By David Himbara
Dear Ms Omar,
You deservedly earned a reputation in the US Congress of a human rights champion. Sadly, your legacy is at risk because of your utterly incomprehensible stance on Rwanda.
Begin with your private visit with Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame on October 9-10, 2021. Only months before your Rwanda visit, the US government asked the Kagame regime to “independently and transparently investigate credible allegations of unlawful or arbitrary arrests and detentions, killings, and enforced disappearances.” Among Kagame’s victims is Paul Rusesabagina, an American permanent resident abducted in what Kagame described as a “flawless operation.”
Twenty nine of your colleagues in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including Chairperson Gregory Meeks (D) and the Ranking member Michael McCaul (R) just co-sponsored a resolution calling on Kagame to free Rusesabagina. In an irony of ironies, you, the human rights champion opposed the resolution. Ms Omar, it is human to err. Please join your colleagues in holding the Rwandan strongman accountable for human rights abuses instead of rewarding him.
Sincerely, David Himbara