Patrick Muyaya: DRC’s comical Ali

Author: Lindah Uwase

• 2022-12-19 05:09:00

Iraq's former Information Minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, continued broadcasting outrageous wartime claims until the last minute when Baghdad was falling during the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

As Information Minister, al-Sahhaf was the main public spokesman for Saddam Hussein's government during the 2003 Iraq War. He became known for the vast array of insults he used to describe the American and British troops that were invading his country. As the U.S.-led coalition closed in on Baghdad, he repeatedly insisted that Iraq's army was on the verge of a major victory.

He was dubbed "Comical Ali" during the war because of his defiant and overly optimistic and wildly implausible claims of victory to the media.

Comical Ali incited Iraqis; he made up lies, and stood by, watching his lies falling into play.

By then, he was having the moment of his life. His closeness to Saddam Hussein made him feel immortal. To him, he had the powers to say whatever he wanted, in whichever way. No person in any position of authority would dare call al-Sahhaf to order.

But fate had to catch up with him at a certain point and indeed, al-Sahhaf ended up in a rope, hanged for his actions. Remember he was a man who lied in front of the cameras and so loyal to Saddam.

His last public appearance as Information Minister was on April 8, 2003, the day before the fall of Baghdad, when he said that the Americans “are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender.”

Enter the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya. The latter has a lot in common with al-Sahhaf – considering the outrageous lies and insults he continues telling, and hurling, against Rwanda – but with a distinct difference. Al-Sahhaf was a soldier who swore to die for his country. Muyaya is just President Félix Tshisekedi’s clansman seeking to please his master so as to stay employed.

Muyaya came to the limelight recently. But he has made sure that he is so vicious, where Rwanda is concerned, so as to be seen and heard.

For him to be qualified and accepted in such a fragile DRC society, he needed to make a major kill.

The Congolese government spokesperson embarked on a fully fledged deceitful propaganda. He turned out to be a man with no limits when it came to advancing any lie that pleases his master.

Muyaya, just like the former Iraqi spokesperson, formalizes lies. He demonized adversaries and rises on a headless dark horse.

Muyaya is on record speaking out against Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese. As if that is not enough, he has played a pivotal role in sensitizing vigilantes to gang up against Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese. He championed hate speech against Rwandophones in DRC.

It gets even worse. He is reviving the genocidal script. In February 1991 Habyarimana's government published "Livre Blanc sur l'agression armée..." 31 years on, Muyaya reproduced the same ‘Livre Blanc’.

However, his ‘Livre Blanc’ is yet to be made public despite his claims that it has already been distributed. Muyaya is out to emulate the worst government spokesperson ever and is risking everything to appease Tshisekedi.

Muyaya will end up as Iraq’s Comical Ali.