Saturday, May 1, 2010

Kudos to Activism in the US: The Sons and Daughters of the Great Lakes Might Finally Have Their Tears Wiped

By NKunda Rwanda
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza for Resident
May 1, 2010

Apart from the New York Times article “Rwanda Pursues Dissenter and the Homeless”, and Paul Rusesabagina’s brief letter to the editorial of the New York Times “Repression in Rwanda” this week appears to have been rather rough for our mad man, Kagame or the "killer without borders".

For starters, the media that has mythified him seems to be getting tired of selling doctored stories. There is an unprecedented shift in media perspective, and hard questions are being raised.

The thug was summoned with an arrest warrant in Oklahoma and as rumors have it, he escaped by the backdoor. Reports the BBC, "However he left before the event ended, making no public comment on the lawsuit. Witnesses said he was surrounded by security guards".

My understanding is that more law suits are pending. A group of Rwandans in the diaspora, how I wish I was among them, will soon be suing the man for the deaths of their relatives. Thank God for the same legal provision that made it possible for the war criminal and son of Liberians former president to be sentenced to 97 years.

For Kagame, I argue (Don’t take me serious, I am not the prosecutor) that, anything above 20 years would re-educate him into a more productive citizen. Once in jail, I will gladly start a petition requesting that they teach him some more productive skills, like carpentry and masonry--making the best use of his anger. If possible, the punishment should ban him from holding a gun for the rest of his life.

Also, the larger than life," Friends of the Congo", is spearheading a campaign against impunity and will see to it that Kagame is held responsible for the crimes he committed in the Congo. Thanks to Congolese activist, Kambale Musavuli, this time Kagame and his cartel might not get off the hook.

Activism in the US offers the greatest hope to the daughters and sons of the Great Lakes region of Africa. If we can stop the mad man from peddling his lies in the United States, then we will be very close to “civilizing” him (although I think he is in urgent need of a psychiatrist, more than anything else... and, sadly, locking him up in a US jail would only worsen his mental problems. But, again, do the victims of his slaughter worry about this? Ask Alex Engwete.

Elsewhere, I hear France has also revived the case against the general.

Soon, Kagame will become East Africa's most wanted thug. FYI, Not even the notorious Joseph Kony has that many arrest warrants.

While I am anxious to see how what prescription Rwandan spin doctors will give these latest news, I am well convinced that the west will not tolerate the dictator that Kagame continues to become. And since he draws his legitimacy from “le blanc”, his days are certainly numbered.

On a side note, several Congolese and patriotic Rwandans sacrificed their time to peacefully protest Kagame's invitation at Oklahoma Christian University—did the school forget to run a background check? My favorite picture of the day is that of a youthful protester with a large sign board that politely asks " [Kagame] how much Congolese blood is on your hands".

Well, to be frank, I don't know how longer US Evangelicals will continue shielding this fugitive. I find it hard to believe that this same criminal is the one that Rick Warren awarded the “International Medal of Peace”. A gesture that was both an insult and humiliation, in particular, to Congolese victims of Kagame's killing machine.

But, why should anyone trust evangelicals? After all, wasn’t Pat Robertson, Mobutu’s middle man for selling minerals? Didn’t he lobby the US to protect Charles Taylor’s dictatorship?

Ultimately, time seems to be against Kagame and his demise is nearing. Gone are the days when he could act however he wanted. To be sure, he can still do so. But, as they say, the hand of justice is swift and long. If we can't find justice in his kingdom will pursue it elsewhere. And the US will give us exactly that.

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