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Part I: West turns the heat up--Rwanda implements shoot on spot policy
by Joseph Earnest June 10, 2014
Newscast Media WASHINGTON—An interesting dynamic is happening in the Great Lakes region of Africa as tensions between the West and Rwanda continue to rise of what has been categorized by the United States as the "arrest and disappearance of dozens of Rwandan citizens in Rwanda " by President Paul Kagame's government.
*At the end of this three-part series, you will also find a PDF file with active hyperlinks embedded, that you can download and read at your own leisure.
The tone taken by the West including Great Britain and France, over Rwanda is now different, as one journalist Andre Vltchek seven months ago wrote: “The situation in Kigali is very tense right now...The atmosphere is also very confusing… Security is beefed-up and it is clear that something may happen any moment. There are rumors that the West may let Kagame fall soon ..." he wrote on RT and also his personal blog.
The defeat of the M23 rebels was a very big game-changer, since all we've been hearing about is the Tutsi genocide, yet there is also the Bantu/Hutu genocide of an estimated five to eight million people that have been killed by the M23 Tutsis.
The BBC insists that Rwanda is protecting M23 rebels in this report. (pop-up)
What triggered the recent fireworks was a letter written by the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Edward Royce, to Secretary John Kerry on March 11, 2014. In that letter, Chairman Royce said in part:
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"...Paul Ruseabagina, the well-known Rwandan humanitarian and anti-genocide
activist, has told me of attempts to intimidate and threaten him.
Karegya’s murder and the numerous assassination attempts on Kayumba are
just the most recent examples of the many Rwandan dissidents who have
been killed, exiled, tortured, and unjustly imprisoned over the years.
"Rather than condemning targeted attacks against popular opposition figures, President Paul Kagame publicly celebrates them, many times falling just short of taking personal credit. Even while denying accusations of official involvement in the Karegeya assassination, President Kagame told the press, “I actually wish Rwanda did it. I really wish it.” Consistently in public remarks, President Kagame indicates that there will be “consequences” for those who question his authority. During an official visit to Rwanda by Maina Kiai, a U.N. Special Rapporteur tasked with examining a country’s freedom of peaceful assembly, found that “peaceful public disagreement with the [Rwandan] government is equivalent to criminality.”" Click here to read or download the entire letter. (pop-up)
Last Wednesday on June 4, the State Department issued a statement condemning the conduct of the Rwandese government:
"...We are also concerned by credible reports that individual journalists were threatened, and that the Government of Rwanda ordered the suspension of a call-in radio program that provided citizens with a platform to discuss current events.
"...The United States calls upon the Government of Rwanda to account for individuals arrested over the past two months and currently in custody, and to respect the rights under Rwandan law and international human rights law of the individuals detained and arrested," the statement read. (pop-up)
Kagame himself perhaps realizes the winds are changing since the US is now demanding accountability, and has now implemented a "shoot on the spot" policy upon his adversaries.
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“Those who talk about disappearances… we will continue to arrest more
suspects and if possible shoot in broad daylight those who intend to
destabilise our country" he said, in
response to the State Department's statement.
However, should Kagame be forced to step aside, it is likely to cascade to other leaders in the region who have been implicated due to their connection to Kagame, or not being able to account for state funds—that is to say, corruption.
We will revisit the Rwanda situation, but first let us talk about how the West was able to pin Liberia's ex-president Charles Taylor on several charges including crimes against humanity.
In Taylor's case, he was arrested for embezzling $1,000,000 of government funds. The theft happened in May 1983, which he sent to an American bank account, and among the charges he faced was "pillage" or "looting", and was found guilty, including ten other charges. Essentially, the embezzlement of government funds was used as a pre-text to try him for all the crimes he and his regime has committed against humanity since 1989 when he started a guerilla war.
The West kept a tab on every crime he had committed against his fellow Africans, since the citizenry itself was also taking notes and forwarding them to the relevant officials who eventually prosecuted and found Taylor guilty in April 2012. The sixty-six year-old former president was sentenced to 50 years in a maximum security prison in Britain.
After almost 30 years of keeping tabs on him, the West finally pulled the rug from under his feet, and as it is with most African presidents, Taylor is going to die in exile a pauper, and will not be able to enjoy his loot. His son Emmanuel got 97 years of hard time, for his association with his father during his presidency.
There is also a legal doctrine called "Let the master answer", find out how it works as people in high places are held accountable in Part II >>
Related Stories:
Part I: West turns the heat up—Rwanda implements shoot on spot
Part II: West turns the heat up on Rwanda—Respondeat Superior
Part III: West turns the heat up—The Great Lakes is coming undone
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