Who Will Extend the Hand of Peace?

The problems that began inside of Rwanda have not stayed within Rwanda’s boundaries. For various reasons – refugee situations, greed, and so forth, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (at one point in history named Zaire) has received more than its fair share of spillover problems.

Of course, no one can blame a refugee for where he or she flees. Refugees are trying to survive. For that, the DRC should be commended in hosting so many Rwandan refugees. The conditions of these refugees have been below standards most would call acceptable, however the living conditions of citizens in the DRC are among the most tragic in the world. Maybe the DRC didn’t have a choice but to accept these refugees, but accept them they did. Were there some bad hosts? Yes! But there were some good hosts as well.

The problem in the past 19 years goes back to the Rwandan issue. The Rwandan issue cannot be summed up as simply as many would like it to be. In the current state of affairs, Rwandan President Paul Kagame is terrorizing the DRC in pursuit of his boogey man, the FDLR (Hutu Rebels in pursuit of liberating Rwanda from Kagame’s Regime) with his proxy the M23 militia.  Kagame firmly denies any involvement with the M23, but irrefutable evidence has been presented to the United Nations, and Kagame’s repetition of the same lies DO NOT make them true.

The Rwandan issue is still not that simple. The M23 militia could be defeated, and there still would be a problem. This problem stems from history.  President Kagame came to power after his now government, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) was a rebel movement of invaders. They were once the outsiders standing in a similar position to where the FARDC are now (except the RPF was stationed in Uganda). In 1990, the RPF launched an invasion into Rwanda to allow exiled Tutsis into their homeland.  In 1993, the Arusha Accords were signed allowing the RPF to share governmental power with Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana.

The Arusha Accords allowed 600 RPF government officials to occupy the Parliament Building in Kigali – the capital of Rwanda.  Secretly, however, according to multiple sources (who have asked to remain unnamed) who were in Kigali at the time, the RPF brought in approximately 1500 RPF members.  On April 6, 1994, according to now defected RPF Top Agent Dr. Theogene Rudasingua, Paul Kagame ordered the shooting down of President Habayarimana’s airplane that sparked the genocide killing between 800,000-1,000,000 Rwandans.

One survivor who was in Kigali at the time said that Tutsis were targeted because there was an initial panic and no one knew who was RPF and who was not. Eventually, the killing became automatic. The victims of the genocide inside of Rwanda were mainly Tutsis, but also killed were Hutus who did not “tow the company line,” or those who tried to help their Tutsi friends.

This genocide caused many to flee into the DRC, including Hutus who were afraid for their lives as the RPF took control of the nation. Some of these Hutus did attempt raids on Rwanda – these are armed militia members are now termed the FDLR, but the vast majority were not fighters – they were ordinary people fleeing for survival.  After coming to power, the RPF launched an invasion into the DRC. There, they slaughtered entire refugee camps in search of those who committed the genocide inside of Rwanda, but at the same time, they killed all refugees they could find. The RPF claimed they were seeking the genocidaires (those who committed the genocide), but such was NOT the case. The idea of victory for the RPF was “body count.”  Massacres happened to several refugee camps and sparked two Congo wars killing over 6 million people.

To understand the RPF, we must understand why they were once refugees. Between 1959-1961, there was the Rwandan Revolution.  This war dissolved the Tutsi monarchy – where there was a long line of Tutsi Kings. The Hutu population, which was oppressed by the Tutsi aristocracy, rose up and rebelled, killing approximately 100,000 Tutsis and forcing more into exile. This is why many RPF members found themselves in Uganda as children – as refugees who had fled for their lives. Among these children in exile was a child named Paul Kagame (Now RPF President of Rwanda). According to Paul Rusesabagina (made famous by the movie Hotel Rwanda), in his autobiography An Ordinary Man, young Kagame was carried on his mother’s back as a refugee from Rwanda into Uganda. Some of these refugees would later return as adults in the RPF to reclaim their homeland and then to invade the DRC.

History speaks to this Hutu led war. In a very simplistic explanation, The Berlin Conference of 1884 assigned colonial power of Rwanda to the Germans. During World War I, the Belgians under King Leopold II took power. In order to help their rule, both the Germans and the Belgians capitalized upon the local power structure already in place in the local culture. They used the Tutsis to be their proxies over the Hutus.  In 1935, the Belgians introduced “Race Cards” which identified each person by his or her tribal membership.

Before this, we must look to history before colonialism. It is generally accepted that the Twa (pygmies) were the first settlers in ancient Rwanda followed by the Hutus (a Bantu people coming from the South) then followed by the Tutsis (coming form near Ethiopia). While there were most likely sporadic conflicts, all tribes have lived in peace. In the 1700’s, kingdoms emerged where the Tutsi Kings enslaved the Hutus.

We must also remember that ALL of the above named conflicts were first political conflicts and then civil conflicts. They began with rebels or politicians and only then fed their way to average citizens. Hutus and Tutsis have lived in peace and it is not uncommon to have inter-tribal marriages.  Survivors of the 94 Genocide have said that they had good friends who were of another tribe. This proves that peace is possible.

For real peace to take place, there must be reconciliation. Reconciliation means that all sides must admit that killing was done in their name and they must vow to never do so again. Let me give you an example using myself: I am a white American Male. White American Males have a history of holding African Slaves. To complicate issues, my ancestors had no part in this – my ancestors came to the United States much later. However, I must acknowledge that in the name of my race, horrible things were done and I will not continue those things. Furthermore, I will do what I can to acknowledge and when able undo the wrongs of the past and promote healing.

This CAN be done in the Great Lakes region of Africa! Hutus killed Tutsis and Tutsis killed Hutus. Other tribal groups that I have not named and nations that I have not named should also do their part for reconciliation in their parts of the world. Obviously, after hundreds (and in some parts of the world thousands) of years, this has solved NOTHING! It’s time for someone to reach out and say it’s time for peace. It’s time for someone to reach out and say that both sides have suffered and that peace is the only viable solution.

More disturbingly, Rwanda and the DRC are 2 nations of a high majority of Christians. Killing is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. Killing one’s brother or sister in Christ is deplorable. Killing any human, since ALL humans are created in the image of God, is deplorable.

Someone must reach out and say that the only option is peace! Apparently, it doesn’t seem as if President Kagame will do this! According to Deputy UN Representative of Rwanda, Olivier Nduhungirehe the only solution to those who oppose Rwanda (namely the FDLR) is annihilation. Annihilation is not a solution. It is only a continuation of the problem. It only creates a new generation of radicals.

President Kagame will not last forever. The children of these rebels will one day be adults. If peace is not made, the cycle of bloodshed will continue. Hate breeds hate. Who will extent the hand of peace?

Guest Blog - The Cycle of Horror in the Great Lakes Region

Source: http://alfajiri1.wordpress.com/the-cycle-of-horror-in-the-great-lakes-region/

The cycle of horror in the Great Lakes region

 

I grew up in the city of Bukavu in south Kivu. From my bed, I could see Rwanda on the other side of the lake Kivu. Bukavu was a great place to live ; even during the last years of Zaire. Indeed, many neighbours, especially rwandans , prefered to struggle for life in Zaïre along with zairians, than staying in Rwanda where ethnic hatred was undermining chances of peace between Hutus and Tutsis. Then, Hutus and Tutsis could better live in Zaïre than in Rwanda.

Bukavu

During the 90’s, ethnic tensions are at their peak in Rwanda and Burundi. In 1993, the  first elected president  in Burundi, Melchior Ndadaye, is savagely butchered by Tutsis soldiers. He was a Hutu. Tension get higher in Rwanda then, as Hutus was rulling the country and fighting a Tutsi rebellion, the RPF. Mistrust of each other gave birth, particularly in Rwanda in 1994, to large scale massacres. During the rwandan genocide a million had been butchered ! In July 1994,  the RPF seized all the country and all the former governement ran abroad like in Zaire for instance..

Melchior Ndadaye

With the advance of RPF, many Hutus choosed to run away from « these Tutsis who came to have their revenge ». They came into Zaire while Tutsis from Zaire was managing to go back in Rwanda. After a couple of days, more than a million had already crossed the border, invanding Bukavu, Goma and all the villages around.

Hutus Refugees crossing the Zairian border

The UN settled camps for them in Mugunga (North Kivu) and Kashusha (South Kivu). Kigali’s new athorities considered those camps as a actual threat as those responsible for the genocide was among innocent people and was training to go back « finish the job » in Rwanda.  While the whole world was denouncing the genocide, with slogans like « never again », none could have guessed that worse was about to come. In 1996, the Afdl of Kabila started fighting against Mobutu. Supported by Rwanda and Uganda, he seized the country after 7 months ! His troops was actually mainly composed by Tutsis soldiers from both Rwanda and Uganda who wanted to seized the opportunity to wipe out Hutus milicia ( Interahamwe).  Everything is in place for a clash between brothers enemies on Congolese soil. Congolese found themselves caught between two fires. This is the basis of the carnage of Kivu.

Laurent Désiré Kabila, Afdl leader

Once in Zaire units RPA (Rwandan patriotic army) employed firstly to empty the refugee camps. Hutu militias plunged into the Congolese jungle. While some civilians have been forcibly repatriated to Rwanda, others have had no choice but to flee deeper into Zaire.

Refugees mouvements in the region

Those who could not escape, the wounded, the elderly, children , were killed , victims of shell fired by units RPA in Kashusha and in Mugunga. It numbered more than 400,000 people fleeing in the Congolese jungle. The plight of these people surpass all understanding and ignorance of their suffering will be all the more disgusting. The UN will just state that they have disapeared in the forest !!!

Hutu refugees going deeper in DRC, 1996

 Indeed, the Hutu refugees were now out of sight except from Congoleses. The revenge could now begin ! Kindu, Ubundu, Tingi Tingi and beyond , the graves flourished . The units of the APR trapped refugees in the forest and excelled in method of mass execution. The UN mapping report traces those killings in the DRC and emphasize the systematic tracking Hutu refugees. Thus, if the APR brought order in Rwanda after the genocide, i twas also specialized in large scale massacres across the Rusizi in DRC . People of Kivu were also slaughtered because of the fact of their presence : Kasika where hundreds of women were buried alive by the RPA, Makobola massacre, and many others.

Killings in South Kivu, 1998

It was during this period, about 1999, that the first reports of mass rape began to surface. The torture of our women actually respond to new expansive view of Rwanda in eastern Congo . Kivu population no longer knows peace since that time !

Taken hostage in their own home by Hutu militia on one side and the mainly Tutsi Rwandan army on the other , kivu people pays a heavy price for this cycle of hate. In response, they organized themselves into local militias : the Mai Mai ! They are these villagers who had enough to see their relatives get slaughtered without reason by foreigners.

In 2003, the APR has officially left the DRC , but to keep a grip on the rich land and discovered mines in east Drc, Rwanda and Uganda will create fake rebel movements.

Since these groups are active in the country to keep the space uncontrollable and facilitate the looting.

These countries officially praise these rebels movements internationally and, informally , provide reinforcement , weapons and plan attacks. This is the situation that is still ongoing today even if these movements have changed names several times. RCD ->CNDP ->M23, both are the same people ! (Nkunda, Ntaganda, …).

Our role today as human beings is to expose this hypocrisy that has costed the DRC more than 6, 000,000 souls.   It’s not about taking any sides but the justice’s and humanity’s one. Rwandan and Ugandan officials behind this massacre shouldn’t be praised by any government as we can see today. Because it is a permanent insult to all those who died to treat as heroes the notorious criminals of the region.

Kagame from Rwanda and Museveni from Uganda

 

Links:

Hutu ordeal in Kivu + Kisangani diary by Hubert Sauper : (the 400000 who disapeard)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yEAfxf6r6U

Mapping report by UN :

http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/africaregion/Pages/rdcProjetmapping.aspx

Denis Mukwege, the Congolese doctor who heals raped women

http://www.france24.com/en/20130201-reporters-dr-congo-drc-doctor-denis-mukwege-heals-scars-rape-women-kivu-bukavu-democratic-republic-congo

"Monster Under My Bed" - A Modern Parable

Whoever has ears, let them hear. – Matthew 11:15

When I was a child, I was terrified of the monster that lived under my bed. Had I seen the monster? No. Was the monster real? Of course it was! How did I know? Everyone knows that monsters live under the beds of children – it takes up the majority of conversations on playgrounds between children. Whatever the bravest child says HAS to be true!

I never saw this monster, but I knew it was there, and it wanted to eat me! My 7-year-old life was about to be over because of this monster under my bed.

The monster would play psychological games with me just to let me know it was there. I’d be close to falling asleep, and I’d see a shadow that I couldn’t explain. I’d be lying in bed and I’d hear a creak and I’d just know it was the monster. What else could it be? It was just plotting. It was plotting to eat me. I was powerless and completely at its mercy.

My only defense was to keep my entire body covered. No matter what the temperature was, everyone knows that the only defense against a monster under your bed is to stay fully covered. I would sweat some nights so bad that I barely slept…but at least I survived. I wasn’t eaten!

What did this monster want anyway? Of course, it wanted to eat me. Why? I suppose it wanted my place in the bed. It wanted my covers. It wanted my pillows.

As I got older, I wanted to bargain with the monster, but of course no one bargains with monsters. You can only deal with a monster by obliterating it. How would I destroy the monster under my bed? Should I have a full on assault? Should I perform a covert attack? Should I just live in the relative fearful peace that we’ve lived in for years?

The cardinal rule is that there can be no peace with a monster! I had to destroy it, and I had to do it immediately. But how??? What about the collateral damage? What about my innocent toys that may have fallen and found their way under the bed? I guess they would just have to be casualties for the greater good.

So, I got my mom’s vacuum, and faced my fears. After a lot of mental preparation and anguish, I plugged in the vacuum, got on my hands and knees, and I began to sweep under the bed. I swept up dust bunnies – they look like innocent pieces of dust clumps, but one never knows. I destroyed a few innocent toys - collateral damage. I never saw the monster. But, I knew I must have swept it up. I destroyed it. I looked long and hard, and it was no longer under the bed. It was now in the bag of the sweeper. Vindication was mine!

My years of terror were over! No more fear for me! That night, I confidently went to bed, turned off the lights, crawled into bed, and I didn’t even cover my entire body. 

And then, I saw the same shadows and heard the same noises…

1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

The Importance of the Congo (DRC)

A Very Brief History:

Plain and simply stated, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) do not know what living in peace is like. Since at least the 1880’s there has been an onslaught of invaders who have brought war to this nation.  Couple the invasions with inept leadership and you have what is today’s DRC.

The DRC’s neighbors will be quick to pin all the blame on the DRC alone. This is a bold face lie! I point you to the “UN Mapping Report of Human Rights Abuses” as well as the “Group of Experts Report” which implicates Rwanda and Uganda for supporting the M23 militia for destabilizing and killing inside the DRC borders.

The DRC does have inadequate leadership. This is not all the fault of the people of the DRC. Foreign intervention has caused this leadership to exist. The United States in its fear of communism installed brutal dictator Joseph Desire Mobutu in 1965 and maintained him because of his support for the US. The United States maintained this brutal dictator despite the Congolese peoples’ attempts to overthrow him for over 30 years. The reason? Greed.

Finally, in 1997, Mobutu was overthrown, and another pawn of the Western powers – the United States and the United Kingdom – Laurent Kabila was installed after an invasion by Rwanda and Uganda. Together these two African nations put into place a leader they thought would be sympathetic to their own selfish interests. This time, the US and UK stood idly by allowing this to happen, believing that their interests were being met as Mobutu had gone “rogue,” not playing directly into the hands of the US.

In 1998, Rwanda and Uganda invaded the DRC for the second time. This invasion was ignored and tacitly supported by the United States and the United Kingdom as approximately 6 Million Congolese died. Obviously all of these people were not soldiers. The majority were civilians, and they died of war injuries, starvation, exposure, and preventable diseases because of poor health conditions during wartime. In this invasion, Rwanda and Uganda installed Laurent Kabila as the next Congolese “puppet” leader.

In what is an open secret, Laurent Kabila was assassinated by those forces that installed him, and he was replaced by his son, Joseph Kabila who “rules” to this day. The younger Kabila is a mystery to the world and to the Congolese for his lack of emotion for his own nation and his detachment from the everyday issues facing his own people.

Congo’s Importance to the World Economy:

The DRC is one of the richest nations in the world in terms of mineral riches. The DRC is rich in diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, uranium, timber, iron, tin, tungsten, and coltan. Coltan is a mineral that is used in state of the art electronic equipment from cell phones to computers. Those in power simply do not want stability in the Congo because with stability will come higher prices for these minerals. Peace could come tomorrow, but with peace comes higher prices as the Congolese people would gain their dignity that they deserve and begin to build the infrastructure of a nation.

Instead of wanting peace, the powers that be want the DRC to be destabilized. This way, the world can have cheap access to “blood diamonds” – minerals that are exploited at the peril of innocent Congolese.

Why Congo Matters:

Even with the minerals, I refuse to say that the DRC matters because of its minerals. I will not say that any nation is of value for what it can produce so that others can use. The Congo matters because of the sacredness of the humans who live there. The Congolese people are just that – people – human beings.  They are not animals – They are not tools for our exploitation. They have hopes and dreams just as any other human on this planet.

The Congo matters because the people of the Congo matter. We should look to the Congo as a cautionary tale for what could be. We should look to the Congo and see our brothers and sisters. Find just the right politicians or corporate exploiters, and what happens in the Congo could happen anywhere. Anyone reading this could be the next Congolese person.

Even saying that, we shouldn’t only care about the DRC because “it could be us.” We should care because it is they who experience the horrors! They are victims of exploitation beyond what I can even describe. My own United States government both looks on and does and says nothing and covertly supports those who do exploit by supplying arms, and legalizing corrupt business practices.  We should care about the Congolese because the same Creator who made us made them. In fact, I should say, the same Creator made all of us. Life is sacred, and in the DRC, it is being willfully treated as expendable.

What to Do:

The first thing is to stop saying we can’t do anything! Yes, governments are larger than any 1 of us and even larger than any group of us. Corporations who exploit are bigger too. But, if we let that scare us, then we become part of the problem. There are many things we can do.

Engage in advocacy! When you challenge the powers that be and rattle the right cages, you will get the lions to roar. That means you’ve hit the right nerve! Confront the aggressors directly and don’t be afraid! Be armed only with the truth. Learn the facts and don’t back down.

More war is not the answer. More war is the problem. Pray for peace. But let your prayers also include the question, “and let me be an instrument of Your peace.” Be an instrument of God’s peace. For all of us that will mean something different.

Most importantly – Do not forget the reason we care – We don’t care for self-indulgence and self-promotion. We don’t care because of material gain. We care because our brothers and sisters are hurting!

All cited statistical and factual information can be found at friendsofthecongo.org

 None of these photos are mine.

Obama's Hypocritical Response Regarding the DRC

Dear Friend: Thank you for writing.  I have heard from many Americans concerned about human rights issues, and I appreciate your perspective. As a free people, we stated our convictions long ago.  We believe that each of us is created equal with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  And for more than two centuries, we have fought to extend that fundamental promise of fairness and opportunity to all our citizens. Many countries have made that same commitment.  Nations around the world have pledged themselves to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognizing the inherent dignity and rights of all members of our human family. But even now, we know our journey is not yet finished.  Too many people still labor in the darkness of tyranny and oppression.  In too many parts of the world, fundamental freedoms remain unrealized, and the protections of law extend only to a privileged few.  Our values call upon us to care about those who are denied the chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families, no matter where they live.  They call upon us to embrace the common endeavor of all humanity. I believe that work begins with the example we set here at home.  We know from our own history that intolerance breeds injustice, whether it is based on race or religion, gender or sexual orientation.  We understand that we are stronger when all our people are granted opportunity, and when our wives and our daughters have the same opportunities as our husbands and our sons. But our commitment to expanding opportunity cannot stop at our shores.  Standing up for peace and justice means extending a hand to those who reach for freedom around the world.  It means supporting Afghans as they take responsibility for their future, and people across the Middle East and North Africa as they keep reaching for their rights.  It means working for an Israeli-Palestinian peace, no matter how difficult it may be.  It means engaging in places like Burma, where brave people are stepping forward to play a role in determining their country’s political future. These are moral obligations, just like our moral obligation to help lift impoverished corners of the world.  We promote growth, education, agriculture, and public health.  These efforts are about more than charity.  They are about new models of empowering people by building institutions and abandoning the rot of corruption, and creating ties of trade.  Because when developing nations succeed in offering all their people the opportunity to start a business, educate their children, and improve their standard of living, America will be more successful as well. Yet none of us can be truly prosperous when unspeakable violence continues to rob men, women, and children of the chance to live in dignity with basic rights.  My Administration puts preventing genocide and other mass atrocities at the forefront of America’s foreign policy, and we are bringing every tool to bear in this critical fight.  And while we know too well the challenges that remain in places like Sudan, we also know that our efforts have saved lives in places like Libya and Burma, and areas of Central Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army.  In Syria, we continue to stand with those seeking a free, inclusive, and democratic future.  We are helping lay the groundwork to hold the perpetrators of atrocities accountable while providing support to those who work for the common good of all Syrians. Upholding our commitment to universal human rights also means combatting human trafficking, whether it occurs halfway around the world or here within our borders.  The United States will continue to lead in this fight.  We will keep giving countries incentives to meet their responsibilities, supporting those that pass and enforce anti-trafficking laws and calling out the worst abusers.  We will keep working to put traffickers behind bars and dismantle their networks.  And we will keep making sure investigators, law enforcement, and advocates have the resources they need to take meaningful, effective action.  Together with nations worldwide, we must speak with one voice:  our people and our children are not for sale. No country can claim immunity from human rights abuses, or from the responsibility to confront them.  By embracing that responsibility, we will help prevent mass atrocities, replace tyranny with good governance, and enlist free nations in common cause.  To learn more about my Administration’s human rights agenda, visitwww.HumanRights.gov. Thank you, again, for writing. Sincerely, Barack Obama

Analysis of "The Global Elite's Favorite Strongman"

September 4, 2013, The New York Times published This Article by Jeffrey Gettleman entitled “The Global Elite’s Strongman.”  The article was based upon Gettleman’s 3 hour personal interview with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Gettleman’s article has caused much controversy among the refugee community as well as the journalist community.  Refugees feel that he did not give an accurate portrayal of Kagame’s barbarism while some other journalists feel that they could have written this article (and some have said they have written similar articles of the same or better quality) using the same sources with or without personally interviewing Kagame.  My goal is to analyze Gettleman’s article to check the validity of these claims.

Gettleman’s article begins by a superficial praise of the outward visual beauty of Kigali, Rwanda. There has never been any doubt about this image. The question that Gettleman fails to ask is, “what is this image hiding?” When he brings up the fact that there are no homeless people, and that the homeless are dealt with by being sent to a detention center in the middle of Lake Kivu (nicknamed “Hawaii” by Rwandan officials – “Alcatraz” by some Kigali citizens), Gettleman fails to ask about this detention center or the human rights issues involved. What happens in this center? When did poverty become illegal? Is Kagame’s image more important than the suffering of his people? We will never know – at least not from Gettleman.

He then praises Rwanda’s safety in contrast to the Genocide of 1994. Obviously, Rwanda is safer than it was in those horrific days. Gettleman overtly posts blame solely upon the Hutus against the Tutsis – a narrative fully supported and made the law by Kagame. To claim otherwise is a crime in Rwanda. To claim that Tutsis were in anyway responsible for any part of the Genocide is “Genocide Denial” or “Genocide Ideology.” Both are punishable by long prison sentences. Gettleman fails to look into the credible claims of Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa that it was Paul Kagame himself who ordered the shooting of the president’s plane that was the tipping point starting the genocide. He fails to look at the claims that Kagame told his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) armies that all Tutsis were out of the towns they were invading and it would be only Hutus that they would be killing – therefore, unknowing to RPF soldiers, they would also be killing Tutsis. To be clear, no one denies that Hutus killed Tutsis. No one denies there was a Hutu Power movement. But the Genocide conditions were much more complex than a simple narrative can explain. There simply are no clean hands as far as “groups” go when it comes to the 94 Genocide. Gettleman does not consider this.

President Paul Kagame

Gettleman then goes as far as to call Kagame a “godsend” while calling other African leaders disparaging names: “Megalomaniac” (Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe), “Feckless” (Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – who Gettleman also accuses of playing video games all day while his nation falls apart). Gettleman then names Kagame’s powerful backers including Bill Clinton and Bill Gates while calling Kagame “stoic,” and “Spartan.”

Gettleman then touts Kagame’s success in raising Rwanda from the ashes of the 94 Genocide, and then brings up his harsh and possible criminal methods (FINALLY!). He says that Kagame has a reputation for being “merciless and brutal,” and describes his documented crimes of supporting the M23 militia in the DRC (though he makes no mention of Kagame’s 19 years of incursions into the DRC costing over 6 million lives). Immediately, however, Gettleman dismisses these claims as “at least what a growing number of critics say…”  He then explains Western support of Kagame. The West, Gettleman says, according to a diplomat working in Rwanda, is rarely concerned with actual humanitarian rights, but with results. Kagame delivered those results of stable leadership and delivering results. What are those results? Gettleman did not say. Why doesn’t the West care about supporting a war criminal? Gettleman did not ask.

Gettleman does not cite other examples of Western Imperialism. He says that the West has supported dictators in other parts of the world, but to the uninformed reader or to the young reader who may not know about the “darker side” of Western history, Gettleman offers no help. Of course, no single article can give every piece of information. That could possibly be Gettleman’s reason for not citing examples. So, rather than criticizing him on this point, I would rather just suggest that readers find examples of Western Imperialism propping up dictators in violation of fair and free elections in other nations. (NOTE: Kagame technically has been elected. Whether these elections are “fair and free” is a matter for debate).

Gettlemen then describes his meeting of Kagame. He gives a brief but important biography of Mr. Kagame from his days as a refugee to soldier to president. He describes that according to Rwandan Law, the president is limited to 2 terms, and Kagame is in his 2^nd term, but it appears that he will not be giving up power at the end of this term. Rather than exploring this possible power grab, Gettleman moves on. If a 3^rd term only affected Rwanda, this could be understood, but a 3^rd term affects the entire Great Lakes Region of Africa and it also affects International Politics. Kagame’s interventions via the illegal militia M23 as documented by the UN Group of Experts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds the lives of millions at bay. His blatant disregard for international law and the International Community’s ignoring of this affects the peace of the region.

Without a doubt, as Gettleman describes, Kagame has made great strides as President of Rwanda. Women are becoming more and more educated. Technology is developing. The economy is growing. Gettleman fails to count the cost of this growth. What human rights have been violated to accomplish these growths? I cannot say. Why are Rwandans afraid to speak openly (as cited by Gettleman)?

Gettleman praises Kagame for being a “hands on” leader. This does appear to be positive until one reads into the article. Kagame does not tolerate corruption – good thing. This, however, can lead to paranoia (For an account of this, read Healing a Nation: Waging and Winning a Peaceful Revolution to Unite and Heal a Broken Rwanda, by Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa). Kagame is involved in almost all levels of governance of Rwanda. He has his regional leaders set goals and they are held accountable to those goals.

Gettleman then talks about some methods Kagame uses to handle dissent, however he does not ask Kagame any questions about these methods. He uses the example of human rights activist, Rene Claudel Mugenzi who is in the United Kingdom. According to Scotland Yard, they had reliable intelligence that Rwanda had a “hit squad” in the UK to kill Mugenzi. Another example is Kayumba Nyamwasa. He was shot in South Africa and blames this shooting on a Rwandan “hit squad.” Kagame denies all of this. Gettleman does not press him on these issues.

In fact, Gettleman dismissed these claims by calling Kagame “geeky” and it being hard to imagine that he would have anything to do with this. According to Kagame, people like Nyamwasa and Mugenzi are “thieves” who believe that “in Africa, nothing good happens and every leader is a dictator…” 

Gettleman then describes how Kagame handles staff with whom Kagame is not pleased. He will call them into his office, summon some guards, and have these staff members thrashed with sticks. Kagame did not deny this. Instead, he said that he does have a tendency to be “tough.” --- A World Leader “spanking” staff members is tough?

In a very short part of the article, Gettleman does acknowledge Kagame’s human rights abuses including the massacre of Hutu families in the Congo jungles. He acknowledges that there is severe repression inside of Rwanda, but then quickly turns to noting Western Guilt for not helping at the time of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. He seems to be saying that Westerners should be afraid to even speak of Rwanda because of the West’s horrific mistakes of the past.

Disturbingly, when Gettleman talked to Western Diplomats, he exposed their racist tendencies by their holding low expectations for Africans. The diplomats, by and large, believe there should be more Kagames, because he provides stability. He is a constant in a region of change. His human rights record means little because he is a constant to these diplomats.

The best way that Getleman could conclude this article was by quoting Kagame in saying, “God created me in a very strange way.” If “a very strange way” means murderous, brutal, and invasive into other sovereign nations, then, yes – God did create Kagame in a very strange way.

Getleman’s article is a disappointment for anyone hoping that he would expose something of significance. Reporters such as Ann Garison and Jennifer Fierberg have been doing such work for years and have uncovered much more without access to Kagame. One would expect a publication such as the New York Times to provide a more in depth and truthful article. Instead, they portrayed Kagame as a regular human being. While Kagame is human, he is also a world leader who is held to a higher standard as are all world leaders. Yes, all humans make mistakes, but world leaders can and should be open to public criticism and praise for their actions.  Gettleman ultimately failed in providing the information needed in that regard.