through with these egregious violations against humanity.
While the report was published with intentions of exposing injustices in the region and was conducted by credible reporting agencies by credible people, what has it done? There have been absolutely no changes from this report and it has all but been swept into silence under the rug of diplomatic relations based on ongoing intimidation and blackmail from President Kagame to the international community (notably Washington and London) due to their inaction based on the 1994 Genocide and Rwanda’s contribution to peacekeeping operations in Darfur.
The Harvard Law record stated in an article published in October 2010 that the 556-page report describes 617 acts of violence allegedly committed by the armed forces of seven countries and several militias in the DRC between 1993 and 2003. A draft that was leaked to the press on August 26 triggered a massive media storm and strong protests from the countries whose troops stood accused.
In a phone interview with Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa regarding the UN Mapping Report he stated that “Kagame has been protected for too long.” Dr. Rudasingwa further stated that, Kagame has exposed himself by going too far and thus forcing those closest to him to break their silence to his tyrannical regime.” Dr. Rudasingwa is currently awaiting sentencing in Rwanda due on January 14, 2011. He is facing 35 years in a Rwandan prison after being tried in absentia over politically motivated trumped up charges including terrorism, ethnic divisionism and defaming President Kagame. This is a popular mode of operation for Kagame. He is quite well known for his power play of killing and jailing political opponents, forcing people into exile and hunting them there. He has done this time and again since he took power.
Exiled Political leader, John V Karuranga, President of the Rwanda Peoples Party stated in his response to the report, “We have chilling reports of how Rwandan refugees in many parts of the world are being deliberately subjected to horrendous daily attacks by RPF external operatives. There are substantiated evidences of assassinations, kidnappings, mysterious disappearance and harassments by the Rwandan government officials both inside and outside Rwanda.” Again, this fits with Kagame’s destructive regimes, gross human rights abuses in Rwanda and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.
So, which is the emperor who stands before us with no clothes? The answer is not as obvious as it seems. There has been too much preventable suffering in the Great Lakes Region. The international system does not seem to have interest in Africa in the area of conflict or Governments who rule in tyranny. The international community is more concerned with their investments in raw materials and for geo-strategic reasons.
Time and again, "reputable" international organizations have put everything in place for the eruption of bloodshed and then turned around to claim legitimacy and capacity to deescalate the resulting cycle of violence, often downplaying their own role in further worsening the situation. It is time to recognize that no genuine progress in the quest for sustainable peace and justice in the Great Lakes Region of Africa will be achieved as long as international justice remains a one-way street.
President Kagame continues to deny the media, civil society and political parties the freedom to function independently. His belligerent posture to neighboring countries is a source of regional and international destabilization. It is time for the International allies (US and UK) to make a choice. They can continue to support and fund Kagame while he uses the Darfur Peace Keeping mission as a bargaining tool to blackmail the US and UK into silence about his gross human rights abuses and absolute rule. Alternatively, Kagame’s allies and the rest of the international community could support Rwandans in their search for freedom in a peaceful manner. The first path will inevitably lead to endless bloodshed and instability in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region. The latter is the only durable solution to freedom, security, and rule of law, democracy and prosperity.
Related Materials:
US firm gets contract to train Rwanda soldiers
DRC: Mapping human rights violations 1993-2003
Rwanda Briefing by Nyamwasa & Co.
RWANDA' S OTHER GENOCIDE
Tony Blair: Of what help is he to Rwanda?
By Nkunda
Cry for Freedom in Rwanda
January 1, 2011
Tony Blair, Rick Warren and anyone else participating in the active or passive oppression of Rwandans, need to be reminded that Paul Kagame is not God. He maybe charismatic, a “visionary” and a brilliant military strategist, but he cannot govern Rwanda without popular consent. He is not immortal, and his destiny is not intertwined with that of Rwanda.
Like any other public official before him, however ruthless he may be, he will soon have to leave. What would be better at this time would be for these well meaning friends of Rwanda, to take a comfortable backseat, steer clear of Rwandan politics and let Rwandans decide their destiny.
Blair's recent comment that Kagame is a "visionary leader" is as unfortunate as it gets. For the comment ignores the current crisis facing Kagame or even worse, represent a desire to downplay it.
In September, the UN high commission for human rights issued a monumental document on the crimes committed in the DRC. The report claims to have “damning evidence” that, Kagame’s forces committed genocide against Hutu refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mr. Blair, like other supporters of this murderous regime did not say a word when this report was released. As a matter of fact, they were right to keep quiet considering that Britain under Blair was the largest donor to Rwanda at a time when Rwandan troops were committing these massacres in the DRC. Given this major failure, it would make more sense for Mr. Blair to undergo some soul searching and possibly apologize to the Rwandan people and the Congolese community.
To claim that he supports a man that is responsible for the vast share of violence that has affected our lives, is both criminal and insensitive.
Recent events in Rwanda have shown that Kagame is losing control over the country. There is clear and growing dissent within the ranks of the Tutsi ruling elites. The military—the backbone of Kagame’s state—is deeply fragmented.
Opposition candidates are gaining more legitimacy internationally, and Kagame is turning the whip on them. Two notable individuals, Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, are facing politically motivated imprisonment. Of course, the current mode of governance is neither sustainable nor productive.
If Tony Blair cannot praise China’s despicable human rights record, even though China has had the highest rate of economic growth recorded in recent history, why would he do so for Rwanda?
Mr. Blair needs to reexamine his relationship with Kagame, and refuse to be used as Kagame’s propaganda machine. Otherwise, the honeymoon for Kagame is surely over.
Related Materials:
Cry for Freedom in Rwanda
January 1, 2011
Like any other public official before him, however ruthless he may be, he will soon have to leave. What would be better at this time would be for these well meaning friends of Rwanda, to take a comfortable backseat, steer clear of Rwandan politics and let Rwandans decide their destiny.
Blair's recent comment that Kagame is a "visionary leader" is as unfortunate as it gets. For the comment ignores the current crisis facing Kagame or even worse, represent a desire to downplay it.
In September, the UN high commission for human rights issued a monumental document on the crimes committed in the DRC. The report claims to have “damning evidence” that, Kagame’s forces committed genocide against Hutu refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mr. Blair, like other supporters of this murderous regime did not say a word when this report was released. As a matter of fact, they were right to keep quiet considering that Britain under Blair was the largest donor to Rwanda at a time when Rwandan troops were committing these massacres in the DRC. Given this major failure, it would make more sense for Mr. Blair to undergo some soul searching and possibly apologize to the Rwandan people and the Congolese community.
To claim that he supports a man that is responsible for the vast share of violence that has affected our lives, is both criminal and insensitive.
Recent events in Rwanda have shown that Kagame is losing control over the country. There is clear and growing dissent within the ranks of the Tutsi ruling elites. The military—the backbone of Kagame’s state—is deeply fragmented.
Opposition candidates are gaining more legitimacy internationally, and Kagame is turning the whip on them. Two notable individuals, Bernard Ntaganda and Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, are facing politically motivated imprisonment. Of course, the current mode of governance is neither sustainable nor productive.
If Tony Blair cannot praise China’s despicable human rights record, even though China has had the highest rate of economic growth recorded in recent history, why would he do so for Rwanda?
Mr. Blair needs to reexamine his relationship with Kagame, and refuse to be used as Kagame’s propaganda machine. Otherwise, the honeymoon for Kagame is surely over.
Related Materials:
6 Jan 2011
Racism at the British Newspaper The Guardian
Racism at the British Newspaper The Guardian: The UK Guardian Newspaper and the fight against Human Rights in Africa The British Newspaper the Guardian continue to use controversial writers such as the racist Stephen Kinzer (author of End human rights imperialism now) who says that human rights are not needed in Africa. He is supporting the dictator Kagame who has imprisoned all his political opponents and deny the massacres of hutu communities in Democratic Republic of Congo. This is pure racism against African people that all African need to fight against. The newsletter uses controversial writers to attract comments on their website. |
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Thousands of Hutu murdered by Kagame inside Rwanda, e.g. Kibeho massacres
Kagame killed 200,000 Hutus from all regions of the country, the elderly and children who were left by their relatives, the disabled were burned alive. Other thousands of people were killed in several camps of displaced persons including Kibeho camp. All these war crimes remain unpunished.The British news reporters were accompanying Kagame’s fighters on day-by-day basis and witnessed these massacres, but they never reported on this.
25,000 Hutu bodies floated down River Akagera into Lake Victoria in Uganda.
The British irrational, extremist, partisan,biased, one-sided media and politicians have disregarded Kagame war crimes e.g. the Kibeho camp massacres, massacres of innocents Hutu refugees in DR. Congo. The British media have been supporting Kagame since he invaded Rwanda by organising the propaganda against the French over the Rwandan genocide, suppressing the truth about the genocide and promoting the impunity of Kagame and his cronies in the African Great Lakes Region. For the British, Rwanda does not need democracy, Rwanda is the African Israel; and Kagame and his guerilla fighters are heroes.The extremist British news reporters including Fergal Keane, Chris Simpson, Chris McGreal, Mark Doyle, etc. continue to hate the Hutus communities and to polarise the Rwandan society.
Kagame political ambitions triggered the genocide.
Kagame’s guerrilla war was aimed at accessing to power at any cost. He rejected all attempts and advice that could stop his military adventures including the cease-fire, political negotiations and cohabitation, and UN peacekeeping interventions. He ignored all warnings that could have helped him to manage the war without tragic consequences. Either you supported Kagame’ s wars and you are now his friend, or you were against his wars and you are his enemy. Therefore, Kagame as the Rwandan strong man now, you have to apologise to him for having been against his war and condemned his war crimes, or accept to be labelled as having been involved in the genocide. All key Kagame’s fighters who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity are the ones who hold key positions in Rwandan army and government for the last 15 years. They continue to be supported and advised by the British including Tony Blair, Andrew Mitchell MP, and the British army senior officials.
Aid that kills: The British Budget Support financed Museveni and Kagame’s wars in Rwanda and DRC.
Genocide propaganda and fabrications are used by the so-called British scholars, news reporters and investigative journalists to promote their CVs and to get income out of the genocide through the selling of their books, providing testimonies against the French, access to consultancy contracts from the UN and Kagame, and participation in conferences and lectures in Rwanda, UK and internationally about genocide. Genocide propaganda has become a lucrative business for Kagame and the British. Anyone who condemned or did not support Kagame’s war is now in jail in Rwanda under the gacaca courts system suuported by British tax payer's money, or his/she is on arrest warrant if he/she managed to flee the Kagame’s regime. Others have fled the country and are still fleeing now. Many others Rwandans are being persecuted in their own country. Kagame is waiting indefinitely for the apologies from other players who warn him or who wanted to help to ensure that political negotiations take place between Kagame and the former government he was fighting against. Britain continues to supply foreign aid to Kagame and his cronies with media reports highlighting economic successes of Rwanda. Such reports are flawed and are aimed at misleading the British public to justify the use of British taxpayers’ money. Kagame and his cronies continue to milk British taxpayers’ money under the British budget support. This started from 1986 through the British budget support to Uganda until now.
Dictator Kagame: No remorse for his unwise actions and ambitions that led to the Rwandan genocide.
No apologies yet to the Rwandan people. The assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana by Kagame was the only gateway for Kagame to access power in Rwanda. The British media, politicians, and the so-called British scholars took the role of obstructing the search for the truth and justice; and of denying this assassination on behalf of General Kagame. General Paul Kagame has been obliging the whole world to apologise for his mistakes and war crimes. The UK’s way to apologise has been pumping massive aid into Rwanda's crony government and parliement; and supporting Kagame though media campaigns.
Fanatical, partisan, suspicious, childish and fawning relations between UK and Kagame
Kagame receives the British massive aid through the budget support, British excessive consultancy, sector wide programmes, the Tutsi-dominated parliament, British and Tutsi-owned NGOs; for political, economic and English language expansion to Rwanda. The British aid to Rwanda is not for all Rwandans. It is for Kagame himself and his Tutsi cronies.
Paul Kagame' actvities as former rebel