Critical time for Rwanda as Kagame, donors fall out

Things are not looking up for Paul Kagame. Rwanda’s President, hitherto a darling of donors, has fallen out with the West over claims he is fueling violence inside Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

A UN report, released in June, accuses President Kagame of funding and arming the rebel group M23 in violation of UN sanctions. The militia is led by renegade Gen Bosco Ntaganda, aka ‘Terminator’, who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes.

Already the UK, Netherlands, Germany and US have suspended aid to Rwanda over the allegations. Rwanda denies supporting the rebels.

Tighten belts

Kagame alleges that some members of the international community “who are plotting to overthrow President Joseph Kabila” are behind renewed fighting in eastern DRC, according to Rwanda’s Chronicles newspaper.

 Whether Kagame is guilty as charged is hard to tell but what is certain is that—with the cuttbacks—the hard part has just begun for Rwanda, which has enjoyed years of enviable growth since the 1994 genocide.

 

People who rob the dead and dying

Some people are sick, very sick in the head. These are people, and they are many according to Mr Justin Osey, who rob the injured, dying and dead at accident scenes. Osey reports that when his niece was involved in a road crash along the Mombasa-Malindi road recently, some of the “Good Samaritans” who found her writhing in pain did not help. Instead they eased her of cash, cell phones and identity papers and melted into thin air.

His friend’s wife was also involved in an accident at Tiwi South Coast and when the fiends arrived to help, they  helped themselves with all her effects and even tried strip her naked and take away her clothes.

Last Saturday, when a bus rammed into a truck in Kibarani, he says, the goons were there to rob the dead and the injured in the guise of giving a helping hand.

“Are we a cursed nation? No! We cannot live this way. We have gone astray. We should be humans. We should be remorseful.... Please let’s stop this habit. It’s a curse,” mourns Osey.