A veteran journalist has accused Rwandan Ambassador Maj Gen Frank Mugambage of threatening him and holding him hostage, accusations the diplomat dismisses as “baseless” and “ridiculous.”
Justus Muhanguzi, who now works with Uganda Human Rights Commission, says he now lives in fear after releasing a book about the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The book is titled ‘Eyes of a Journalist, an eyewitness account of the 1990-1994 war and genocide in Rwanda.
Muhanguzi claims the publication has since angered officials at the Rwanda embassy in Kampala and had at first called off the official launch of the book which had been slated for April 2017.
Muhanguzi, while launching the book at Hotel Africa this week, said a day to the planned launch he received a call from the Uganda Police spokesperson Asan Kasingye for a meeting with the police chief General Kale Kayihura in Naguru.
At the police headquarters, Muhanguzi said he never met Kayihura who was reportedly busy.
Justus Muhanguzi
In Kasingye’s office, Muhanguzi said he found a Rwandan diplomat, Ismael Baguma, who said government had issues with the book.
Muhanguzi said Baguma told him that Amb Mugambage wanted to see him which he reluctantly accepted.
At the embassy, he says Mugambage told him he had been following the author’s “malicious and false stories about the war.”
Mugambage, according to Muhanguzi, cautioned the latter against being misguided by Rwanda’s enemies.
Muhanguzi said that “Without mincing words, (Ambassador) Mugambage told me to abandon the idea of the launch and said the international community was only interested in healing the wounds caused by genocide…”
He added: “I realised I was under captivity and was not sure whether I would get out of the embassy premises in one piece…I apologised for my wrong doing.”
Before being allowed to leave the embassy, Muhanguzi said he was warned never to leak what happened to the media and never to release a single copy of the book.
Ambassador Speaks Out
However, in response, Mugambage on Sunday told ChimpReports he indeed met with Muhanguzi but never threatened him.
“It’s true we met and I want to emphasize we didn’t meet once. He came at his will. He came to the embassy about five times,” said the soldier-turned-diplomat.
“How do you say you were held hostage yet you were a regular visitor? It’s ridiculous,” he added.
Asked why he met with Muhanguzi, the Ambassador responded: “The reason I met him was the story of liberation which was being serialised in the papers. It had a lot of falsehoods and distortions. So we talked to him and he admits about the conspiracy theories.”
Muhanguzi was among the Ugandan journalists who covered the Rwanda Patriotic Front war against the regime of Juvenal Habyarimana.
He has of late been writing about his war experience for mainstream newspapers in Uganda.
Muhanguzi has since written articles about the assassination of Habyarimana and death of then RPF Commander, Fred Rwigyema.
Out of this serialisation, Mugambage said the Embassy was interested in knowing, “who is this person and why is he doing this?”
Mugambage said in several discussions, Muhanguzi “admits about those falsehoods. He admits about the conspiracy theories. He accepts people with certain interest who engage him.”
The diplomat further said Muhanguzi wanted money from the Embassy not to publish his book.
“It’s like a trade off,” he observed.
Asked whether the request for money was put in writing, Mugambage said it’s verbal.
He further said Muhanguzi’s book is part of a large scheme to discredit the Rwandan government especially at this critical time.
“The man is a liar. His main interest is to be used to try and make some quick money.
We had discussions on misreporting the struggle,” said Mugambage.
“It’s not correct to say we held him hostage because he voluntarily visited our office many times. We have a right to tell him that this is what is right.”
