EU Parliament’s resolution on Rusesabagina a continuation of the Berlin Conference

On October 7, the EU Parliament passed a resolution condemning the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina, questioning the fairness of the verdict against him, and urging the EU to step up efforts to get him freed and repatriated to Belgium.

Many commentators ascribed the resolution to gaps in the EU Parliament’s knowledge about details of Rusesabagina’s trial. However, after careful analysis of the resolution, I could not help wondering whether ignorance is the only explanation of their prejudices that are reminiscent of the Berlin Conference.

The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, also known as the Congo Conference or West Africa Conference, regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power. It was convened to discuss African colonization, with the aim of setting up international guidelines for making claims to African land to avoid conflict between European powers, and legitimising ideas of Africa as a playground for outsiders.

Despite being cautioned by the executive organ of the EU not to “lose sight of the serious allegations against” Rusesabagina, in spite of briefs of the EU delegation in Kigali, and the highly trained experts that line the corridors and offices of the European Parliament, in addition to the possibility to monitor the trial which was broadcast live, online, ignorance alone can’t account for their aberrant resolution. There is more to ignorance that explains their contempt, entitlement and lack of empathy for the victims of the FLN attacks.

First, ignorance is untenable because members the EU lawmakers are well informed about the attacks. They know very well who was responsible. It is public knowledge that FLN unequivocally claimed the attacks that killed innocent civilians on Rwandan territory.

On December 15, 2018, FLN assailants carried out the deadliest attack, ambushed at least three buses at Kitabi in Nyungwe forest, on the Huye-Rusizi road, killing six people. Following this attack, on December 17, 2018, the German Embassy updated its travel advisory to its nationals, alerting them of “risks of TERRORIST attacks in the area of the Nyungwe Forest National Park.”

Evidently, the European Parliament resolution of October 7 has nothing to do with a search for the truth. Instead, it is a baseless negation of facts at the disposal of Western institutions, including the information that Rwanda has shared with Belgium and U.S. governments for almost a decade.

The attitude of European lawmakers speaks volumes when it comes to their lack of empathy for African lives. This is reflected in their show resolution – which makes no mention of the victims of the “activities attributed to MRCD-FLN” despite the EU Parliament’s posture of standing for human rights in the world.

Their resolution is a continuation of seeing Africans as lesser human beings. The European Parliament, like their imperialist Berlin Conference ancestors, thought it can rewrite the recent history of Rwanda through the erasure of the crimes of Rusesabagina whom they depict as a “human rights defender, Belgian citizen and US resident.”

The authors of the resolution went on the assumption that the presence of Rusesabagina, a Belgian citizen, can only bring salvation to Rwanda, and naïve Rwandans should believe it if their European ‘masters’ say it is true.

The use of the word “attributed” when referring to FLN terrorist attacks is aligned with conspiracies entertained by the defenders of Rusesabagina who are working hard to absolve him, either by claiming there is no proof the attacks happened at all, or as suggested by Rusesabagina’s daughter, Carine Kanimba, the attacks might be “false flag operations” by the Rwandan government to incriminate Rusesabagina.

The attitude behind the European Parliament resolution is explained by the assumption of superiority of European institutions over African institutions.  While no executive or legislative institution in Europe can dare debate in public or pass a resolution concerning a verdict of a court in Europe, the European Parliament assumed exceptional and paternalistic power of judicial review and oversight over the Rwandan judiciary.

Despite the EU Commission reminding that, “Rusesabagina has the right to appeal the verdict”, the European Parliament substituted itself to the Rwandan jurisdiction competent to hear the case on appeal, by finding the arrest, detention and conviction of Rusesabagina illegal.

The European Parliament imperialistically even went into technical aspects of the trial, and found that, “additional evidence was announced [when rendering the verdict] that had not been previously heard by the court or submitted during the trial.”

In Europe, a legislative branch can never assume such powers over a court case that hasn’t been judged at last resort. Yet they think they can do as they wish in Africa. These people have no shame.