Rwanda's liberation and the lingering threats

A glance at where Rwanda was 27 years ago and where it is now shows why there is much reason to be jubilant. Rwandans are indebted to the men and women who took up arms and sacrificed themselves to liberate the country from the genocidal forces that almost obliterated it.

Rwanda is a changed country. At times, the pace of change has been so fast that it left many people dazzled. All the achievements are because, after defeating the genocidal forces and stopping the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) stuck to the vision and principles which guided its liberation struggle.

But we should not rest on our laurels because enemies still hover around and are determined to tear apart the gains. As we continue to build our nation, we should be aware of the ever-growing threats which are multiple and multi-faceted. Those threats can be placed in two categories: the enemies within and without.

Enemies within

Like in any revolution, the first enemy is complacency. We should guard against the beliefs certain people have that all we have achieved cannot be reversed.  One biggest danger is giving up the principles that helped us to overcome the odds and liberate our country.

After failing to do us harm by other means, mainly militarily, the enemies of Rwanda have resorted to another tactic: sowing the seeds of discord among Rwandans. Recently, they have been trying to recruit disgruntled individuals who are ready to lash out against the system, the government, and its leadership.

The enemy secretly channels funds to those individuals who then air ill-founded grievances. The content of what they spread is almost identical to the same ideology of genocide denial and revisionism harboured by genocidaires and genocide deniers living abroad. Perfect examples are Idamange Iryamugwiza and Aimable Karasira. But there are also others who took to social media, especially YouTube. Their propaganda is detrimental to national unity and cohesiveness, two pillars of our achievements.  Such individuals should be arrested and tried as the laws of the land dictate.

Enemies without

Genocide revisionists and deniers and their supporters belong here. Genocide denial and revisionism represent a major threat to our liberation. Their proponents are engaged in a campaign to rewrite history. These people are highly active on social media. They present themselves as human rights activists, but in truth they peddle the hideous Hutu power ideology. Their aim is to divide our nation and drag it back to the bygone era of ethnic strife nobody wishes to live again.

Linda Melvern, a British investigative journalist, has written about how these deniers use the same argument as those who planned the genocide. She wrote: “the basic facts of the genocide of the Tutsi, documented and detailed in international inquiries, by journalists and contemporary historians, might seem incritrovertible. This has not prevented a pernicious campaign of propaganda that exists to undermine the established facts and minimise what occurred.”

"This is genocide denial, and in its aid, facts are reversed, disinformation and fake news are promulgated, and phoney science given credence.” In this category, we find organisations like Jambo Asbl, based in Belgium, which works in tandem with a wide network of organisations and online radios like Ikondera Libre, to spread lies and hate propaganda. Jambo Asbl was founded by children of well-known genocidaires. Those children include descendants of Mbonyumutwa Shingiro, who was director of cabinet in the office of genocidaire prime minister Jean Kambanda, and Dominique Ntawukuriryayo former sous-prefet of Gisagara in Southern Rwanda during the genocide, Marcel Sebatware, former CEO of Rwanda Cement Plant, CIMERWA in Bugarama, former Cyangugu Prefecture.

Similarly, the likes of Canadian journalist Judi Rever, and Charles Onana, a controversial French conflict specialist jumped on the bandwagon and wholeheartedly embraced the Hutu Power ideology. Though foreigners, they use the same denial and revisionist arguments.

Fugitives

Criminals on the run posing as opposition politicians are another case. This category also represents a serious threat to whatever we have achieved in the last 27 years. This group comprises figures like Kayumba Nyamwasa, David Himbara, Charlotte Mukankusi, all prominent leaders of the terrorist group, Rwanda National Congress (RNC).

This organisation, which is part of the terrorist P5 grouping, has a militaristic agenda. In the past, it carried out grenade attacks inside Rwanda which claimed many lives. Their propaganda is equally nefarious as that of genocide deniers and revisionists.

There are also insidious activities of a self-styled politician, Victoire Ingabire, whose party the Democracy and Liberty for All (DALFA) Umurinzi is not yet registered. This woman is a convict, yet she continues to push the same ideologies of the past that led to the genocide against the Tutsi. She is the darling of the global north media who wrongly portray her as “opposition leader.”

The on-going trial of Paul Rusesabagina, and 20 other co-accused in the High Court has proven that there are still forces who will always try to sabotage and destroy our achievements.

Despite ample evidence pinning this Hollywood-made hero to terrorism, some in the West have refused to believe that he is a criminal who had his day in court. He is not seen as a terrorist, but as a government critic.

The global north media

This media’s biased reporting on Rwanda is legendary. Most often, it serves as the mouthpiece of Rwanda’s detractors. The recent publication of Michela Wrong’s book “Do Not Disturb”, and its grotesque accusations against our country’s leadership is a case in point. Before and after its publication, its author was the guest of many media houses in the north. She was never challenged on her fabrications and, despite all its falsehoods, her book was hailed as a game-changer.

There is also inflammatory reporting by the likes of VOA Ijwi ry’Amerika, and BBC Gahuzamiryango, who also bacame the mouthpieces of genocidaires and genocide deniers.

Rwanda has made great strides in the last 27 years thanks to the zeal and determination of those behind our liberation, in collaboration with the entire nation. We must guard against anything, or anyone, who tries to destroy those achievements.