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For Human Rights Watch, there is no natural or accidental death in Rwanda
In its
latest smear campaign - a 115-page ‘report’ - Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims
to have documented over a dozen killings, kidnappings or attempted kidnappings,
enforced disappearances, and physical attacks targeting Rwandans living abroad.
"The
Rwandan government sought to use global police cooperation, including Interpol
Red Notices, judicial mechanisms, and extradition requests to seek deportations
of critics or dissidents back to Rwanda," the report alleges.
HRW claimed that the death of Rwandan
journalist Williams Ntwali, in January, is suspicious.
Following
the incident, a road accident, Rwanda National Police’s Traffic and Road Safety
Department revealed that the accident happened on January 18, at 02: 50a.m in
the Kicukiro District of Kigali.
The
sad accident was a result of over speeding between a vehicle and a
taxi-motorcycle. Ntwali was the passenger on the motorcycle, and he died
instantly.
The Kicukiro primary court slapped a fine of
Rwf 1million to Moise Emmanuel Bagirishya, the driver who was involved in the
accident that led to Ntwali’s death.
Ntwali’s
unfortunate death was politicized and blamed on Rwanda with no evidence. According
to sources, HRW lost an active correspondent in Ntwali.
The
motive of the allegation is not because HRW does not understand that Rwandans
are not immune to motor road accidents, but to advance its agenda against
Rwanda’s leadership with allegations of repression and persecution journalists.
HRW
further accused the Rwandan government of kidnappings or attempted kidnappings
and enforced disappearances, with examples of Joseph Mazimpaka alias Joseph
Bahati Mbanda, Noel Zihabamwe and his brothers as well as Cassien Ntamuhanga.
Mazimpaka
is genocide fugitive and Ntamuhanga is a terror convict. They are both on the run
after escaping from prisons in Southern Rwanda on different occasions.
Historically,
the Rwandan government has used diplomatic channels when issuing international
arrest warrants for criminals to be brought to book. The prosecution from both
Tanzania and Mozambique collaborates with Rwandan authorities, hence Rwanda
would never invest in kidnapping but is always requesting prosecutors from other
countries to arrest wanted criminals.
The
case of Noel Zihabamwe and his brothers, is bizarre as he only fabricated lies
to qualify for Australian asylum.
Zihabamwe’s
brothers crossed to Uganda after renting out their land and selling some of
their houses. The family’s neighbours, in Huye District, Southern Rwanda, told The Great Lakes Eye that Zihabamwe’s
brothers used to regularly sneak back to Rwanda to collect rent money.
Alleging
that Rwanda attempted to kidnap them individuals is illogical. HRW’s report
lacked sufficient information and relied on faked ‘anonymous’ sources.
For
almost a decade, HRW never ceased to mention Kayumba Nyamwasa in its annual
reports on Rwanda, with allegations that the Rwandan government targets
Rwandans living abroad. It has been alleging that Kayumba narrowly escaped an
assassination attempt in South Africa in June 2010.
How
could an assassination carried out in South Africa be related to Rwanda?
In mid-August,
while presenting to Parliamentarians the latest crime statistics for South
Africa, covering the first quarter of the 2023/2024 administrative year – which
runs from April to June 2023 – South African Police minister Bheki Cele noted
that 6,228 murders were recorded over a period of three months, averaging 68
murders a day in the country.
In the
2009/2010 fiscal year, South Africa recorded 16,834 murders and 17,410
attempted murders. The 2013 Global Study on Homicide showed that South Africa’s
homicide rates was 30.0 per 100,000 habitants.
Kayumba
has no immunity from those murders, and he is likely to be affected by the high
rate of homicide in South Africa just like other habitants. Claiming that any
attack against Kayumba is carried out by “Rwandan operatives” is a senseless
statement.
The HRW keeps on recycling the same allegations to bully, tarnish and isolate Rwanda’s leadership.