Blinken’s ‘faux pas’ during visit to Rwanda

During his August 10-11 visit to Rwanda, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, made unimpressive and tactless remarks on different matters.

To start with, true to his word, Blinken did not wander far from his agenda in Kigali which included holding discussions regarding conflicts in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the release of convicted terrorist Paul Rusesabagina.

The latter is the founder of the National Liberation Front (FLN), a criminal organization that served as an armed wing of his Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRDC).

In 2018, on three different occasions, Rusesabagina’s militias carried out violent attacks inside Rwanda, killing nine civilians, injuring several, and destroying properties. Rusesabagina personally made several statements celebrating these criminal acts and claiming responsibility.

On many occasions, he publicly announced his support to his militias. In early 2019, in a video available online, he reaffirmed his allegiance to his criminal group, declared war against Rwanda, and called for recruitment and mobilization of combatants.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, that call for the release of a convicted terrorist came a few days after the CIA executed – without trial – the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan.

During his earlier trip to the DRC capital, Kinshasa, before going to Rwanda, Blinken said that the US is aware of the UN experts’ report claiming that Rwanda supports the M23 rebellion in eastern DRC.  He, unashamedly, signaled that the US agrees with the report, according to their own estimations.

Worse still, the US Secretary of State failed to acknowledge that the root cause of conflicts in eastern DRC, for nearly three decades, is not M23, but especially the genocidal ideology of the FDLR militia which the current government in Rwanda has no hand in.

Ever since they perpetrated the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and fled into eastern DRC, then Zaire, the remnants of the masterminds of the genocide against the Tutsi have left no stone unturned when spreading their venomous ideology. All these years, Rwandan authorities kept hoping that the international community would, at least, seriously condemn the genocidaires. Unfortunately, all that some in the international community do is prop up the militia as Rwanda watches.

Rwanda is extremely patient. But patience eventually runs out if your neighbor doesn’t want peace.  Rwanda will defend its people, territory and sovereignty from all threats within and outside the country, in accordance with national and international law.

While in Kigali, another item that Blinken brought up, several times, during his press conference with the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Vincent Biruta, was the “serious concerns” over human rights in Rwanda and the “wrongful detention” of Rusesabagina.  The latter is the founder of the MRCD-FLN terrorist group who is serving a 25-year jail term in Rwanda after being convicted of terrorism in 2021. Blinken argued that there are concerns over lack of fair trial guarantees provided during Rusesabagina’s trial.

Aware that he planned to travel to Rwanda and request for their tormentor’s freedom, the victims of the terror attacks carried out by the MRCD-FLN terrorists in the Southern and Western provinces of Rwanda, had – in a letter – requested an audience with the US Secretary of State. He evaded them.

Due to Blinken’s ‘tight schedule’, he was not able to accord an audience to the FLN attacks’ victims per their earlier request through a letter addressed to him before his arrival in Rwanda. His refusal to meet them reaffirmed his position on their suffering. What also spoke volumes was the fact that he refused to hear the other side of the story but went on to state that the US will continue to engage on the matter, as well as stay in contact with Rusesabagina’s family.

In his signatory message at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, he referred to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as “tragic events” yet he mentioned that his family survived the Holocaust. To an outsider, this might look like he is sympathizing with Genocide survivors. But how could he sympathize with them when the US continues to adamantly refuse to acknowledge the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi?

After Rwanda bid farewell to the US Secretary of State, after his two-day visit, it’s stand should be firm. Rwanda should continue supporting regional peace efforts including the Nairobi and Luanda initiatives geared at finding lasting solutions to the instability in eastern DRC.

And Rusesabagina must continue to serve his sentence in prison, like any other criminal. The terror convict is a Rwandan citizen. Holding US permanent residence  does not shield him from facing justice for his crimes.