President Paul Kagame
Though Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame has always denied involvement in engineering and committing genocide, the world seems to have awakened from lethargy.

The recent arrest of Kagame’s aide, Major Rose Kabuye, by Germany authorities is a breakthrough-cum-reminder that Kagame’s days are numbered. What a slap in his face! To add insult to the injury, German authorities released Calixte Mbarushimana (secretary general of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)) based in DRC. This becomes unbearably bad augury for Kigali.

Kabuye, a major cog in the wheel, is the chief of protocol for president Kagame. A former guerrilla fighter,MP and Kigali mayor, Kabuye is revered by Rwandan despotic regime thanks to the role she played in shooting down the presidential jet that killed Juvenal Habyarimana on 6 April 1994. Kabuye is accused of complicity in bringing down the presidential jet that saw two presidents of Burundi and Rwanda killed, sparking off the genocide.

Also needed are other eight marionettes, including her husband, all with strong and close ties to the chief architect and executor of the commission of genocide-Kagame. This has oft-forced pixilated Kagame to issue his hogwash as he flails around to exonerate himself to no avail.
The world is now tired of his ballyhoos. It has decided to act decisively towards unraveling the mystery on who actually engineered and perpetrated the Rwanda genocide. The fire is pointing to Kagame and his regime.

As per her lawyers, Lef Forster, Kabuye who was held in Preungsheim Women's Prison (where Kagame recently visited her) was extradited to France on November 19 ready to face French judge Jean Luis Bruguire who looked into the matter in 2006 so as to issue arrest warrants of nine Rwandese senior officers. Despite this stride by French authorities, there was a price to pay. After French judge investigated genocidal regime of Rwanda, Kigali’s quid pro quo was to allege that the French government supported former Rwandan government that Kagame falsely accuses of having committed genocide.

Recently Germany faced the same wrath and animus. Christian Clages, its ambassodor, was ordered to leave Kigali as his Rwandan counterpart was recalled back home. What is not clear is how long poor Rwanda that needs help from rich countries will devour relations with whoever tells it the right thing. How long will Kigali go on with such inssanismadogmata? Is this the end of Kagame? Arrogance has a tendency of creating seeds of self destruction.

Kagame has another bone to chew. Spanish authorities also need Rwandan top officials before the court for the same count! France, Germany and Spain are EU’s members. By breaking ties with them, Kagame is slowly breaking away from the whole European Union. Does he get this?

To hoodwink the international community, Kagame organized demonstrations all over Rwanda. What brought this ploy to cropper is the fact that the world knows: demonstrators are forced to participate by government agents. Desperate Kagame has become more autocratic than even Idi Amin. But Germany is still unshaken. A state prosecutor, Hildegard Becker-Toussaint, emphasized that the charges against Kabuye were very serious. There is no way Germany could subscribe to cheap lies by Rwanda and ignore a writ from its European counterpart.

Kagame, for over a decade, eluded the international community. Recently, after the indictment of Sudanese dictator, he ordered the parliament to amend the constitution to entrench immunity for him. He's currently blaming Africa Union for not doing a show for him, little knowing it is tired of his lies!

The arrest of Kabuye comes at a very sensitive time. Rwanda is currently under the limelight thanks to her role in the DRC crisis. Much of the world understands that Laurent Nkundabatware, Rwandese protégé in DRC, is used by Rwanda and Uganda to steal from Democratic Republic of Congo.

By arresting Kabuye, a top confidant and aide to Kagame, it means, soon things will change for Kagame. What used to be regarded as success in Rwanda may take another turn after knowing what is behind the curtains. Even in Uganda it used to be like that. But currently Museveni is no longer attracting many western countries as before.

Though Kagame disguises himself as a liberator for Rwanda in many ways, the international community knows that he is the architect of the genocide that propelled him to power. Kagame succeeded to hoodwink the world when he appointed his stooge Hutu Pasteur Bizimungu to become President and himself Vice President and Minister for Defence. On top of this, Kagame blamed the whole world for not stopping the genocide. Due to guilt, this ploy worked for sometime. But who had the duty to stop genocide between the architect and the world community?

When Kagame toppled and detained Bizimungu, the world started to know what’s behind the curtains. Despite his efforts to conceal the truth, the world still wants to know who shot down the presidential jet that killed Habyarimana and Ntaryamirwa. Even though Kagame has strongly denied, water-tight evidence points at him. Refer to the testimonies by former Kagame allies and comrades-in-crime after the fall out, thanks to power struggles and betrayals.

Kagame’s been using Interahamwe to jump a smoking gun. His wingspan conspiracy theory that the Interahamwe brought down the presidential jet no longer does the show for him. The main answer Kagame has never been able to answer is: what are the Interahamwe fighting now if at all the deceased was their enemy? Why should they fight the guy who hated him ?

Another question is, if about one million Tutsi were killed during the genocide, where did Kagame get the current over a million others from? The world needs to do more homework on what transpired in Rwanda in 1994.

Even though Rwanda has been credited for development, democracy is still amiss. Many journalists have fled the country. Others have been arrested or gagged. Kagame has become infallible just like his pal-cum-creator, Museveni. His is dictatorial rule made of mainly the minority Tutsi. Nobody can oppose Kagame and enjoy his life. Even religious leaders cannot. By using his ally Mufti Habimana Saleh, he’s gagged all of them. Now that the once sleeping lions are waking up, what will be Kagame’s future? Is he headed for where Charles Taylor went?
Source: The African Executive Magazine Nov. 26, 2008.