From April to July, 1994, the small African country of Rwanda was the scene of one of the most horrific atrocities perpetrated in recorded human history. In the midst of a bloody, ethnically-divided civil war, more than 1,000,000 Rwandan Tutsis were systematically and indiscriminately slaughtered by their own government - a murderous regime dominated by extremist Hutus hell-bent on eradicating any and all ethnic minorities they believed were "infesting" Rwanda.
The Rwandan genocide lasted 100 days, and during that time the world stood by and watched the bloodshed unfold, doing nothing to stop the killing. It wasn't until the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) - a Tutsi-led rebel group - overthrew the Rwandan government in July 1994 that the genocide finally came to an end.
The horrors that took place in Rwanda shook the world. Not since the Holocaust had the world seen such barbarity and atrocities. The genocide in Rwanda revealed the true depths of human depravity, but - out of the bloodshed and violence - the world also witnessed the true heights of human compassion and bravery.
Ordinary citizens, men and women, took heroic action amidst the slaughter. Countless brave individuals took it upon themselves to save as many innocent lives as they could from certain death. Whether it was a UN peacekeeper who warded off the Interahamwe death squads, a Hutu moderate who sheltered Tutsis in their home, or a Rwandan soldier who refused orders to kill Tutsi civilians - these unspoken heroes of the genocide revealed the best of humanity amidst the worst of humanity.
One of these heroes was Paul Rusesabagina - a Hutu moderate who, in 1994, served as the housekeeper for the Hotel Milles Collines, a five-star resort in Kigali, Rwanda. As the genocide unfolded, Rusesabagina took it upon himself to rescue and shelter Tutsi refugees in the Hotel Milles Collines, warding off Rwandan soldiers and the Interahamwe with bribes, delay tactics, and government connections for nearly three months. Rusesabagina's heroic actions saved the lives of over 1,200 people, and his story was chronicled in the critically-acclaimed 2004 film Hotel Rwanda.
Unfortunately, in recent weeks, Rusesabagina has found himself in serious trouble. Since 1996, Rusesabagina - once hailed as a hero by the Rwandan government - has found himself a marked man. Since the RPF and its leader, Paul Kagame, took control of Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, Rusesabagina has been vocally critical of Kagame for purported authoritarian tendencies, and has called for human rights inquiries into Kagame's administration for imprisoning critics, censoring dissidents, and even ordering murders of political enemies.
As a result, Rusesabagina has reportedly been the target of several assassination attempts and has been repeatedly vilified and smeared by pro-government media. The pro-government Rwandan New Times has published numerous articles branding Rusesabagina as a "liar", "terrorist", "criminal mastermind", and "con artist".
The New Times has also accused Rusesabagina of exaggerating or even lying about his actions during the genocide, and has even gone as far as to claim that Rusesabagina was actually on the side of the Hutu extremists who slaughtered the Tutsis and has collaborated with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a violent, far-right "Hutu Power" insurgent group made up of former Interahamwe members who fled to the Congo after the 1994 genocide.
On August 31, 2020, Rusesabagina was arrested by Rwandan authorities in Kigali and charged with terrorism, conspiracy, and facilitation of murder. Rwandan authorities have alleged that Rusesabagina has been involved with numerous terrorist groups in central Africa, and have even accused him of ordering terrorist attacks against civilians.
The circumstances of how Rusesabagina was captured in Kigali - especially since he had fled Rwanda in 1996 - are still unclear. Rusesabagina claims he was deceived into flying back to Kigali, while the Rwandan government denies this. As of this writing, Rusesabagina is being held without bail awaiting trial, and both he and his family firmly deny all charges.
I wrote an article about the Rwandan genocide last year, examining the ethnic division and hatred that led the country into the horrors of civil war and mass slaughter. Though was one of the most disturbing subjects I have ever studied, it is my favorite article of all time.
And let me be clear: I still hold a great deal of respect for Paul Kagame for leading the RPF to victory in 1994. Kagame, seeing the horrors of the genocide unfolding before him, ignored the demands from non-interventionists in the US and UN to stand down and resolve the issue diplomatically. Kagame knew that the only way to end the genocide was to force the ruling Hutu extremist government out of power, and - with superb military strategy and determination - the RPF single-handedly toppled the Hutu extremist government and brought the Rwandan genocide to an end.
However, as much as I respect Paul Kagame for his leadership, his intelligence, his ending of the Rwandan genocide, and the sweeping social and economic reforms he has brought to Rwanda since 1994, it is impossible for me to deny the obvious.
It is beyond clear to me that the charges against Paul Rusesabagina are nothing more than targeted harassment and an effort on the part of the Rwandan government to silence one of its most vocal critics. The accusations of the Rwandan government against Rusesabagina are not only unsubstantiated, but they fall apart under the slightest pressure and scrutiny.
First off, let's just examine their claims regarding Rusesabagina's alleged ties to the FDLR - a Hutu extremist group that is made up of former Interahamwe members who fled to the Congo following the 1994 genocide.
This accusation defies basic logic. Why would a moderate Hutu like Rusesabagina - one who sheltered and saved the lives of over a thousand Tutsis in 1994 - support a group that seeks to exterminate Tutsis and Hutu moderates like him? Why would a man who risked his own life countless times to save Tutsi civilians suddenly turn around and support the very people who tried to kill him?
The Rwandan government has pointed to the testimony of several captured FDLR militants as proof of these allegations, but one must question the motivations of prisoners of war - who would be willing to say anything in order to gain legal leverage - especially since, as has been pointed out by NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, much of these confessions are suspected to have been obtained through torture.
If Rusesabagina is a Hutu Power militant - as the Rwandan government claims - then why did he marry a Tutsi woman and have children with her? What kind of Hutu extremist would do that, especially since Hutus who married Tutsis were branded as "race traitors" by the Interahamwe and were targeted for extermination?
The Rwandan government has accused Rusesabagina of being a "fraud" and falsifying his story of saving lives during the genocide. Kagame himself has said that Rusesabagina "should try his talents elsewhere" and "not climb on the falsehood of being a hero, because it's totally false".
But, if this is true, then why has not a single survivor contradicted his story? Why did these accusations only surface years after the genocide? Why was it only after Rusesabagina became vocally critical of Kagame that the Rwandan government began accusing him of being a fraud and a liar - after previously venerating him as a national hero?
To me, it is beyond clear that the charges against Rusesabagina are not based in fact, but in politics. Paul Kagame has stated that Rusesabagina will be guaranteed an open and fair trial, commenting "We want to do things in a right way. We are obligated to do this". But this isn't a matter of justice. This is a matter of vindictiveness and a settling of old scores.
Paul Rusesabagina is far from the only critic of Kagame to be charged with such crimes. Since Kagame took power in 2000, critics of his administration have been arrested and charged with crimes ranging from spreading "divisive ideology", "genocide denial", and "terrorism" - often using confessions suspected to have been obtained through torture. Rusesabagina's case, sadly, is not an outlier; it is a symptom of an intrinsic problem in Rwanda that is threatening to drag the country back to the era of division and conflict.
Criticism of the government is not a crime, and it should never be. It is a human right to question authority without fear for one's life or liberty. These same enlightened ideas of freedom, democracy, and unity inspired the heroes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front to rise up against a totalitarian and oppressive dictatorship that had persecuted them for decades. It was these ideas of freedom, democracy, and unity that Paul Kagame promised would define Rwanda instead of hatred, division, and genocide.
Rwanda has made great strides in the 26 years since the country was torn apart by genocide and civil war. Rwanda has gone from a war-ravaged, impoverished nation into a country with a thriving economy, a modernized infrastructure and education system, and an increased presence on the world stage. Rwanda should stand as a beacon of hope - a shining example of national unity and recovery out of an era of darkness and division.
But targeting political opponents and critics for harassment, imprisonment, or even murder; this is not what Rwanda should stand for. This is reminiscent of the era of division and hatred that Rwanda has tried so hard to leave behind. If Paul Kagame wants Rwanda to be defined by its motto - "Unity, Work, Patriotism" - then he should let Rwanda be defined that way. Targeting political opponents for forced disappearance is none of these things, and will only serve to drag Rwanda back into the era of hatred and division - an era which nearly destroyed it.
Rwanda has so much potential to be so much better. I can see it, and so can the entire world. And, for their own sake, and for the sake of the world, I pray they may fully live up to it.
Comments
Post a Comment