By David Himbara
Ambassador Eugene-Richard Gasana was General Kagame’s, confident and right-hand man. This is especially illustrated by the positions Kagame granted Gasana. For example, Gasana was the only person in the Kagame regime to simultaneously hold ambassadorship overseas and a cabinet post despite the fact that he was not living in Rwanda. Gasana was Rwanda’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations and State Minister in charge of International Cooperation.
When in August 2016, Kagame recalled Gasana to Rwanda, Gasana jumped ship. Gasana was all but forgotten until mentioned by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, as one the Rwandan exiles who met him in February 2019.
We now know what happened since Gasana vanished after refusing to return to Rwanda. Gasana’s lawyers used what is known as “Section 13 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.” Under this Act, individuals who enter the United States under diplomatic status and meet certain criteria are eligible to obtain permanent residence status. To qualify for Section 13, one of the conditions to be met is as follows:
“There are compelling reasons why you or your immediate family member are unable to return to the country which accredited you as a diplomat.”
Gasana made a smart move. He went to a top lawyer specializing in Section 13, Michael Wildes. Wildes is also the author of Safe Haven in America: Battles to Open the Golden Door, July 2018. As Wildes describes in his work, his clients range from KGB agents, nuclear whistle-blowers, and “even accused terrorists fighting for their lives.”
To go to lawyers who represent individuals “fighting for their lives” Gasana must have known that he was in great danger. Gasana was right. Not only is Kagame widely known for sending hit squads overseas to kill people, he publicly celebrates their deaths.