Belgian Ambassador: false perceptions on Rusesabagina case a question of time

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Rwanda, Bert Versmessen, has said that false perceptions on Rusesabagina are a question of time.

His comment about the FLN terror case, a rare reaction from an official of the Belgian Embassy in Kigali since the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina in August 2020, was made during the Ambassador’s courtesy call to the President of the Rwandan Senate on March 22.

Ambassador Bert Versmessen was nominated to represent his country to Rwanda in February 2021. He presented his credentials to President Paul Kagame in October 2021. His courtesy call to the President of the Senate of Rwanda, Dr. Augustin Iyamuremye, focused on various aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation between Belgium and Rwanda.

During their meeting, the Belgian Ambassador said that the FLN terror case “has perceptions and interpretations [in the western discourse] that are completely different from reality.”

He said “the dominant narrative is that Paul Rusesabagina is a Belgian citizen who was brought to Rwanda illegally, and behind it there is his family which is very active in the media,” but added that he is confident “it is just a question of time.”

The President of the Senate explained to the Belgian Ambassador how the FLN violent attacks on innocent Rwandans shocked Rwandans.

He emphasized that in such situations of armed violence against civilians, security services do what they are supposed to do as is done elsewhere yet, paradoxically Rwanda was condemned for doing exactly the same in its security interests. He stressed that the double standards raise a question of “agaciro” for Rwanda, and as such Rwandans would rather forfeit material advantages or accept to be insulted and tarnished but retain their dignity. He underscored that no amount of media campaign, lobbying and manipulations can erase the crimes of Rusesabagina’s FLN.

Ambassador Bert Versmessen’s remarks to the President of the Senate alone are likely to frustrate the campaign of Rusesabagina’s family and supporters who have chosen to persuade Western powers to coerce President Kagame into releasing him.

In the Western media’s narrative of Rusesabagina’s alleged exploits during the genocide, his glamorized humanitarian actions and political activism that never were, there is no mention of his role in the creation, funding and leading FLN terror attacks on Rwanda. These are crimes for which he publicly claimed responsibility and pledged his unreserved support.

But the Ambassador’s remarks, set down in a memo, also echo Belgium's recent reevaluation of the reality. Initially, Belgium, which provided Mr Rusesabagina and his family asylum and citizenship, was tight-lipped about his arrest and trial. A spokesperson at the Belgian foreign ministry only admitted officials from its embassy in Kigali regularly visited Rusesabagina and were offering him consular assistance, while declining to give further details or say whether Belgium had any plans to speak out publicly for him. The Rusesabagina family even expressed frustration with Belgium’s response to the arrest and detention of Rusesabagina in Kigali.

Belgium’s inexpressive posture changed when its Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs criticized the trial process in statement issued on September 20, 2021, saying the trial raised questions about Rusesabagina’s sentence. “Mr. Rusesabagina did not receive a fair and due trial,” Sophie Wilmès’ statement said.

However, there is every reason to think that the status quo on Belgium government’s position is ancient history. Belgian diplomacy’s backpedaling began a month later during the visit to Rwanda by Belgium’s foreign minister, at the end of October 2021, answering the question of a Belgian journalist who accompanied her: "Has your attitude remained the same, Rusesabagina did not receive a fair trial?”

She explained: “We took the time to discuss, to analyze also to exchange our different points of view and we agreed that the dialogue remained open. That we will continue to talk about the different positive agenda points that exist between our different countries.”

Rusesabagina and his supporters are a million miles away from fully grasping Belgium's epiphany and its diplomatic reversal, which came as a result of the discovery that Rusesabagina is not as "humanitarian" and innocent as they assumed, given the serious charges against him and the prosecution's evidence, much of which was provided with Belgian judicial cooperation.

Clearly, Belgium fully appreciates the truth about Rusesabagina's crimes and the strength of his case in court.