In 1980 the banyarwanda of Congo revolted against the Mobutu government, this as a result of them being barred from participating in the presidential elections as they were being called foreigners, something that rubbed them the wrong way, especially those who were indigenous Congolese from south Kivu.
Following these riots, they were advised to change their tribe name from banyarwanda to Banyamulenge, so as to differentiate the indigenous banyarwanda of Congo from the new comers who were viewed by the government as foreigners and thus had no right to vote, following these discussions, the Banyamulenge through their representative one Gisaro Muhoza, were able to become constitutionally Congolese.
First forward to 1996 after their cousins from Rwanda ( RPF) took over power, the elite Banyamulenge such as Bizima karaha and Azarias Ruberwa were approached by the RPF officials and convinced that they are to help them join the political class and be able to participate in the governance of their country, this as they were mobilized to support the then renegade rebel Laurent Kabira to oust the Mobutu government out of power.
Riding on the card of discrimination and segregation, the Banyamulenge joined the coalition to liberate themselves in a war that sucked in Uganda and Rwanda.
However despite the fact that the Banyamulenge had challenges just like the rest of the Congolese under Mobutu’s dictatorship, never in their history had they become stateless, destitute and at the vague of being extinct as they are today.
Despite the change of name from banyarwanda to Banyamulengye, the rest of the Congolese people haven’t stopped on hating them and asking their government to expell them,but this as a result of them accepting to be used by their cousins from Rwanda to push forward their political and economic agenda in Congo.
Fellow Ugandans of Rwandan origin, stay away from groups of people such as Abavandimwe, who are riding on the few challenges that you have to push forward their political agenda and that of their country of origin.
For its true that banyarwanda of Uganda, just like the rest Ugandans have challenges, but if you choose to purport segregation and stigmatization and then other tribes all claim discrimination and exclusion from political power and other sectors of government, what will happen to our country?
Besides for a people like Abavandimwe that claim to be advocating for this banyarwanda community in uganda, is change of a name the solution to these challenges or?
Come-on people this is 2021 and we should be looking at regional integration for better security and a big East African market but not looking at a small unit of our society called a tribe.
By Prossy Boona
