Amidst a series of attacks on the Rwandan government to tarnish its image during the just concluded presidential and parliamentary election period, the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) added fuel to the fire, backing the West’s evil narrative of demonizing President Paul Kagame.

The ISS is now another political tool for global imperialism. The Institute has brazenly gone as far as alleging that President Kagame “looks ridiculous in the eyes of the world, but he has taken full advantage of international approval”.

Which international approval? Does President Kagame need any other approval apart from the choice of Rwandans whom he serves?

Anyone capable of understanding, not Peter Fabricius who wrote the ISS article corruptly, is sure that Rwanda has been a bad boy in Western capitals’ lenses since the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) with its armed wing, RPA, stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and embarked on a path of nation building.

Rwanda’s leadership focused on dealing with the country’s problems without foreign interference. The choices of Rwandan citizens are always at the top agenda for President Kagame’s decision making.

The ‘super powers’ thought it was impossible for an African country to avoid the West’s influence in its internal politics. But the RPF-led government proved them wrong.

And, as things stand, Rwanda has to be punished for being resilient and self-reliant. Its determined leaders must be punished; especially for not becoming Western puppets and beggars.

That is the way a number of political tools –Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, among others – are used to bully Rwanda’s leadership.

Now, ISS is added to the long list of immoral so-called NGOs, Institutes, and Westerners claiming that Rwanda is ‘undemocratic’, at the same time undermining every single achievement made in rebuilding the country that was “a failed state” three decades ago, and today’s global success story. 

But at least they should be corrupt with some respect. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and Bernard Ntaganda are convicted criminals whose cases are still proceeding. They never were “real challengers” of President Kagame as ISS and others allege. 

Rwandans recognize Ingabire and Ntaganda as genocide ideologues, who have been pushing hard for politics of ethnic divisionism.

Can any Rwandan citizen accept a 'leader' who favors genocide ideology, while the Rwandan society is still healing from consequences of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi? No!

Ingabire and Ntaganda’s ideology is worse than Apartheid in South Africa.

On July 19, ISS claimed that the Rwandan electoral commission “barred high-profile Kagame critic Diane Rwigara”, over issues with her paperwork.

Apart from having never been a “high-profile Kagame critic”, did Rwigara show reporters copies of her submitted documents, or at least post them on social media, to prove her innocence?

Real challengers of President Kagame include Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana, who met requirements for presidential candidates in 2017 and 2024 elections. But ISS ignored that Rwanda has a multi-party system, with RPF and 10 other registered political organizations. Any organization or individual with genocide ideology is not tolerated.

With ISS questioning why Rwanda, often referred to as the ‘Singapore of Africa’, has not generated sufficient economic growth to reduce its foreign aid reliance; the Institute should have first taken a keen eye on what is going on in its own backyard. Foreign aid contributes a significant share to South Africa's development, particularly capital projects. Rwanda is no different.

Rwanda is also accused of using its army’s capability for economic interests. But the authors fail to mention that Kigali has never initiated any single peacekeeping mission. 

The Central African Republic, Mozambique, as well as the United Nations, invited Rwanda to intervene and help in restoring peace and security in volatile regions. The latter understand that Rwanda has homegrown solutions for African problems.

Rwanda is not exporting security. The country is simply exercising values and principles; the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and the Kigali Principles. The two are complementary and primarily focus on the protection of civilians at risk of loss of life. It is the Rwanda Defense Force’s philosophy derived from Rwanda’s history; a history of fighting genocide perpetrators and protecting civilians.

It is the same way the British government approached Kigali seeking for partnership in dealing with the issue of illegal immigrants, as Rwanda has been partnering with the UNHCR to help asylum seekers from different countries.

The likes of ISS, HRW, and Amnesty International all hurriedly reported that Rwanda is making money from such collaboration with the British government, while they are aware of the existence of a similar partnership with the UNHCR, in which the country is not benefiting.