Sunday, October 21, 2012

Rwanda: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot

By Jennifer Fierberg, MSW Salem-News.com
October 16, 2012

Sadly, Turatsinze is the latest innocent victim of this dangerous regime due to knowing too much about what really goes on inside the Rwandan Government.
Theogene Turatsinze
Theogene Turatsinze
(WASHINGTON DC) - Holding too much information and working closely with the government in Rwanda can be a lethal combination.



This was evidenced again on Monday when the body of Theogene Turatsinze was found after having been missing since Friday night in Mozambique. Sources held report that he had been abducted by unknown assailants and was never seen alive again.
The cause of his death has been unofficially declared as drowning but the official cause of death is still being investigated. His hands were found bound behind his back and he was submerged in water when his body was discovered.
Theogene Turatsinze was the Managing Director of the Rwanda Development Bank from 2005-2007.
In 2007 Turatsinze was told by the Minister of Finance in Rwanda to declare the bank as bankrupt because the bank had no money. He refused to declare the bankruptcy because the money had been borrowed by Rwandan Government officials and invested in personal businesses and he believed this money should and could be paid back. He was then forced to resign and his assistant, Jack Kayonga took over the bank. Jack Kayonga did immediately what the Minister of finance asked by declaring the bank as bankrupt and cancelling all of the debt owed by the members of the RPF.
In 2007 Turatsinze moved to Mozambique where he worked as a lecturer and a business man. A few days ago he was contacted by the World Bank and the IMF because these two organizations were seeking his help to answer their questions as to where the money in the bank had gone when the bank declared itself as banrupt. These two organizations are the main lenders of the RDB. They requested the RDB to conduct an audit but had requested to speak with Turatsinze first.
These investigations came after the World Bank discovered that the Government of Rwanda (RPF) is worth hundreds of millions of US dollars. Reliable Sources from the Rwandan intelligence have reported that his killing was planned and carried out by Rwandan service men due to his knowledge of where the money had gone and the risk of him giving information to the IMF and the World Bank.
The financial situation in Rwanda today is very fragile due to the amount of aid being cut to this small country based on reports of Rwanda’s involvement in continuing to destabilize Eastern Congo by the report published in June 2012 by the UN Group of Experts. Having another stain on the country after this very damaging report would most likely prove to be disastrous as Rwanda struggles to hang onto what little aid it is still receiving from the International community.
Sadly, Turatsinze is the latest innocent victim of this dangerous regime due to knowing too much about what really goes on inside the Rwandan Government.

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Jennifer Fierberg is a social worker in the US working on peace and justice issues in Africa with an emphasis on the crisis in Rwanda and throughout the central region of Africa. Her articles have been published on many humanitarian sites that are also focused on changing the world through social, political and personal action.
Jennifer has extensive background working with victims of trauma and domestic violence, justice matters as well as individual and family therapy. Passionate and focused on bringing the many humanitarian issues that plague the African Continent to the awareness of the developed world in order to incite change. She is a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. Jennifer was also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village. You can write to Jennifer at jfierberg@ymail.com. Jennifer comes to www.Salem-News.com with a great deal of experience and passion for working to stop human right violation in Africa.

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