Written by Major Michel Mupende former RPA and RDF officer.
Kagame’s longtime bodyguard James Kabarebe in his address to the RPF members on the 20/12/2019 told ridiculous lies about those Rwandans that he called traitors who have always collaborated with the neighboring country and its leader to destabilize Rwanda. He said; the country and its Leader have always been against Rwanda’s development and that, the Leader of that country from1994 had an idea that Rwanda did not qualify to exist as a nation but instead, the country of Rwanda should be partitioned and its pieces be given to neighboring countries.
Kabarebe reflected on Rwanda’s resilience in the last 25 years despite the treacherous plans to deter its prosperity and existence by those he allegedly called, internal enemies that were being used by a neighboring country.
Internal Enemies cited were; former President Pasteur Bizimungu, Majors; A. Furuma, Michael Mupende and Fautin Twagiramungu. Politicians; Minister Seth Sendashonga and M.P Col. Theoneste Lizinde and many others. Kaberebe, said that those alleged traitors, betrayed Rwanda, the country of which they fought for, in order to serve the interests of a neighboring country (leader). That country and its leader have never given up on their agenda till now, Kabarebe reiterated. When Rwanda got involved in the war that pitted 8 African countries in the DR. Congo, Rwanda was attacked and faced off with eight countries while this ninth country was busy shooting Rwanda from the rear. In the same statement, Kabarebe defiantly says; against all odds, in that complex war; Rwanda was able to defeat all the 8 enemy countries and later turned to defeat the ninth enemy in the rear.
HERE IS MY CANNDID RESPONSE TO GEN. JAMES KABAREBE
I will briefly dispute the above lies and allegations as thus: Kabarebe and his Master Kagame’s allegations and lies are ridiculous. Kagame has been an authoritarian ruler, who has ruled Rwanda with an iron hand. Through lies and corrupt ways, he has made many international observers hail Rwanda as “a success story” for its economic development, good governance, and social reforms to mention a few. But all that said, blinds the darkest side of the state of affairs in the country; the issue of gross human rights violations that has been going on unchecked and ignored by the international community ever since Kagame took power in 1994.
Western powers continue to empower and support an authoritarian regime, while it continues to violate human rights almost with impunity. The system killed many of its own citizens both at home and outside the country, crushed dissent, coerced the population into elections, they rigged elections, eliminated opposition parties and the civil society. The Kagame controlled legislation outlawed dissenting opinions and perpetuate RPF’s position as the only country’s ruling party.
Why is Kagame’s system changing the recent history by embarking on telling lies to the people of Rwanda, more especially to the youth?
Because Kagame’s authoritarian leadership was built on betrayal and bloodshed right from the beginning, he leads with terror and paranoia due to fear of possible revenge for those he has killed. For instance; after the assassination of Rwigyema, Bayingana and Bunyenyezi; he killed many other officers in fear of a possible retaliation. He held down in promotions many that he feared are either related to or were associated to anyone he had killed.
Why is Rwanda/Kagame using Kabarebe to lie against Uganda and its leadership after 25 years to have been behind their problems?
Again, this is my history but not politics; I was part of both NRA and RPA; and no body should associate what I am writing here with politics. I am writing from my heart.
On the allegedly, neighboring country and leader, this is definitely Uganda and its President Museveni.
In responseto Kabarebe’s lies, I have this to say regarding Uganda’s role into our liberation struggle; politics, and in the general relationship vis a vis Kabarebe’s bizarre statements.
Let me first thank God for he is the almighty God that makes everything possible, including our struggle.
Second let me take this opportunity to thank Ugandans for their solidarity and kindness to Rwandans at all times. whenever they had political, economic and social setbacks from their country, its well known that Uganda was always there for us.
Today, Uganda hosts Rwandan refugees that triples the numbers of our times, when we were growing up from the 1960’s on…
Let me just stick to the point of Kabarebe’s statements; I can’t imagine how a person like James Kabarebe or anybody else, who grew up in Uganda and with sane mind, would have the guts to tarnish and tell falsehoods against a People and a country Uganda.
Uganda and Museveni made Kagame who is today and made many other Rwandans who we are today. Kagame was a jobless sot in Kampala and only found something to do, when Museveni launched his guerrilla war in 1981 in central Uganda. Museveni and Uganda contributed to Rwanda’s liberation struggle that put Kagame to the current presidency immeasurably.
Its Uganda that helped us acquire even the nucleus (cell; Gishuro. Sector; Shonga of Comune; Muvumba in Byumba) from which we sprung to capture state power. Its Uganda government and the Ugandans that stood with us to rebuild the country that was in shambles and they helped us get back to our feet. Uganda stood with Rwanda in the Congo war, even though this ended in armies of both countries fighting each other.
In brief; its shameless lies from Kabarebe to suggest that, Uganda and Ugandans never, ever wished the Nation of Rwanda well, or that Uganda wanted to take any piece of Rwandan soil for itself. James Kabarebe is simply lying to the Rwandan public.
Kagame’s life dream, was to rule Rwanda no matter what.
Pateur Bizimungu was democratically chosen by the RPF executives to lead the country into a transition period from 1994 to 2003.
Because Kagame feared revenge from the original officers and men from NRA for his assassination of Rwigema, he concentrated on building his personal army within the RPF, expectedly a loyal army to be later headed by the likes of James Kabarebe to defend him.
By May,1991, Kagame had promoted his chosen future military leaders, including James Kabarebe, where most of them skipped ranks. Not only did he accelerate the promotion of novices to high ranks, Paul Kagame ignored officers in key positions who were senior and only converted their original conventional army ranks into rebel ones.
Out of my own advocacy, I led a good number of officers to the late Steven Ndugute alias Kalisoliso to question him about the unfairness in the promotion process. Following that, in few days, hundreds of original NRA officers who merited it, were promoted to the next rank. For that reason and more, I was left behind in promotions throughout the war.
President Kagame did not take the Presidency immediately after the takeover of Kigali, just because he was not ready. Kagame got some coaching during the struggle from our elite combatants but he was not ready to comprehend all that needed to be learnt as quickly as was expected, which meant that he needed a little longer time of study.
Therefore, in all the time he was a vice president, all he was doing was to learn the ways and market himself to the outside world. As soon as he was prepared, he consulted for Pasteur Bizimungu’s removal, those outside leaders and our own RPF executives whom he approached on the issue advised him that it wasn’t a good idea.
Greedy Kagame did not listen to anyone but, instead he instructed his DMI to fabricate cases against Pasteur Bizimungu and later he was forced by Kagame to resign.
I categorically dispute all the smear against me by Kabarebe on behalf of his boss. First of all, I did not betray my country, am not a traitor, and Uganda government never used me as alleged, Rather, I was against the authoritarian tendency of the regime that tolerated no dissent, amongst many other crimes that only exist in Rwanda. I was on KATEBE (an arbitrary house arrest) for a period of nearly 3 years; from Nov,1998 to Mar,2000, and I was accused of condemning the Kisangani clashes between Rwanda and Uganda forces in 1999. Prior to that, I had been named a criminal and an enemy of state of Rwanda in a meeting held in Camp Gako in 1996, for citing among other issues; the system’s corrupt ways that particularly involved Kagame himself, tarnishing the name of the person of then present Bizimungu, and the rampant killings that were going on in the country.
I have always stood for truth and against evil in our society, I never gave up even when in the hands of those traitors themselves. I have paid high price for being my personality; I am a true survivor; just in a few instances to mention; from the battle field in Gaboro, I survived the enemy and the hyenas when I was left by my retreating friendly forces while I was severely injured.
I survived 3 of Kagame’s attempted assassinations; once while in the struggle and twice when in the Government.
Hence, smear and threats won’t hinder my path. I know well that, Kagame was hard hit by the truth about his hand in the death of Fred Rwigyema, and the recent mentioning of our names, is an indication that there is a renewed hunt for me and others which is going on to harm us, his perceived enemies as a retaliation.
I understand Kagame very well, when he talks about the high price to be paid by those opposed to or who condemn his dictatorial tendencies. He is actually talking of killing those opponents.
Ever since my testimony, Rwanda government has intensified their attacks against me in the media; through their DMI paper, Rushyashya, Igihe and the New Times. The blame from the papers continue to associate my testimony with Uganda government leadership and went further to attack the person of President Museveni. In spite of the media attacks, I also received verbal attacks by a group of Rwandans here in the U.S.A.
I am in no way associated with Uganda Government. When I write about my history, to document what happened in the Rwandan struggle, that’s my history, and the history of the Rwandan people. Just because the perpetrators want to keep the Rwandan population in the dark, does not mean that they own our history.
I ask Kabarebe and anybody else working for the Kigali system, not to associate me with any neighboring country.
Why blame your neighbor for your own problems? How many have fled the authoritarian leadership through Uganda, were they all invited?
NGO’S IN THE LATE 1990’S AND THEIR EXPULSION FROM RWANDA.
Non-governmental organizations were a threat to Kagame’s system that was busy killing its own people and planning to invade Zaire as it was called at the time, to commit crimes. The Kagame system did not want the NGOs to see and report some of the killings and the rooting that were being committed.
THE DR. CONGO INVASION AND THE FORCED RETURN OF REFUGEES
The mapping report, Judi Rever’s in praise of blood, the Congolese population, the Rwandan refugees, and various human the rights groups can be referred to, in order to understand exactly whether the refugees were brought back to Rwanda without shooting any single shot as Kabarebe claims, I don’t think that is the case. Please add this single one sentence but keep all those sources of references.
Kabarebe’s claim that, millions of Hutu refugees from DRC were returned back to Rwanda without using any single shot is very wrong. Hutu camps were surrounded, and attacked by RPA units. Those who were surrounded were brought to Rwanda and those who hesitated were killed em mass,and the rest ran for their lives,scattered all over in the jungles.
