Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch



Welcome to
Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch Blog. Our objective is to promote the institutions of democracy,social justice,Human Rights,Peace, Freedom of Expression, and Respect to humanity in Rwanda,Uganda,DR Congo, Burundi,Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya,Ethiopia, and Somalia. We strongly believe that Africa will develop if only our presidents stop being rulers of men and become leaders of citizens. We support Breaking the Silence Campaign for DR Congo since we believe the democracy in Rwanda means peace in DRC. Follow this link to learn more about the origin of the war in both Rwanda and DR Congo:http://www.rwandadocumentsproject.net/gsdl/cgi-bin/library


Saturday, November 26, 2011

RWANDA:Rwanda should end political harassment



Rwanda should end political harassment

Kigali, Ruanda (AFP) - Rwanda should end harassment of opposition supporters to allow greater political openness for the country to develop, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations Susan Rice said on an official visit Wednesday.


"Civil society activists, journalists, and political opponents of the government often fear organizing peacefully and speaking out," Rice said in a speech in the Rwandan capital.

"Some have been harassed. Some have been intimidated by late-night callers. Some have simply disappeared."

The political culture in Rwanda under President Paul Kagame's government "remains comparatively closed “Rice said, adding that” press restrictions persist."

Rwanda, a small central African country, was left devastated by 1994 genocide where some 800,000 people were massacred in a span of 100 days.

But Rice, in a speech titled, "building a new nation", also praised the "extraordinary progress" of the nation since then and stressed continued U.S. support.

"The deepening and broadening of democracy can be the next great achievement of this great country and its remarkable people," she said.

"In Rwanda, economic development and political openness should reinforce each other."

Rwanda has been accused of restricting opposition and press freedom in the past. Human rights group Amnesty International criticised Kigali in June of stifling dissent and jailing government critics, including journalists.

Earlier this year Western countries in the UN human rights council raised concerns about attacks and restrictions on freedom of speech.

Rice, who visited Kigali six months after the genocide, said she would visit a memorial to those killed on Thursday with her family to pay her respects

RWANDA:Real life hero of acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda to speak at Mitchell Monday, Nov. 28

Paul Rusesabagina, author of “An Ordinary Man,” the memoir that became the film Hotel Rwanda, will speak at William Mitchell College of Law from 1 to 3 pm Monday, Nov. 28. His speech, “Human Rights, Democracy, and Dictatorship: The Rwanda Experience,” is free and open to the public.

Paul Rusesabagina, the real life hero of Hotel Rwanda, received the 2005 Presidential Medal of Freedom and the 2011 Lantos Human Rights Prize
Rusesabagina,  who was portrayed by Academy Award nominated actor Don Cheadle in “Hotel Rwanda,”  is the former manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, where he risked his life to shelter both Tutsis and Hutus who sought refuge from the Rwanda Genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of Rwandan people in 1994.
He was invited to speak by William Mitchell Professor Peter Erlinder, director of the International Humanitarian Law Institute, international criminal defense attorney, and former defense attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda (ICTR). During his years at the ICTR, Professor Erlinder studied thousands of documents and witness testimonies as to how Rwanda’s tragedy unfolded, which are now compiled in his Rwanda Documents Project.
Rusesabagina is currently the president of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation. He tours the world speaking about social justice, human rights activism, and the ongoing East African conflict consequent to the Rwanda Genocide, which has cost millions more African lives, most of all in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Learn more about the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation.
Learn more about the International Humanitarian Law Institute.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

RWANDA:How do we defeat Dictator Kagame?

Rwanda: a free, confident, triumphant & green future
Dear AD Rwandan bloggers, I live in Kigali, and religiously read AD everyday. I have to change places where I read it because of the high risk of getting caught at it. What a difference this site has made for us inside Rwanda as we have no alternative media to tell us about our mis-ruler. Whoever came up with the AD idea, may the almighty bless your heart.
I want to make an emotional appeal. Fellow ikaramu-fighters, the pen is mightier than the sword. I suggest we begin to use the pen in a more effective way.
The goal of exposing our tyrant Kagame is now accomplished. We have done everything we possibly can to show the world almost every detail about this evil man. His thieving ways, amassed wealth, shocking luxurious lifestyle in a poverty-stricken country, his killings – you name it, AD has exposed it.
We should now move on to spend more energy in discussion of how to dump him into the dustbin of history as several bloggers have suggested over and over again. Go back into AD postings and you will find a variation such suggestion from bloggers IBAMBASI, TITIAN, UH, KAFEERO, SAM YONGWE, KAMIKAZI, HOPE, DOMITILA, DANIE, MBARUTSO, and many others.
Yes – even Kagame sycophants deep down know that their man is beyond repair and only good for the scrap yard. His international supporters are running for the hills from Kagame smell of blood. We have made the case.
So we must move on to the issue of how to dump him. For this enterprise, we can benefit from existing sources and wisdom. Begin from AD postings, including George Ayittey’s “how to defeat African dictators. To purge Africa from the scourge of dictatorships, in our case, to dump butcher Kagame into the scrapyard, Ayittey highlights several inter-connected important factors:
  • It takes a coalition to organize and coordinate activities of the various opposition groups.
  • A small group of people Ayittey calls an elders’ council (in our case, INYANGAMUGAYO) composed of eminent and respectable personalities who have no political baggage is vital.
  • These INYANGAMUGAYO are the only ones able to reach out to all the opposition groups – and they are listen to precisely because they have no political baggage.
Is this possible in our current situation in Rwanda? Yes indeed. It will not be easy Colleagues, but we must move in this direction – into a higher quality discussion on how to end our misery. We have no choice, because sadly  we Rwandans are back in a familiar despicable position:
  • Our forefathers suffered for 30 years trying to end the tyrannical rule of Kanjogera (Kagame great aunt), her brother Kabare and her son Musinga.
  • Untimely death of Rudahigwa paved the way for the brutal regime of Kayibanda that lasted 10 years.
  • Dictator Habyarimana who followed clocked in 20 years. And then the worst happened – genocide and the regime of assassination and terror Rwanda has ever witnesses…
  • In came the devil himself – Kagame – who is nearing 20 years and may misrule us for another 20 if not stopped now.
We say ENOUGH! We are tired of this cycle of tyrannical rule. We are not cursed. No! Perhaps cowardly given that we have accepted to be sheep herded by tip-pot dictators for over a century now. Enough.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

RWANDA:Thomas Kamilindi: Témoignage d' un survivant à l' Hotel des Mille Collines (avril 1994)

Rusesabagina et l'hotel des Mille Collines

Thomas Kamirindi
Je lis ces derniers jours beaucoup de choses sur Paul Rusesabagina et l’Hôtel des Mille Collines. J’apprécie les gens qui recherchent la vérité sur ce qui s’est réellement passé en 1994. Mais il me semble n’avoir vu aucun témoignage direct de quelqu’un qui a vécu dans cet hôtel durant cette période sombre de notre histoire personnelle, individuelle, familiale et nationale. C’est à ce titre que je voudrais apporter ma modeste contribution à l’éclairage des faits.

Je me bornerai uniquement aux choses que j’ai vécues avec les autres réfugiés, parce que, en toute honnêteté, je me sentirais très mal à l’aise pour dire ou commenter ce que je ne connais pas ou que je connais mal.

Je suis arrivé, après trente six mille et une péripéties, à « atterrir » à l’hôtel des Mille Collines le 14 avril 1994 dans l’après-midi. Aussitôt arrivé dans la chambre 211 qu’on m’a attribuée, j’ai pris le téléphone, j’ai appelé la rédaction de RFI à Paris. Dieu a fait qu’au moment de mon appel Madeleine Mukamabano, par bonheur, était là dans la salle de rédaction à Paris. Elle m’a demandé qui était réfugié à l’hôtel ? J’ai répondu que je ne savais pas parce que je venais à peine d’arriver. Elle m’a cité quelques noms. Mais je ne savais vraiment pas qui était à l’hôtel.

Elle m’a alors dit : « Est-ce que tu peux essayer de faire une liste de ces réfugiés et me la faxer ? Les confrères et moi ici à Paris allons sensibiliser le gouvernement français, et à travers lui et avec lui sensibiliser l’ONU et les gouvernements des autres puissances, pour une éventuelle évacuation des réfugiés de l’hôtel des Mille Collines ». Les étrangers venaient alors d’être évacués quasi-totalement de Kigali et on refusait de prendre des fugitifs rwandais sur les convois. J’ai accepté la mission.

Je suis allé taper à diverses portes, comme ça au hasard, ne sachant même pas comment j’allais être accueilli. J’ai expliqué ma démarche et proposé qu’on tienne une réunion. Parmi les sept premières personnes avec lesquelles j’ai tenu la première réunion dans ma chambre et qui m’ont aidé à mettre les idées au clair sur ce projet, je citerais l’ancien président d’Ibuka, Jean-Bosco Rutagengwa. Ces personnes m’ont ensuite aidé à faire circuler l’information parmi les réfugiés de l’hôtel et à mettre Paul Rusesabagina au courant.

Tout l’après-midi et toute la nuit de ce jeudi 14 avril 1994, nous avons travaillé sans une seule seconde de repos, sans même être sûr que nous allions avoir la chance d’être évacués. Paul Rusesabagina nous a ouvert la ligne fax qui était dans le bureau de la direction au rez-de-chaussée. Nous avons faxé les listes à RFI. La dernière est partie le lendemain, vendredi 15 avril 1994, à 7h15 du matin, avec des centaines de noms des réfugiés et nos familles, ainsi que les adresses et autres contacts possibles de parents, amis ou connaissances qui pouvaient être à même de nous accueillir chez eux une fois à l’étranger.

J’étais très très fatigué même pour me réjouir de l’arrivée de ma famille ce jour-là, évacuée de chez nous par le major Cyiza Augustin, ce brave homme, intègre, franc, honnête, courageux, dévoué, intelligent … que les méchants ont ignominieusement enlevé et assassiné récemment.

A RFI à Paris, Madeleine elle-même et ses collègues de travail s’étaient organisés de façon que le contact est resté régulier et permanent par téléphone et par fax. Une jeune fille du nom d’Inès, du reste que je n’avais jamais vue auparavant, m’a été envoyée par ses parents et m’a apporté une assistance inestimable à mettre de l’ordre dans les listes.

A partir de cet instant, les réfugiés de l’hôtel devaient téléphoner et envoyer des fax à ces parents, amis ou connaissances et les mettre au courant de ce que nous étions en train d’envisager. Personnellement, je n’ai payé aucun franc pour ce travail, et à ma connaissance, personne n’a payé pour les téléphones et les fax que nous avons envoyés, ou pour les fax que nous avons reçus. A la suite de ces actions, l’hôtel des Milles Collines a été appelé par RTLM « Indili y’Inyenzi », c’est- à -dire « Nid de Cafards ».

Dans la suite, nous avons tenu beaucoup d’autres réunions informelles, dans ma chambre ou dans d’autres différentes chambres, pour rédiger des fax, notamment à l’intention des grands de ce monde. Mr François-Xavier Nsanzuwera, parce qu’il réfléchissait beaucoup plus rapidement que nous les autres, est devenu, de facto, notre rédacteur. Au moment où nous nous en étions encore aux salamalecs, lui avait déjà accouché des paragraphes sur le papier et généralement nous ne faisions qu’apporter quelques petits plus à son travail. Pour les nombreux fax que nous avons envoyés, nous n’avons payé aucun franc. Chaque fois, le bureau de Paul Rusesabagina était ouvert pour nous, lui-même était toujours là, disponible pour nous.

Durant près de deux semaines après mon arrivée à l’hôtel des Mille Collines, j’ai tous les jours utilisé le téléphone de ma chambre pour appeler des confrères journalistes que je connaissais à l’étranger. Je n’ai payé aucun franc. Puis les Télécoms rwandais ont coupé les téléphones de l’hôtel. Nous ne pouvions communiquer qu’entre chambres, mais pas avec l’extérieur.

Le 26 avril 1994, les lignes ont été rétablies. Je l’ai su quand de nombreux réfugiés m’ont appelé dans ma chambre pour, excités, me dire : « Thomas, les téléphones fonctionnent à nouveau. Rappelles tes amis de RFI ». Je l’ai fait. De ma chambre. Pour dire que nous étions encore en vie, mais hypothétiquement. Puis les journalistes m’ont dit : « Est-ce qu’on peut faire une interview avec toi ? Parce qu’on ne sait pas ce qui se passe au Rwanda. Est-ce que les massacres continuent ? Est-ce que la guerre continue ? ».

En effet, les seuls journalistes qui travaillaient à Kigali et qui pouvaient le faire, c’était uniquement ceux de RTLM, de Radio Rwanda et des autres média reconnus aujourd’hui comme ayant été les « média de la haine ». Il n’y avait aucun journaliste international à Kigali.

J’ai alors mesuré quelles pouvaient être les conséquences de cette interview. Avant d’accepter de la faire, j’ai pris quelques temps pour en discuter avec ma femme, et ensuite avec d’autres réfugiés. L’avis général a été : « Fais-là. De toute façon, au point où nous en sommes, nous n’avons rien à perdre ! ». J’ai rappelé à Paris et j’ai donné l’interview. La journaliste qui l’a prise est Corinne Manjou. L’interview est passée sur les antennes non seulement de RFI mais aussi de plusieurs autres radios.

A partir de cet instant, je suis devenu l’homme le plus recherché de l’hôtel des Mille Collines. Pour la simple raison que j’avais, en particulier, décrit comment les FAR perdaient du terrain, comment le FPR gagnait, et ce que le FPR occupait déjà dans la capitale comme terrain, et parce que dans cette interview j’ai regretté que le FPR n’avançait pas assez rapidement pour mettre fin au cauchemar de quelques rares survivants encore en vie. Dace Des tueurs ont été envoyés pour m’exécuter. Ca n’a pas marché. Paul ne m’a pas jeté à la porte. L’armée a alors réellement décidé de bombarder l’hôtel.

La situation était telle que certains de mes amis d’infortune, réfugiés comme moi, en sont arrivés à m’appeler dans ma chambre pour m’insulter, me qualifiant d’irresponsable. Mais Paul Rusesabagina m’a appelé dans sa suite et m’a intimé l’ordre de ne pas bouger de l’hôtel. Il m’a dit qu’il était en contact avec le général Dallaire sur cette menace. Le capitaine sénégalais Mbaye Diagne, ce brave mort en héros, m’a tenu le même discours. Ils m’ont dit d’enlever le numéro de ma chambre. Par la suite, le lieutenant-colonel Laurent Munyakazi est venu en personne dire à Paul Rusesabagina : « Nje gushaka iyo mbwa Kamilindi », autrement dit « je viens chercher ce chien de Kamilindi ». Paul Rusesabagina ne m’a pas livré. Il a négocié avec lui deux heures durant. Il lui a offert des choses. Pourtant, ce Paul Rusesabagina qui m’a ainsi acheté, je ne l’ai vu pour la première fois qu’à l’hôtel des Mille Collines une fois que j’y ai pris refuge. Je ne l’ai jamais connu avant. Lui non plus ne me connaissais pas avant Mille Collines. Et je crois que je serais resté anonyme pour lui si je n’avais pas donné autant de tournmants à autant de monde. Mais il m’a acheté, et acheté sans savoir qui réellement j’étais, sinon qu’un jeune homme, un tout jeune journaliste.

A la suite de toutes ces menaces, qui se sont conclues par le tir d’un boulet de canon sur l’hôtel, heureusement sans faire de victime ni de blessé, Mille Collines a été déclaré propriété des Nations-Unies. Un drapeau de l’ONU a été hissé au sommet de l’hôtel et deux véhicules blindés de la MINUAR ont commencé à y stationner.

Quand l’eau a été coupée dans la capitale, nous avons bu l’eau de la piscine de l’hôtel des Mille Collines. Quand nous l’avons épuisée, je ne sais pas comment Paul a pu avoir un camion citerne, et chaque jour il est allé nous chercher de l’eau. Je ne sais pas où il la puisait, mais le fait est que le camion nous a approvisionnés tous les jours.

Quand l’électricité est elle-même devenue un grand problème à Kigali, les génératrices (groupes électrogènes) de l’hôtel ont toujours fonctionné pour nous. Nous avons pu faire la cuisine. Nous avons pu suivre à la télévision la cérémonie d’installation du président Nelson Mandela. Nous n’avons payé aucun franc pour l’électricité de l’hôtel que nous avons consommée ni pour le carburant des génératrices. Et durant tout le temps que j’ai été réfugié aux Mille Collines, je n’ai vu personne parmi les réfugiés faire la cuisine au charbon comme de coutume dans de nombreuses familles dans la capitale.

Le 3 mai 1994, en fin de matinée, deux Casques Bleus ont tapé violemment à la porte de ma chambre. Ils nous ont dit de descendre en catastrophe avec nos effets. Quand nous sommes arrivés dans le lobby ma famille et moi, il y avait foule et d’autres soldats de la MINUAR étaient en train de lire des noms sur une liste, dont les miens, ceux de ma femme et de notre petite fille. Ils nous ont fait monter sur des camions de l’ONU, et nous sommes partis. Paul Rusesabagina ne nous a jamais retenus pour nous faire payer quoi que ce soit avant de quitter l’hôtel. A la fin de la journée, nous sommes revenus à l’hôtel dans les circonstances que plus d’un connaissent.

Durant tout le temps que ma famille et moi avons été réfugiés à l’hôtel des Mille Collines, nous n’avons payé rien du tout. Ni pour la chambre, ni pour la nourriture, ni pour l’eau, ni pour l’électricité, ni pour les téléphones et les fax que j’ai continué à utiliser jusqu’à mon évacuation le 29 mai 1994 sur Kabuga dans la zone du FPR. Il est vrai qu’au milieu de ce mois de mai 1994, un des employés de l’hôtel m’a apporté une facture dans ma chambre. La somme était colossale. Il m’a expliqué qu’il s’agissait simplement d’une reconnaissance de dette. Mais j’étais très préoccupé par la question de savoir comment j’allais, si je survivais, travailler éternellement pour payer cette dette. Nous en avons discuté entre refugiés et nous avons su par la suite que « Sabena ou l’ONU allaient tout prendre en charge ». A la fin, et ça avant même notre retour dans la capitale, j’ai effectivement appris comme tous les autres que Sabena avait payé tous nos frais de l’hôtel des Mille Collines : des millions.

Voilà mon humble témoignage. Je reste à la disposition de quiconque voudra des éclaircissements. Mais de grâce, n’entrons pas dans les polémiques inutiles. Les faits parlant d’eux-mêmes, je propose que nous nous en tenions uniquement aux faits. Cela nous évitera de galvauder la vérité.

D’autre part, n’ayant pas la qualité d’ubiquité, j’invite les autres réfugiés de l’hôtel des Mille Collines qui le veulent à faire leurs propres témoignages. C’est d’ailleurs une façon de restituer l’histoire, mieux la mémoire. Qui oublie revit ce qu’il a vécu.

En conclusion, les réfugiés de l’hôtel des Mille Collines étions tous vivants quand le FPR a mis fin au génocide des Tutsis du Rwanda. Personne n’a été tué, blessé, battu, torturé, expulsé ou extrait de l’hôtel tout le temps que nous y étions réfugiés. Paul Rusesabagina est parvenu à faire l’impossible pour préserver nos vies au moment où d’autres étaient en train de massacrer leurs propres enfants, leurs propres femmes, et que sais-je encore. Qu’est-ce que nous étions pour Paul Rusesabagina ? Bien peu d’entre nous étaient peut-être ses amis ou proches parents. Mais nous ne l’étions pas tous, tous les 1.200 et plus qui sommes passés par l’hôtel des Mille Collines au moment où il en avait les rennes en main.

Enfin, si l’hôtel des Mille Collines est devenu mondialement connu, je dirais meme célébrissime, et si nous tous ses réfugiés avons été préservés, beaucoup de personnes y ont absolument contribué. Paul Rusesabagina n’était heureusement pas seul. Justement, que dire du rôle de Madeleine Mukamabano ? Une très très petite poignée de gens le savent et l’apprécient. Nous étions tous vivants à la fin du cauchemar, c’est le plus grand essentiel. Et merci infiniment pour tous ces anonymes qui y ont contribué de pres ou de loin. Que Paul Rusesabagina soit leur porte-drapeau, ce n’est que le commencement d’un processus qui les fera connaître. Ca aussi ça compte, non !


Thomas Kamilindi

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

RWANDA:Kigali: retour sur les lieux du crime

Le juge antiterroriste Marc Trevidic, chargé, à la suite du juge Bruguière, d’enquêter sur les responsables de l’attentat qui, le 6 avril 1994 a coûté la vie aux présidents du Rwanda et du Burundi ainsi qu’à l’équipage français du Falcon, a bouclé son instruction et il se prépare à rendre publiques, en janvier probablement,  les conclusions des experts qui, en septembre 2010 l’avaient accompagné sur le terrain.
En attendant ce  verdict, rumeurs et aveux, feux et contrefeux se croisent, à Kigali et dans les capitales européennes. Au Rwanda, où neuf haut responsables avaient été mis en cause par le juge Bruguière, nombre de nos interlocuteurs espèrent qu’un non lieu sera prononcé. Par contre, depuis les Etats Unis, où il est réfugié politique, l’un des anciens compagnons de Kagame, Théogène Rudasingwa, qui fut secrétaire général du Front patriotique rwandais, a déclaré à la BBC qu’ « en juillet 1994,avec son insensibilité caractéristique et beaucoup de jubilation, Kagame m’a dit qu’il était responsable de l’attentat contre l’avion. » Et d’ajouter: « comme bon nombre au sein de la direction du FPR, j’ai vendu avec enthousiasme cette version trompeuse de l’histoire. (…) »
Après s’en être tenu durant 17 ans à la version officielle de Kigali,  Rudasingwa, l’un des fondateurs du CNR (Congrès national rwandais), un mouvement d’opposition qui regroupe d’anciens réfugiés tutsis membres du FPR et des Hutus en exil,  assure donc regretter d’avoir menti durant 17 ans !
Ses accusations tardives pèseront sans doute moins dans la balance que les conclusions des experts convoqués par le maguistrat français, qui ont tenu à arpenter les « lieux du crime », des lieux naguère familiers et que nous avons redécouverts après 17 années.
Hérissée de gratte ciels, de maisons à étages, Kigali est méconnaissable. Mais du côté de l’aéroport de Kanombe, en passe d’être détrôné par un « hub » aérien qui se construit dans le Bugesera, le paysage n’a pas changé. Au delà des constructions de l’aéroport, on devine un vaste camp militaire, celui là même qui abritait jadis la garde présidentielle, dernier carré des fidèles du chef de l’Etat. Plus loin, jouxtant le camp, la villa de l’ancien président a été transformé en musée.
Au rez de chaussée, une jeune femme fait les honneurs d’une exposition de photos couleur sépia, de vieux clichés qui rappellent le Rwanda d’autrefois, les spectaculaires coiffures de tresses, la grâce des danseuses et la majesté des Mwami posant devant leur rugo, leur hutte de paille. A l’étage, sans états d’âme, notre guide nous introduit dans la chambre à coucher, la chapelle, la chambre des enfants ; elle fait jouer les parois de bois qui dissimulaient un passage secret et explique que l’ancien président, qui craignait toujours pour sa vie, avait placé des alarmes dans chacune des marches de l’escalier « afin d’entendre les intrus qui se seraient introduits de nuit… »
En face de l’ancienne salle à manger, la piscine est toujours aussi ombragée, la pelouse aussi verte. C’est ici que, le 6 avril 1994, à 20 heures 30, alors qu’il devait revenir de Tanzanie où il avait enfin accepté d’appliquer les accords de paix qui prévoyaient de partager le pouvoir avec le FPR, le président du Rwanda fut éjecté de son avion Falcon touché par deux missiles et mourut avant d’arriver au sol.
Dans Kigali portée au paroxysme de la tension et de la haine, les massacres étaient planifiés depuis longtemps, mais cet attentat fut l’étincelle qui mit le feu aux poudres. Alors que dans les minutes qui suivirent le crash, la ville se couvrait de barrières, les premières tueries commençaient. C’était le début du génocide des Tutsis, du massacre des Hutus  qui refusaient l’extrémisme, le début de la mise à mort d’un million de Rwandais.
Igor, un fonctionnaire rwandais, a suivi durant tout son séjour au Rwanda le juge français Marc Trevidic. Ce dernier, au contraire de son prédécesseur Jean-Louis Bruguière qui n’avait jamais fait le voyage, est descendu sur le terrain accompagné d’experts français tandis que le gouvernement rwandais avait sollicité des experts écossais. Le traducteur rwandais nous rappelle quelques évidence relevées en sa présence par les enquêteurs : « l’appareil, qui avait quitté la Tanzanie, venait de l’Est et c’est sur le côté gauche qu’il fut touché par deux tirs qui se sont suivis de près. L’avion, qui se trouvait en phase d’atterrissage, est pratiquement tombé à la verticale, presque sous les yeux de la famille du chef de l’Etat qui se trouvait dans le salon et les corps de certains passagers ont été projetés dans les arbres. »
Les experts ont examiné à la loupe la piscine, le jardin, la demeure présidentielle, mesuré le point d’impact, calculé la vitesse probable des deux missiles et essayé de déterminer l’angle du tir. Pour Igor, il est certain que les missiles ont été tirés depuis l’est de la piste, et les témoins qui se trouvaient dans l’ancienne tour de contrôle ont vu la lieu orange du « départ » des projectiles.
D’autres témoins ont aussi entendu le bruit des deux tirs. Minutieux, le juge d’instruction français a également pris l’avis de spécialistes en acoustique. En effet, les souvenirs « auditifs » des témoins devraient permettre de localiser le lieu d’où les tirs sont partis. A cet égard, deux témoins européens sont importants :  le  Dr Pasuch, un ancien coopérant militaire belge, et le colonel de Saint Quentin, un coopérant militaire français. Les deux hommes vivaient dans l’enceinte même du camp militaire.
Leurs souvenirs, détaillés au juge Trevidic, ont ravivé ceux de trois médecins belges, les Dr V. père et fils et le Dr VDP qui, ce soir là, étaient tranquillement installés dans un restaurant grec, du côté de Kicukiro, sur la route de l’aéroport. Ils se rappellent que,  vers 20 heures 30, un bruit énorme les fit sursauter, celui d’une déflagration, « un bruit » nous disent-ils « qui n’avait rien à voir avec les grenades auxquelles ils avaient fini par s’habituer… »
Depuis son salon, où il dînait en compagnie d’un ami, le Dr Pasuch avait entendu la même chose : le bruit d’un tir, et ensuite celui du crash.
Le premier rapport rédigé sur les activités du bataillon belge Kibat, à la suite de la mort des dix Casques bleus belges, devait, par la suite, confirmer le témoignage du Dr Pasuch. On y lit, entre autres, que les tirs sont vraisemblablement partis du nord est de l’enceinte du camp présidentiel.
Le colonel Grégoire de Saint Quentin fut le premier à se diriger vers l’épave de l’avion. Des casques bleus belges, qui avaient tenté de rejoindre les lieux du crash,  expliquèrent par la suite à un enquêteur militaire, qu’ils avaient vu, de loin, l’officier français s’emparer de certaines pièces de l’appareil, peut-être  la fameuse boîte noire, qui fut tant recherchée par la suite et demeura introuvable.
Au contraire des autres témoignages, les souvenirs des trois dîneurs belges, qui, au moment même, n’avaient pas mesuré l’importance potentielle de leurs souvenirs, n’ont pas été portés  la connaissance du juge Trevidic.
A l’heure actuelle, tout Kigali estime qu’au vu des dépositions des témoins oculaires, les experts convoqués par le juge français seront obligés de conclure que les tirs ne sont pas, comme on l’a souvent dit,  partis de la colline de Masaka, située au sud du domaine présidentiel, mais de l’enceinte même du camp militaire.
S’il se confirme, un tel constat ne permettra pas d’identifier les tireurs mais il devrait en tous cas écarter une piste, celle d’un commando issu du Front patriotique rwandais. En effet, compte tenu de l’extrême tension, sinon de la paranoïa qui régnait à l’époque à Kigali, il est exclu que des militaires tutsis (aisément repérables…) aient pu s’infiltrer dans le « saint des saints », s’y installer,  y perpétrer leur coup  pour, comme le concluait ingénument le juge Bruguière « quitter ensuite les lieux en taxi…»  A l’époque, seuls des militaires de la garde présidentielle avaient accès à ce véritable camp retranché.
Rappelons  que le sujet, depuis 17 ans, a représenté l’ « énigme » sinon «  le « mensonge » du siècle.  En effet, alors que les premières informations ou présomptions que « le Soir » avait recueilli sur place, auprès des coopérants belges et de la communauté expatriée, mettaient en cause  des mercenaires « blancs »,  peut-être français, qui auraient participé à un attentat soigneusement préparé, exécuté par une poignée d’hommes qui n’auraient informé personne de leur projet, une autre thèse se développa bientôt, selon laquelle  les rebelles tutsis du Front patriotique rwandais, dirigé par le général Paul Kagame, auraient choisi d’éliminer le chef de l’Etat car ce dernier  refusait de mettre en œuvre les accords deArusha qui prévoyaient le partage du pouvoir.
Rudasingwa ne répète pas autre chose : selon lui, « en décidant d’éliminer Habyarimana, Kagame a introduit une « wild card », une carte sauvage, dans un cessez le feu déjà fragile, ce qui      a créé un puissant déclencheur, l’escalade  d’un point de basculement vers la reprise de la guerre, le génocide civil et la déstabilisation à l’échelle régionale ».
Cette mise en cause du FPR, soutenue par des articles de presse retentissants et de nombreux livres, avait mené à l’inculpation par le juge anti terroriste Jean-Louis Bruguière de neuf hauts dirigeants rwandais proches de Kagame et à la rupture des relations diplomatiques entre la France et le Rwanda.
Des relations qui ont été restaurées par le président Sarkozy, et dont le renouveau a été scellé en septembre dernier par la visite à Paris du président rwandais.
Rappelons que c’est le Rwanda, qui, défendant Rose Kabuye,  chargée du protocole présidentiel et inculpée par Bruguière, a forcé la réouverture du dossier et son réexamen par deux nouveaux juges, Marc Trevidic et Nathalie Poux. Depuis cette contre offensive,  l’édifice soigneusement construit par Bruguière s’est effondré par pans entiers : des témoins clés se sont rétractés, comme Abdul Ruzibiza (décédé depuis lors) qui a reconnu qu’il n’était pas présent sur les lieux au moment des faits, d’autres, comme Emmanuel Ruzindana  ont assuré que le juge leur avait forcé la main et fait signer un document auquel ils n’avaient rien compris. Il est apparu aussi que le traducteur des témoins rwandais, Fabien Singaye, était très proche de la famille Habyarimana et de Paul Barril, ancien membre de la cellulle anti terroriste de l’Elysée. C’est Barril qui avait recommandé Singaye à l’enquêteur Pierre Payebien, lequel s’était ensuite chargé de mettre en piste les témoins les plus accablants…
Si les conclusions des experts devaient  conclure que les tirs sont partis de l’intérieur du camp, et en particulier d’une sorte de terrain de sport qui se trouve à son extrémité et qui n’est plus aujourd’hui qu’un terrain vague, on ne pourrait qu’en déduire que les auteurs du tir étaient des proches du président ou des hommes connus dans la place…
Ce qui était sans doute le cas des 24 éléments des forces spéciales françaises (des barbouzes…) qui reconnurent par la suite que ce soir là ils se trouvaient bien à Kigali… A l’époque, ils confiaient à ceux qui s’étonnaient de leur présence qu’ils se trouvaient au Rwanda en vacances, pour une mission de courte durée…
L’enquète n’en est visiblement qu’à sa première phase…

RWANDA:RNC Condemns Attacks on Paul Rusesabagina by Kagame Regime

The RNC calls upon the Kagame regime to lay off Rwandans who have a different opinion than its own...
Paul Rusesabagina
Paul Rusesabagina of 'Hotel Rwanda'

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - From the moment the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights announced that Paul Ruseabagina was the choice for the 2011 Lantos Human Rights Award for his role in sheltering Rwandans at Mille Collines Hotel in 1994, Kagame’s regime immediately came out with attacks against him in hopes the award would be withdrawn.
In keeping with its trademark tradition of savaging its opponents, the Kagame regime outed its full arsenal of dirty attacks: using co-opted newspapers to hurl false accusations against him and spew hatred on him, directing associations of those who survived by finding shelter in that same hotel to smear him with lies and slander him, flooding the Lantos organization with written demands that it cancel the award, etc.
The RNC vigorously condemns these despicable attacks the Kagame regime continues to launch against its opponents. These attacks clearly defeat and unmask the sugar-coated rhetoric of the regime that it is serious in pursuing reconciliation among Rwandans and self-esteem.
As a reminder, President Kagame and his senior advisors are on record praising Paul Rusesabagina’s actions after previewing the movie Hotel Rwanda that featured Paul’s heroic feat which continues to receive worldwide acclaim. Attacks against Rusesabagina did not start until he publicly criticized the killings and other gross violations by the Kagame regime.
The RNC calls upon the Kagame regime to lay off Rwandans who have a different opinion than its own, and to allow them to fully enjoy their freedoms, including receiving awards they deserve. Instead, it is President Kagame and his wife the First Lady of Rwanda who must stop their terrible wasteful spending of Rwandan taxpayers’ money by staging self-promoting events and heavy lobbying for undeserved awards and prizes.
The RNC would like to thank the Lantos Foundation for showing concern about peace in Rwanda and reconciliation among Rwandans by recognizing Paul Rusesabagina’s life-saving and heroic action during a time of extreme danger.

Done in Washington, DC on November 8, 2011

Dr. Theogene RUDASINGWA
RNC Interim Coordinator

Saturday, November 12, 2011

RWANDA:French Judges to Confirm that Kagame Triggered the Rwandan Genocide by Murdering Habyarimana


From Rwanda info Online Newspaper by Chief Editor

L’Heure de la Vérité Approche!

Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana
Kagame upset!
“Sources close to the French Judiciary system tell AfroAmerica Network that the French Judges Marc Trevin and Nathalie Poux will soon publish their long awaited report on the April 6, 1994 shooting down of the plane carrying the Rwandan and Burundian presidents Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira and their staff.
The assassination of the two presidents triggered the 1994 Rwandan massacres that shocked the World.
The two French judges have been working on the case for some time, after taking over from the retired Judge Bruguiere. In September 2010 they made a trip to Rwanda and brought in experts to reconstruct the attack. The results, with ballistic reconstructions, were first expected in early March 2011. Due to unknown reasons, that some experts say were related to the timing which coincided with the sensitive April month, the publication was postponed, to June 2011.
However, June 2011 appeared also not politically and diplomatically acceptable given that the French President Sarkozy had already invited the Rwandan President Paul Kagame to visit France and the visit was initially scheduled for July 2011 and finally for September 2011. It was hence decided to push the publication of the report to after Paul Kagame’s first official visit to France since he took power 17 years ago.
According to AfroAmerica Network sources, the investigations and ballistic reconstructions have ruled out Rwandan ex-Far or alleged Hutu extremists as the potential assassins. The report concludes that the long suspected farm in Masaka that belonged to an RPF sympathizer is the likely shooting site, and the shooters were RPF commando.
The area from where the missiles were fired was a critical component that helped determine whether the assassins were in government held areas or on the farm suspected to have been used by a rebel commando, led by Frank Nziza, Jacob Tumwine, and Eric Hakizimana. Frank Nziza and Eric Hakizimana are the suspected shooters.Jacob Tumwine has since the assassination retired from the army. Eric Hakizimana is allegedly dead.
The publication of the report will be followed by official indictment of the assassins and the issuance of sealed and public arrest warrants.
The case has been a contentious issue between the Rwandan Government of Paul Kagame and the French Government and has led to severed diplomatic relations between Rwanda and France. It is expected the relations may sour again. Apparently aware of the imminent publication of the report, the Rwandan Government Intelligence service have in the last week launched their own campaign against the French Army. The Rwandan government is accusing French soldiers of having raped Rwandan women in 1994, during a humanitarian mission.”
[AfroAmerica Network]
2 comments
1Smith { 11.03.11 at 10:32 am }
Long live true justice for Rwandans, terrorists must be uprooted, Bin raden Gadaffi and next Kagame
2George { 11.04.11 at 5:22 am }
About time!
The evidence has been out there for years…HOWEVER, the case in the US by the families against Kagame had been dismissed. The reason? That he gets immunity from prosecution because he is a head of state- except that when he committed this act, he wasn’t…The case is going to probably wind up in the Supreme Court.
What is it about this guy, or what he knows, that makes the US government keeps defending him?

Friday, November 11, 2011

RWANDA:President Kagame turns his back on the Belgians after failing decipher his P’S from his Q’S.

Adapted from UMUVUGIZI Newspaper

In classic Kagame style of unnecessary confrontational diplomacy, he retaliated by closing the Belgian Embassy accounts in Kigali !
In his true characteristic style of callousness and over reacting, president Kagame has ordered the closure of bank accounts belonging to the Belgian Embassy in Kigali. He has absolutely no reason to and has issued a communiqué that states that it was done as reciprocity to the closure of Rwanda Embassy accounts in Belgium. The Rwandan Embassy accounts were closed after a court order issued a directive to that effect after the Rwandan Government failed to compensate a Rwandan businessman resident in Belgium who offered his services and the government reneged on its obligations thus prompting legal action against it.
When Belgium blocked the Rwanda embassy accounts in Brussels, it was not politically motivated or done on a diplomatic level. It was based purely on a judicial directive that clearly showed that the Rwandan government had failed to compensate it’s national for services rendered. In classic Kagame style of unnecessary confrontational diplomacy, he retaliated by closing the Belgian Embassy accounts in Kigali in an effort to show his dissatisfaction.
Kagame is famous for his outlandish bursts towards donors. The best example to illustrate this behavior was the way he suddenly broke off relations with France by closing the French embassy and giving its staff hours to leave Rwanda in 2006 after Judge Brugiere issued arrest warrants for him and 40 of his army officers. Again, the French indictments were issued judicially but the president went ahead and used all his political clout thinking that those threats work in other foreign countries. But what goes around comes back to haunt you, Kagame went to France arms stretched out to ask for reconciliation and foreign aid.
In the same reactionary behavior, Kagame cut the tree branch he sat on when in 2010 he threw an American lawyer, Peter Erlinder in prison on trumped up charges and a diplomatic impasse was created when the Americans demanded his release.
Kagame and his Government should be looking for ways to mediate/compensate Gaspard Gatera who fled to Belgium after he was harassed and intimidated by government officials instead of creating unnecessary enemity between two otherwise friendly nations. Kagame had been informed by the Belgian Foreign Ministry that it is unable to intervene in matters concerning judicial cases.
From our desk at Umuvugizi, reports say that work has come to a standstill at the Rwandan embassy in Belgium after the freezing of their accounts because of its reputation of fraudsters.
All this hulabaloo between Rwanda and one of its biggest European aid donors continues to play out in the political arena stemming from Kagame’s refusal to part with money owed to a businessman who has now sought refuge in Belgium.
Johnson, Europe

RWANDA:Kagame To Quit in 2024

By Godwin Agaba, adapted from 256 news.com
All those who hate or oppose President Paul Kagame had better shift to another Country because he is not yet about to go.
Kagame  To Quit 2024
His supporters have reason to smile for long as 256news.com has reliably been told that Kagame will not leave power before 2024.
13 years from now, he will make 24 years in power. This revelation was disclosed to us by the  Rwandan senior officer  (names with held for his security purposes) who was reacting to Rwanda’s Internal Security Minister Sheikh Fazil Musa Harerimana interview that was published by The Chronicles our story of Thursday March 3, 2011 in which is now calling for the deletion of presidential term limits to allow Mr Kagame run for office after his current and last constitutional term expires in 2017.
“Who tells you that he will go in 2017? I can assure you he is still here. He isn’t going before 2024. Our source confirmed.
Some Politicians in Rwanda are lobbying to amend the constitution and remove the current presidential terms and to allow   Kagame to run for a third term in office.
Among them is Rwanda’s Internal Security Minister Sheikh Fazil Musa Harerimana, who is now calling for the deletion of presidential term limits to allow Mr Kagame run for office after his current and last constitutional term expires in 2017.
In an interview published by The Chronicles,  Harerimana, the leader of the opposition Idealist Democratic Party (PDI) but working under  Kagame, states that a third term for Mr Kagame “would be very good for Rwanda.”
“The constitution should be amended so that people can decide. If Kagame stood again, we would vote for him,”  Harerimana said.
In power since April 2000,  Kagame was re-elected for a seven-year second term in office in August 2010 and has since publicly stated that he has no intention of clinging onto power.
“Personally I don’t want to be involved in or changing the constitution so that I stay in power and particularly changing the constitution for that purpose. I would hate it,”  Kagame said, shortly after his re-election last year.
According to Article 101 of the 2003 Rwandan Constitution, “The President of the Republic is elected for a term of seven years renewable only once.”

Thursday, November 10, 2011

RWANDA:Rwanda hearing of Tutsi ex-rebel case postponed

Published from the NewTimes Africa
Former Congolese Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunnda
KIGALI (AFP) – A Rwandan military court on Monday postponed the hearing of a plea to free a Congolese Tutsi ex-rebel chief, detained in Rwanda for the past two years, his lawyer said. ”The clerk’s office decided to postpone the hearing sine die because the judge (General Steven Karyango) has been suspended,” Aime Bokanga, a lawyer for Laurent Nkunda, told AFP. ”We’re waiting for a new judge to be appointed. Under Rwandan law he needs to be a general because the person we have brought proceedings against is a general,” the lawyer said. This latest postponement is the fourth since the case was sent to the military courts. Nkunda’s lawyers say General James Kabarebe, former Rwandan army chief of staff who was appointed defence minister in April, is responsible for the “arrest and illegal detention” of their client.
In March Rwanda’s supreme court ruled that given Kabarebe’s military status, it was not competent to hear the plea. Nkunda was arrested in Gisenyi on Rwanda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on January 22, 2009, when he was head of the rebel National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) movement, according to people close to him. In October 2008, Nkunda’s men routed the DR Congolese army in Nord-Kivu province and threatened to take the strategic provincial capital, Goma, near the border with Rwanda. But after a shift in alliances, the Congolese and Rwandan armies in January 2009 launched an unprecedented joint operation targeting Rwandan Hutu rebels in eastern DR Congo, which also resulted in Nkunda’s arrest.

RWANDA:Lantos Foundation Responds to Rwandan Tutsi protests in Concord NH

Media Release
For Immediate Release
November 9, 2011
Contact: Candace Bryan Abbey
(202) 276-4821
Lantos Foundation Responds to Protests
2011 Lantos Prize Controversy is Manufactured

CONCORD, NH – Katrina Lantos Swett, President of The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, responded today to a protest staged in opposition to the upcoming award of the 2011 Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize to Rwandan humanitarian Paul Rusesabagina:
“The protest staged today is only the latest attempt to smear the good name of this year’s Lantos Prize recipient, Paul Rusesabagina.  These protests were not staged when the Oscar-nominated film “Hotel Rwanda” was released, nor were they staged when Paul received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush.  It was only once he started to speak out about the need for more freedom and democracy in Rwanda, including a Truth and Reconciliation process, that these attacks were suddenly manufactured. Unfortunately these attacks appear to be consistent with a disturbing pattern of censorship, intimidation and even violence that has been directed at those who have dared voice concerns about the government of Rwanda. This pattern is not unique to Rwanda. Other authoritarian regimes have responded in a similar fashion.  
The most recent high profile example happened in 2010, when the Chinese government vehemently protested the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo and tried to bully governments into boycotting the Prize ceremony.  The irony of such manufactured protests is that, in the end, they only serve to provide a brighter spotlight to the intended target. 
As the child of Holocaust survivors, I, along with the Lantos Foundation staff, have made particular efforts to listen to the concerns of Rwandan genocide survivors who have contacted us. While many have thanked us for our decision to honor Paul Rusesabagina, there are others who have expressed contrary views.   We have spent hours talking to these individuals by phone and email, and even meeting with some in person.  The bottom-line is that the more we speak to them, the more it becomes painfully obvious that there is a “script” in place.  This script is at times absurd and at other times petty. They accuse Paul of denying the genocide when in fact he has devoted his life to telling the awful story of Rwanda’s genocide and working to achieve genuine peace and reconciliation. They complain that Paul charged the guests who found refuge in the hotel  a fact that Paul readily shares in his book, in person and in the movie Hotel Rwanda- money was needed to feed the 1200 people living in the hotel and to bribe the ever murderous gangs that prowled outside the hotel gates. At the end of the day, it seems that his real offense in their eyes, is that he has been outspoken in defense of democracy in Rwanda even in the face of determined efforts to silence him.
 We did not intend to cause controversy with this year’s Lantos Prize, but it seems the controversy has found us anyway.  We did not intend to step into the political disagreements that are currently swirling in and around Rwanda, but it seems we are not able to avoid that either.  We originally chose Paul Rusesabagina as the Lantos Prize recipient purely based on his heroic actions during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, not for his work since then through the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation.   But we now find ourselves quite in awe of Paul’s willingness to stand up and speak out for freedoms in his home country, despite the backlash that work has caused.
In the end, the most poignant take away from today’s events is that the very freedom to take part in these protests is something that wouldn’t be allowed in Rwanda under the current government.  Paul Rusesabagina is simply asking for his native country to experience the same of freedom and openness that we deeply value here in America.”     
The Lantos Foundation established the Lantos Human Rights Prize in 2009 to honor and bring attention to heroes of the human rights movement. It is awarded annually to an individual or organization that best exemplifies the Foundation’s mission, namely to be a vital voice standing up for the values of decency, dignity, freedom, and justice in every corner of the world. The prize also serves to commemorate the late Congressman Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a prominent advocate for human rights during his nearly three decades as a U.S. Representative.  Former recipients of the Lantos Prize include His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel.  This year’s award will be presented to Paul Rusesabagina in Washington, DC on November 16th.

RWANDA:Dictator Kagame Dumped By Sacramento University

Mr.Paul Kagame Accused of Committing Double Genocide in Rwanda and DRC


AD reader Kana based in California has broken an amazing story on how Kagame has been ditched by Sacramento State University. The butcher of the Great Lakes Region has been dis-invited.
Thanks to the ever alert blogger Kamikazi, last week AD revealed how Kagame had found another gullible American university ready to flatter him with awards.
The Rwandan butcher was to deliver the keynote address at the international conference on genocide today on 3 November 2011.The President of Sacramento State University was then to present the dictator with an honorary plaque.
This will not happen.
The University has dumped the butcher – Kagame will not set foot at Sacramento State University.
Resistance to Kagame presence at the university has been stiff. The Chairs of the University’s History and Government Departments led the effort of mobilising strong opposition to Kagame’s presence.
AD acknowledges in particular the efforts of the History Professor Michael Vann who played a leading role in dumping the Rwandan dictator.
These faculty members rightly questioned the wisdom of awarding the Rwandan dictator with an honorary plaque in the university’s name. The professors know that Butcher Kagame is war monger and criminal. They know that instead of being honoured with awards, Kagame should be made to account for his crimes in Rwanda and in DRCongo.
To save face, the University has organised a tele-conference via which the Rwandan dictator will give an address without directly soiling their campus.
Bravo the community of Sacramanto State University that bravely said no to the butcher of Rwanda.
Butcher Kagame, your days of killing, terrorising, imprisoning, bullying and exiling Rwandans are numbered.
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Former Kagame aide wants to testify on April 6, 1994 plane attack on Rwanda President

Washington, November 7, 2011 (FH) –  A former close aide to Rwandan president Paul Kagame who claims Kagame downed his predecessor’s plane says he wants to be heard by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) or another independent court to “reveal all the details”. Théogène Rudasingwa told Hirondelle News Agency on Friday that he was not just requesting but “demanding” this.
“I would like to appear before the ICTR as soon as possible regarding this matter,” he said to Hirondelle. “I am not just requesting this. I am demanding it as a witness to the most pivotal event in the 20th century whose consequences remain tragic almost two decades later.”
The April 6, 1994 downing of the presidential plane that killed Kagame’s predecessor, Juvénal Habyarimana, is widely considered the event that sparked the genocide.
In 1994, Rudasingwa was Secretary General of Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which came to power that year after the war and genocide. Rudasingwa later became Rwanda’s ambassador to the United States (1996-1999) and then Kagame’s principal private secretary (2000-2004). Rudasingwa went into opposition in 2004 and has been living in exile in the United States since 2005. On October 1, 2011, he published on his Facebook page a confession in English in which he accused Kagame of being “personally responsible” for the attack on Habyarimana’s plane.
“I can confirm that Kagame told me he was responsible for the shooting down of Habyarimana’s plane,” Rudasingwa told Hirondelle. “I will divulge the details to the ICTR or the French Judge, or any other international jurisdiction. There is additional evidence that will be produced by others that will support my declaration.”
The ICTR has always refused to investigate the shooting down of the plane. In France, a judicial investigation was opened in 1998 on behalf of family of the French crew who also died in the crash. This investigation was first led by Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière, who concluded in 2006 that the RPF was responsible for the attack. It is now in the hands of  two anti-terrorist judges, Nathalie Poux and Marc Trévidic. Results are still awaited from ballistics experts who conducted a mission  to Kigali in September 2010 at their request.
“I am willing and ready to appear before the ICTR, the French Judges or any other, at any time, to set the record straight,” Rudasingwa told Hirondelle.
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Hotel Rwanda film director Terry George speaks out – Smearing a Hero

By Terry George 

Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of the movie “Hotel Rwanda,” is being denounced by some in his country as a traitor and a criminal. Perhaps he helped bring some of this abuse on himself, but none of it is deserved. As director and producer of the film, I’d like to explain.
To make a film of a true story you must compress timelines, create composite characters and dramatize emotions. When it came to making “Hotel Rwanda” — the story of how Paul Rusesabagina saved the lives of hundreds of people who took shelter from the 1994 genocide in the hotel he managed — I was obsessed with getting it right. The Rwandan episode was a slaughter of unimaginable horror and magnitude, yet I firmly believed I had found a story that showed that even in the midst of such horror the human capacity for good can triumph.
Before making the film, I grilled Rusesabagina and read all I could about his experience. I traveled to Brussels and Rwanda, and I met survivors from his hotel, some of whom still worked there. No one contradicted his story.
When the film was released, Rusesabagina was acknowledged as a hero not just by ordinary people across the United States and Europe but also by diplomats, politicians, journalists and Rwandan officials in diplomatic posts here. Rwandan expatriates gave testimony to the veracity of the film, as did people who had been in the hotel and who tearfully acknowledged Rusesabagina’s role.
Last May I had the chance to meet Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Rwanda. I sat beside him as he and his wife and most of Rwanda’s parliament watched the movie. Afterward he leaned over to me and said the film had done much good around the world in exposing the horrors of the genocide. The next evening, I screened the film at Amahoro Stadium for some 10,000 people. It was the most emotional screening I have ever been at. I spent close to an hour afterward accepting thanks and congratulations.
But there was one empty seat at both screenings — the one reserved for Paul Rusesabagina. Two days before, as I waited for him to join me at the boarding gate in Brussels for the flight to Kigali, he called to say he had decided not to travel to Rwanda. On his speaking tours around the United States and Europe, he had begun to criticize Kagame’s government, saying that the last election in Rwanda, in which Kagame received 90.5 percent of the vote, was not democratic and that true peace would come to Rwanda only when it had an inclusive government. Because of his criticism, Rusesabagina said, he had been advised that it would not be safe for him. I could not persuade him to come.
Last fall his fears were borne out when Rwandan journalists and politicians began a smear campaign against him. On Oct. 28 a reporter for the Rwandan daily newspaper the New Times ran a long story on the “true nature” of Rusesabagina, which quoted a former receptionist at the hotel as saying that he had saved only his few friends, and that he had charged people to stay in the rooms (a fact we had highlighted and explained in the film). Buried at the end of the piece was probably the true fear of the Rwandan authorities: that Rusesabagina planned to form a political party.
The newspaper attacks on Rusesabagina have steadily escalated. In November he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush. Six days later a New Times editorial said he would “go down in the annals of history as a man who sold the soul of the Rwandan Genocide to amass medals.”
In February Kagame joined the campaign — cryptically at first. In a speech at Amahoro Stadium to mark National Heroes Day, Kagame said Rwanda’s heroes are not made in America, Europe or in Asia; cinema or film stars have no place on the list of national heroes. He went on to make several veiled comments about “a manufactured hero.”
A few days later Rwandan Radio ran a two-hour live talk show about Rusesabagina. The speakers included genocide survivors and, sadly, some old friends of Rusesabagina’s. Francois Xavier Ngarambe, the president of Ibuka, the umbrella body of genocide survivors’ associations, ended the show by claiming: “He has hijacked heroism. He is trading with the genocide. He should be charged.”
I called Rusesabagina in Brussels to discuss what was going on. He said he saw the smear campaign as confirmation of his previous fears and of his reservations about the Kagame regime. His new autobiography, “An Ordinary Man,” will only make things worse, as in his last chapter he writes, “Rwanda is today a nation governed by and for the benefit of a small group of elite Tutsis. . . . Those few Hutus who have been elevated to high-ranking posts are usually empty suits without any real authority of their own. They are known locally as Hutus de service or Hutus for hire.”
On April 6, the 12th anniversary of the genocide, Kagame launched his first attack on Rusesabagina, saying, “He should try his talents elsewhere and not climb on the falsehood of being a hero, because it’s totally false.” I pray that this situation can be resolved. The millions who saw “Hotel Rwanda” and received its message of hope ought to know that they were not duped.
I understand Paul Rusesabagina’s desire to foster inclusiveness in Rwanda. I understand, as well, Kagame’s legitimate fear that the country has suffered too much, too recently, to allow divisions to be fostered. There are many politicians here and abroad who could mediate this clash. “Hotel Rwanda 2″ is a sequel I never want to make.
Terry George was co-writer, director and producer of the film “Hotel Rwanda.”

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

RWANDA:NO TRUE RECONCILIATION IN RWANDA


NO TRUE RECONCILIATION IN RWANDA

by Habimana Rukundo on Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 8:35pm
Hutu Refugees in Goma: Most of them were killed by the RPA, according to the former RPA officer
There is no true reconciliation in Rwanda. 
If any , as you said there is a "one way reconciliation" , or forced reconciliation .Imagine this
An army fighting for power invades a country . In the process , they wipe away the falimy of a young boy (the only survivor) . The young boy , following his neighbors and family friends, flee to Congo , where he is chassed again , under the rain of Katyusha and 105mm , to the Congo forest , then he fall sick .... Some of his friends die , and he was injured , and finally repatriated back to Rwanda . 
he undegoes an "ingando" training, where he is taught about the new country policy . He is taught about "loving his country" , he learns how the former regime (back in the time when he lastly experienced peace) was demoniac ! He is taught that history is false ... and then he is sent back to his village. 
Back at the village , he see other orphans ("Tutsi genocide orphans") going to school for free , being given all accomodations (from the school fees , matress , books even pens and clothes ....) , while he don't even dream of education , simply because he did not survive the Tutsi genocide .
“ Paul Kagame is a war criminal and he deserves to be executed 20 times a day for his crimes against humanity.”And through it all , MY BOY IS PRAISING THE REGIME , singing and dancing about the reconciliation installed by the current "father of the nation" (Mzee wacu , as many name him) . Our boy may even be currently enrolled in the local leadership of Intore .

Questions : 
1. Do you think this kid will make noise , protest , or do anything to claim a fair treatment ?? (How can he do it while the Intore are watching every house of the neighbohood ?? )

2. Do you think when Kagame comes to this village (followed with Kabarebe and other Congo war "heroes") , this kid will not applaud them ?? 
Sure he will ... !Youth prisoners accused of the Genocide in Rwanda work in field in youth prison in Gitagata, Rwanda.

3. Do you think this kid will not participate in foundraising for helping the "Tutsi genocide survivors" ?? 
You bet he will try to participate more than anyone else ! Being aware that he has none to speak for him , he will try to stay out of trouble . Azubahiriza gahunda zose za leta !

4. When Kigali Gvt will need to refute the "Mapping report" , do you think this boy will be a key witness for them ??? 
I bet he will be testifying that "only interahamwe were killed " , and RPA are angels !

5. Do you think this kid will have any way to ask for a proper burial for his family dead back in 1990 ?? 
No , no no no.... ! Why ??? Think about it . 
( Take this hint: How can an Intore ask for a proper burial for people killed by "freedom fighters" ??)
Rwanda's Island Prison for Children! Hundreds of vagrants, thieves and street kids have been sent, without a trial, to a remote island — an extreme example of the levels of repression in Rwanda.Reconciliation ?? mmmm ... Only as long as the one who implemented it has control ! Otherwise , I am afraid, it will waver quicker than most of us think .
Peace .

PRESIDENT OF RWANDA PAUL KAGAME PRAISING HIM SELF FOR KILLING RWANDAN REFUGEES


http://soundcloud.com/umuvugizi/20100413-kagame-yigamba-ko