IGIHE

Category: Rubrique

  • Kagame affirms Rwanda’s democracy

    President Paul Kagame has bristled at suggestions that democracy is not flourishing in his country, and said that the 93 percent of the vote he won last year was not enough.

    Kagame further added that Rwanda enjoys a multi-party political system and that he supports, “a right that allows anybody, everybody to express themselves.”

    He said the will of the people was expressed during last year’s presidential election. “So, 93 percent — I wonder why it wasn’t higher than that,” Kagame told the Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent New York-based think tank.

    When a senior Human Rights Watch director in the audience challenged Kagame, the president said he did not want to hear “lectures.”

    Responding to Peggy Hicks a Human Rights Watch director on mere claims that there were no strong opposition in the elections and that some journalists were silenced.

    Kagame denied this, insisting that there were four presidential candidates from four different parties, although his three nominal opponents in fact had ties to his Rwandan Patriotic Front party.

    The president said anyone can participate in Rwandan politics as long as they do not advocate a return to the genocide that tore the country apart in 1994.

    “There are things that are unacceptable here or in Rwanda, or anywhere else if they work to the detriment of society,” Kagame remarked.

  • Death allegations a hoax

    The Rwandan government has rejected any form of threat over its citizens living in Britain as recently voiced by Metropolitan Police in London, noting that “unveiling identities of people whose lives are supposedly threatened without a shred of evidence, is both unfair and unjust. “

    The British police informed two members of the Rwandan diaspora that their government may be trying to assassinate them, according to documents seen by various newspapers. The police visited Jonathan Musonera and Rene Mugenzi on May 12, officially informing them with letters. These letters were then apparently shown to various media outlets.

    The Rwanda government’s response comes one week after the Britain-based The Times published an interview by a senior local police officer, who warned that a Rwandan suspected of being part of the assassination threat against his exiles counterparts (living in London) was stopped at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, Kent, with a mission to kill two alleged members of a Rwanda opposition group living in Britain.

    According to a statement released by the government “These allegations are completely without foundation. The Government of Rwanda does not threaten the lives of its citizens, wherever they live,” the statement read.

    Rwanda government further argues in the statement that the Metropolitan police has not approached them with evidence of these allegations but assured that they were ready as always to work with the British government to ensure that nobody, be they Rwandan or not, is the victim of violence on British soil”.

    There are also questions on the credibility of MI 5 a security agency in the UK which has not performed brilliantly in recent years. For instance during the run up to the Iraq war. Hence, a ’warning’ from this secret service – in itself a strange thing to do for a secret service, to expose its knowledge and sources via the Metropolitan police – that is not of much value. They should be doing more since historically UK is home to dissidents from all over the world. As we speak the Queen is celebrating the Irish defeat of the British a century ago.

    Meanwhile, this incident follows a warning to the Rwandan ambassador by the British intelligence that his embassy would have to stop harassing opposition members in England or risk losing $135 million in aid.

    However, the British development agency DFID said that these developments would not affect their aid, which goes primarily toward helping poor people in Rwanda. Still, the incident has become politicized, with expressions of concern from all sides of the political spectrum in the UK.

    The Rwandan government further states that such allegations are made by individuals who have genocide related cases, as well as exiled elements who have criminal cases to answer back home.

    Excerpts from the government statement further points out that “What we know rather is that threats to our country’s security have been made from genocide-bent and disgruntled dissidents engaged in serious criminal activities, and we have shared this information with the UK”.

    “The Government of Rwanda would expect the Metropolitan Police to make a full and public retraction of their previous statements,” end of the quote.

    According to the same source, manipulation of media and opinion by individuals and groups engaged in criminal activities in Britain against Rwandan people and the “tarnishing of our nation’s image” should not be given any value.

    Rene Mugenzi, aged 35, a survivor of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide who is a British citizen and now runs a London-based social exclusion think-tank, questioned the security warnings adding that he was bewildered that such a thing could be happening to him since he is not a political figure in Rwanda, he further argues that he Kigali when he was 17 and has no grudges against Kagame .

    While Jonathan Musonera Mugenzi is also believed to be opposing the Kigali regime though he is a genocide survivor, a former member of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) army led by Mr Kagame which halted the genocide. He is one of the founding members of the Rwanda National Conference (RNC), a new political party led by exiled military officers which poses a threat to the president

    Several questions arise : Providing the British intelligence service is right about this threat, why would Rwanda jeopardize its good relations with the UK – one of its closest allies and largest donors – over two minor opposition figures ? Mugenzi is a UK citizen who has dabbled in opposition politics, but also is active in British politics and a community NGO in London. Musonera is a former officer in the Rwandan army.  

    The most plausible explanation seems to be their link to the newly formed Rwandan National Congress (RNC), which is led by President Kagame’s former chief of staff Theogene Rudasingwa, the former head of the army and the head of the external intelligence service Kayumba Nyamwasa. Just a week before Mugenzi received the letter, he helped organize an RNC meeting in London with the leading members of the party present via Skype link, as well as opposition leaders such as Paul Rusesabagina (of Hotel Rwanda fame). Musonera is one of the founding members of the RNC.

    Digging deeper into the characters of these dissidents the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) describe Kayumba for instance as a selfish opportunist who can join a war only when he is sure that there are other patriotic folks out there who will do the fighting and who will carry him along as a passive participant. This is precisely why Kayumba and his fellow renegades prefer rendering other forms of support to FDLR instead of being fully active members of the terrorist organization whom members took part in the 1994 genocide war.

    Kayumba, his fellow FDRL members and their other recruits indiscriminately target innocent citizens simply because this is the only form of war that they can wage. This form of war is a true mirror image of their character and ideology.

    Recently, the Rwanda Defence Force [RDF] through its Spokesperson Lt Col Jill Rutaremara announced that they have a clearer understanding and credible intelligence information of the criminal network of Kayumba Nyamwasa and his fellow fugitives including their links with FDLR, other negative forces and individuals as well as their supporters and sympathizers.

    In addition, they cherish genocide ideology and are too weak to face the RDF leave alone the fact that they too have no justifiable cause. This is what unites the Kayumba group of renegades with the FDLR that Kayumba is busy defending and sanitizing and that’s why the Rwanda National Congress has again signed a compact for collaboration with another Rwandan opposition group (CNR-INTWARI). This follows another compact with FDU-Inkingi whos leader is currently detained to genocide ideology.

    The allegation by Kayumba that the Government of Rwanda is the one behind assassinations and grenade attacks for instance is simply laughable particularly because this government has a clear and unquestionable track record. Since when did the current government and its security organs indiscriminately turn against the people that they are meant to protect ? Once again, this clearly exposes Kayumba’s weird character.

    Another opposition member is fugitive Patrick Karegeya a former director External Security organization. who at one time ruled in favour of genocide mastermind Félicien Kabuga’s, property and bank accounts, that were fraudulently returned to the family but later re-frozen.

    During the time, under the directive of Karegeya, Janvier Mabuye, an officer of External Security accredited to the Rwanda Embassy in Belgium gave powers of attorney to both Kabuga’s children. “The Prosecuration given to Nshimyumuremyi was signed by Josephine Mukazitoni, Kabuga’s wife, whereas the one given to Seraphine Uwimana was signed by Felicite Mukademali, one of Kabuga’s daughters,” reads part of the document obtained by IGIHE.com.

    Greatly facilitated by Karegeya‘s direct intervention, they managed to regain rights to some of the property which include the building next to City Plaza in downtown Kigali, and the building that houses Banque Populaire, Muhima branch.

    According to the report, while in Kigali, the two stayed at the Mille Collines and invoice No. 105620 was forwarded to National Security Service (NSS) External Security Organization (ESO) for payment. The payment was effected from Karegeya’s department account by cheque number 438099 dated February 25, 2004 and signed by Karegeya himself.

     

  • Did Green party leader deserve democracy award?

    The Swedish Parliament must have be misled when they recently awarded Frank Habineza, the leader of Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) won a democracy award which is unmerited for the leader, despite his so-called conservation ideas that have never yield tangible results in the country.

    The leader, who is believed to have played his cards well, is the first individual in the region to receive the award, which risks loosing its credibility if dished out to individuals who do not deserve it.

    Habineza whose party has not yet full filled requirements to be legally registered as a political party in the country, bald-facedly said that he was proud of the award, adding that he would continue to advocate for democracy through peaceful means.

    The Green Party representative in Sweden insisted that members would not give up in persuading the Rwandan political forum to approve their party to operate in the country. Such remarks are deemed as duplicitous since the political forum has on several occasions advised the greens on the requirements.

    On 28 December last year, the Green party leader mae a key decision when he distanced his party from an opposition forum known as (Permanent Consultative Council of Opposition Parties in Rwanda) PCC.

    It is believed that Habineza’s decision was influenced by Dr. Papa Meisa Dieng, the head of political parties under the African Green Federation, who might have advised him to distance himself from two other opposition leaders whose political manifestos were full of ethnic incitements.

    Among the leaders Habineza departed from were Victoire Ingabire, who leads FDU-Inkingi and PS Imberakuri’s Bernard Ntaganda. The two are currently detained at a Kigali prison on political violations and public incitement charges especially based on genocide ideology.

  • Up, close and personal with former minister Joe Habineza

    Dressed in casual clothes, already enjoying a comfortable evening after a long session of tennis, he gets up with a calm but still eager manner ready to reveal his story.

    A tale of his life, an account that has defined him and consequently made him who he is, a story that has now led him to a new chapter awaiting to be unraveled. An avid sportsman , Joe Habineza, strikes is a loving father, with a unique personality, not just as a politician but one of the most influential figures in our society. He is also a man whose passion, drive and live-wire personality has made a difference and whose success made him an easy target of outrageous controversy. In his own view, he is the perfect bull’s eye towards tarnishing the image of the state through a spiteful political motive.

    Born in Kayenzi now known as Kamonyi District, his mother always used to tell him as a young boy that he would grow up to be a leader. “I was always calling the shots, from being the school head-boy to being the captain of the sports team,” the former minister of Sports and culture nostalgically recalls. Such was his remarkable display of leadership since he was very young, a characteristic that would continue to mark his long and successful career path.

    After graduating with an information Communication Technology degree in Rwanda , he continued to embark on that particular career course, for the next 15 years, working as the ICT manager of the alcoholic beverages manufacturer, Heineken. It was a long journey full of twists and turns that eventually led him to work in other African states. When I ask him if he initially planned to pursue a career in politics, he mentions that he never envisioned that career path but was still influenced by it especially during the liberation of the country through his support and admiration of the Rwanda Patriotic Front ideology and cause.

    He is a man whose experience transcends the geographical bounds of our nation. When asked about Rwanda’s development relative to those other countries, he says, “We possess the work ethic and dedication that is superior to that displayed in some of the other nations, for instance, in the DR Congo, where I once worked. Nevertheless, we still have to take it one step further with more entrepreneurship and risk taking as we are still lagging behind in those. ”

    His extensive and thriving career in the private sector eventually led him to venture into the world of politics. Appointed to the post of Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture in 2004, he admits to have been first surprised, but embraced his new role with the gusto and vigour that have always been the hallmark of his character. Such are the traits that have undoubtedly wrought the underpinning to his incredible passion and exuberance that he ceaselessly implements in his line of duty.

    “I embraced my new found role and undertook it with a lot of passion,” says Joe.

    “I always strive to do things at 120 percent ; it is always that passion that will take you that extra mile. ”

    About the key to success and ability to reaching out to so many and bringing about a positive influence, he says. “It is all about teamwork, knowing those you are accountable to and respecting them while at the same time, being an example to your subordinates and reaching out to them as opposed to being ruthless. ”

    “But most importantly, it is integrating that strong spirit of never giving up, which is essential to attaining success or establishing a successful institution and sustaining it,” Habineza reveals.

    Despite his eventful reign as a cabinet minister, he was recently subject to a scandal through malicious publications on the Internet. He maintains that was an event initiated with malevolent purposes that go beyond blemishing the reputation of one man.

    “Those publications had very negative and dangerous intentions. They were all about negation, aimed at tarnishing the image of the government with the purpose of inciting the people to be pulled in by all the false information and rubbish that was published,” he observes, adding that it was a plot that was set up, with much bigger and far more dangerous implications.

    “I was at the centre of it all and as a responsible person at the service of my country, I had to resign in order not to associate the government with such kind of things,” he laments. 

    On his vision and future plans, he says that he still plans on servicing his nation at whatever level, be it the private or the public sector.

    He certainly depicts the image of a resolute person with a strong and powerful vision for himself and his country as well.

  • Inkotanyi’s role in the genocide rescue activities, part 1

    Though the RPF soldiers (Inkotanyi) might not have saved everyone on time during the Tutsi genocide, those who were saved narrate the heroism exerted by the peace-aimed soldiers led by President Paul Kagame. Igihe.com brings you an insight of some of the rescue operations conducted in the city.

    Chantal Mukanyandwi, 35, is one of the survivors who were rescued by RPF soldiers at Saint Famille church located in the city’s main roundabout. She and her family run for refuge at the church hoping the militias would spare them as was the case in the 1959 war where militias spared Tutsis who hid in religious centers.

    Venant Ntabwomvura, 80, a doctor at the Butare University Hospital noted that the reason why many saw churches as safe heavens was because the majority respected religious institutions and associated them to holly grounds thats why militias in the first war feared to attack those who camped in churches.

    The lady further explains that some of her neighbors also took refuge in the church’s enclosed premises where priests and nuns lived. They thought militias would still refrain from the known holly grounds but on contrary the evil minded killers didn’t care at all instead they took advantage of the Tutsi gatherings in the church to pursue mass murder on them.

    Mukanyandwi adds that, “at the beginning of April militias came daily to pick people who we suspect were killed since no one ever came back. Whenever we asked their whereabouts they told us that they were taken for questioning which sounded suspicious,” she remarks.

    In addition to mystery, city leaders were often accompanied by militias in taking away some of the Tutsis who were hiding in the church. Among the prominent leader who was seen in the operations was Tharcisse Renzaho who was the mayor, Odette Nyirabagenzi a councilor from Nyarugenge sector was also among the local leaders in the clique.

    To make matters worse, the leaders would on several occasions trick them that the situation was controlled, but too bad some believed in their mere lies which made them loose their lives when they left the church on 16 June 1994. The mayor had faked that peace had prevailed and that everyone should go back to their respective homes. Due to this trap Mukanyadwi claims to have lost the majority of her family members.

    On the following day the blood-thirst militias broke into the church and killed a good number of people, she was lucky since she hid herself with wounded bodies, “my God the church was full of corpses,” she recalled.

    The militias break-in was no surprise since the catholic priest Wenceslas Munyenshaka used to organize masses as a way of inviting militias who would indentify those to kill next. It is also known that the priests made sure that those hiding were present during the preaching sessions.

    To make matters worse, the priest also ordered a good number of huge pits to be dug at the church’s backyard and since it was done in secrecy, no journalist nor UN peace keeping soldiers were allowed to see what was going on, when asked the priest would simply lie that the pits were to be used as toilets. But literally the pits served as graves.

    Killings went on and militias would often commit atrocities in the church, “I remember one day they came and shot people randomly, the anger was a result of a successfully rescue operation conducted by RPF soldiers,” Mukanyandwi comments.

    Igihe.com further talked to some of the Inkotanyi soldiers who are now serving in the Rwanda Defense Forces about some of the rescue activities in the city. Major Gerald Nyirimanzi in charge of Military History Department was together with Major Emanuel Rusakara at a rescue operation at Saint Famille. He noted that among the reasons why they started the war was to rescue and remove an oppressive regime which carried out the genocide. In an interview with igihe.com they told us how they conducted the rescue process.

    Major Nyirimanzi noted that they immediately rescued Tutsis who were hiding at Saint Famille after receiving intelligence reports that there were plans to kill them. RPF mission was to rescue and restore peace in the country, Tutsis who were in the country during the war at least they had heard about the Inkotanyi’s initiatives through Radio Muhabura which was used by the rebels to communicate their plans about Rwanda’s development.

    The small team of soldiers had to find all means to rescue the Saint Famille victims despite the large presence of militias surrounding the church. Of course penetrating through the militias required some skills and among the tricks they used concentrated on corrupting the enemy’s radio communication system. Nyirimanzi noted for instance they tricked that the RPF soldiers were about to attack the presidents house, the aim was to disorganize the large number of militias at the church with the majority rushing to the presidents house, the trick worked and the Inkotanyis fought their way into the church. 

    Major Nyirimanzi disclosed that the rescue operation was a challenge since the victims hesitated to open the door even after explaining to they came in peace , it seems they didn’t trust them given that in the past militias have used a similar statement. Inkotanyis didn’t spend much time on the doors since they were working on a deadline hence they proceeded to rescue those who were hiding in neighboring Sainte Paul premises, here the rescue process was fair since they broke windows and saved those who were inside including the ones hiding in nearby bushes.

    Rescuing those in the city centre also required more military coverage in other suburbs. In this respect a group of soldiers attacked from Gisozi sector were later on supported by a battalion known as Bravo from H Coy three platoons. The first platoon was in charge of taking the lead while the second platoon was assigned to rescue people at Saint Paul premises which is close to Saint Famille Catholic Church and the third took the back cover and also assisted soldiers and civilians who were affected in several cross-fires with the militias. The soldiers rescued more than 500 people who were taken from Gisozi to Kabuye for treatment.

    The major added that ”saving everyone wasn’t easy because they were some who wanted to carry their property along which delayed the rescue process elsewhere . It is due to this delay that some military police from the militia side started shooting at the RPF soldiers in various parts of the city. The crossfire led to injuries of some of the rescued people which made even some to halt their movement due to serious injuries. Those who were left in the swamps were rescued the previous night..

    The rescue process from the city’s Catholic Church and Saint Paul wasn’t the only operations in the city. Details about other hiding spots and how the saving process was conducted will be disclosed in our second part of the story. The second series will highlight rescue activities at Stade Amahoro, Sainte Andre in Nyamirambo and Rebero.