Fly-by-night critics often miss the real Rwanda
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By G Mwaura Rwanda will always have its detractors in complete disregard of the reality. And despite the strides it has made to unite, reconcile and lead its people towards national development, it is indisputable Rwanda will always be defined by the 1994 genocide, which seemingly, was inevitable. Andrew Wallis in Silent Accomplice: The Untold Story of France’s Role in the Rwandan Genocide details a 1992 incident when President Paul Kagame, then commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) liberation force, against the advice of his comrades, went to Paris, at the invitation of French officials to discuss a proposed "political solution" to Rwandan conflict. On arrival, Kagame was ‘abducted’ by French security forces and taken to Paul Dijoud, an official at the Foreign Ministry, who told him to "stop fighting or else by the time you reach Kigali (capital of Rwanda) you will find all your people dead". He didn’t know it then — but that was an early warning of planned apocalypse by the then Rwandan regime with full awareness of French officials such as Mr Dijoud. Complete turnaround But observers such as Prof Yash Ghai, in his article ‘What they don’t tell you about Rwanda’ (The Standard on Sunday, October 4), have tried to appreciate how a country as devastated as Rwanda — in the immediate aftermath of genocide — has made a complete turnaround, and is registering achievements that few other countries with a similar background have. Unfortunately, some of them often conclude — usually after a quick visit, review of literature from like-minded individuals, and conversations with the usual resident naysayers — the progress achieved so far must be a result of a combination of Western guilt, exploitation of neighbours’ resources, and oppression or abuse of citizens. They fail to point out no country in history has ever developed basing its policies on such ‘strategies’. But steps taken by the post-genocide leadership to ensure security for Rwandans, have been a result of active engagement by Rwandans in national dialogue at every level in determining the future of their country. For the first time in history, Rwanda has a government that aspires to embrace and bring together all its citizens. As a result, Rwanda has recovered and is making determined strides towards unity, democracy and prosperity for all. Every shade of commentators on the definition or realities of the genocide that almost destroyed Rwanda will always have own opinions. And perhaps the world will never see the end of selective analyses by those who choose to distort the experience of a people targeted for genocide. To get Rwanda to where it is, the Government has actively advocated "reconciliation, inclusion and coming to terms with the past", all based on the country’s history and the desire to do things differently. It may be recalled when the international community failed to act, Rwanda pursued genocide masterminds and perpetrators into the Democratic Republic of Congo, seeing the return of over two million Rwandans held hostage in refugee camps, resettled them and restored their property. These are the very Rwandans who are now working to rebuild their country and contributing to its increasingly positive reputation. —Mwaura co-authored the book, The Resilience of a Nation: A History of the Military in Rwanda