International
Menendez’s letter to Blinken a hatchet job
The
letter written by Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey to Secretary of State Antony
Blinken calling for the US to sanction the Rwandan government is a pack of untruths
and a rehash of tired allegations against Rwanda peddled by its detractors.
It’s
shameful for the Senator to serve as an advocate of anti-Rwanda lobbies’
narrative built on mere fabrications. These lobbies are paid by the likes of the
terror-group Rwandan National Congress (RNC), and its backers.
Menendez
alleges that President Paul Kagame changed the Constitution to remove term
limits. That is baloney. Following people’s demand, and a plebiscite, Rwandans opted
for the change in the Constitution. Mendez
questions that in elections, Kagame got 99 % of the vote. Rwandans know why.
The
country, 28 years ago, was ravaged by a genocide which claimed over one million
lives that Mendez and others in the Congress watched passively. Kagame stopped
the genocide.
Rwanda
was on the brink of turning into a failed state. But Kagame made sure we
avoided that. People voted for his accomplishments.
The
US senator also purports that the 2017 presidential election was carried out under
a campaign of harassment and intimidation of opposition activists.
This
is exactly the baseless reports of alleged climate of fear circulated at the
time the by the likes of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International.
This was just a red herring. You should visit Rwanda on Election Day yourself. In
Rwanda, voting is a festival.
It’s
regrettable that Menendez borrows some of the criticism of Rwanda from the discredited
HRW. It’s not surprising because both Menendez and HRW are known for their corrupt
practices.
HRW’s
anti-Rwanda government is well established. Richard Johnson’s “Travesty of
Human Rights Watch on Rwanda” exposed how this organisation financed by the
State Department works to undermine the Rwandan ruling party, RPF, and promotes
genocidaires and their genocide ideology.
Next
time the Senator talks about anything regarding Rwanda and using HRW to back up
his evidence, he should know that his
organisation has lost all its credibility before Rwandans.
As
for freedom of speech in Rwanda, there are laws protecting that freedom. But
there are also laws which punish those who use the same liberty to foster
genocide ideology, genocide denial and social divisionism.
The
senator talks of Rwanda targeting dissidents living abroad. This is fanciful
and smells of fabrication cooked up by Rwanda’s enemies and detractors.
His
letter was written on the behest of the same elements which work to undermine
Rwanda and its leadership. Menendez accepted to be their vehicle.
In
his attempt to further damage the reputation of the Rwandan government, the
senator cites “worrisome” reports bring into focus what he calls “the extent of
Kagame’s efforts to target critics not only in Europe and Africa but also in
the United States.”
Mendez
repeats the same accusation which was rife in the media and in some global
north organisations, that Rwanda uses Israeli spyware to spy on so-called
dissidents. Kagame already responded. Rwanda cannot afford such very expensive technology and has never used
it.
Nevertheless,
Menendez is happy to put this allegation in his letter so as, he thinks, to add
more damage to Rwanda and its President.
So,
Mendez also knows Paul Rusesabagina? The Senator uses the latter to prove his
case about Rwanda’s forcible rendition of people abroad. Terror kingpin Rusesabagina’s
tale comes in handy. He said he was lured into charter flight to Rwanda where he
was arrested, tried, and sentenced to 25 years in jail.
Information
that Rusesabagina was funding terrorists and genocidaire organisations like the
FDLR and his MRCD/FLN was provided by the FBI and other western entities like
the Belgian Prosecution. Mendez doesn’t have these facts. Or, does he?
The
terrorist activities Rusesabagina sponsored inside Rwanda cost human lives and
caused loss of a lot of property. At least he was arrested and judged, and not
treated like Osama Bin Laden was treated by the US.
Being
a resident of the US doesn’t give Rusesabagina a licence to commit acts of
terrorism against his country of birth. It also doesn’t make him immune from prosecution.
Another
spurious allegation contained in that letter is that Rwanda is engaged in
destabilising actions regionally. His unfounded accusation of Rwanda supporting
the M23 rebels fighting the Congolese government is another blatant lie.
He
dares to claim that Rwanda has once again sent troops across the DRC border and
reactivated M23 as a proxy militia now responsible for killing Congolese
civilians, Congolese troops and UN peacekeepers.
But
there is no shred of evidence this the case and MONUSCO has rebuffed this tall
tale. In his delusion, Menendez wants to review all assistance “starting with
several million dollars in support for Rwandan peacekeepers.”
Rwanda peacekeeping operations will go on,
with or without, the assistance of the US. The M23 problem is a Congolese
problem. Rwanda isn’t involved in it. The
lies spread by the likes of Mendez won’t deter resilient Rwanda’s march.