Excellences,
In 1994 both of you were still young in distinguished political journeys that eventually placed you at the pinnacles of power in the United States and the United Kingdom. You recall that 1994 was a watershed moment in Rwanda that gave birth to a national tragedy-that of genocide- of unimaginable magnitude.
It has been 20 years since then, and one would have hoped that the most important lessons of that period would have been learned, and that history would never have to be repeated. Unfortunately, history is repeating itself in Rwanda, and our nation is yet again on the brink of another national disaster. In the prelude to the 1994 genocide, all the signs for the impending gloom and doom were visible, and yet the world community, your countries inclusive, chose to ignore them. As mayhem descended on ordinary Rwandans, the world community, your countries included, chose to abandon Rwanda. It was the United States that initiated the shameful policy of abandonment which the rest of the international community had to follow, leading to the guilt-laden behavior of the international community in post-genocide Rwanda.
Post-genocide Rwanda under President Paul Kagame has betrayed the expectations of the majority of Rwandans, despite their hard work and resilience. Responding to the crushing needs of Rwandans, and of late, to geopolitical interests, the United States and the United Kingdom emerged as the chief benefactors and protectors of the Kagame regime. It is this unquestioning support to one of the most undemocratic and brutal regimes of this age that has fueled Kagame’s arrogant intransigence with impunity; politically motivated assassinations, disappearances and imprisonment of political opponents, journalists and human rights activists; total closure of political space; war-making and gross human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. FULL STORY
