By Claver Ndushabandi
Video: Kagame Downplays Impact of Rebel Attacks; Justifies Protests in ‘Neighbouring Country’. President Paul Kagame has moved to downplay the impact of multiple attacks on Rwandan territory by armed militants, saying removing his government from power is not a simple task.
Armed rebels have in recent months waged attacks on Rwanda, killing several people and destroying property in the country’s main tourist hubs. The rebels later shared a video on social media platforms showing weapons and military uniform and guns reportedly recovered from attacks. They intended to show that they had killed Rwandan soldiers, an account Kigali dismissed as untrue.

Speaking a few days ago, Kagame, whose rebel movement, RPF, carried out sustained military attacks on the government of Juvenal Habyarimana before taking power in 1994, said the prevailing conditions cannot allow militants to challenge his hold onto power.
“When you look at the people who want to destabilize our countries; sometimes they tell themselves that this is how the RPA Liberation struggle started in 1990,” said Kagame.
“That is wrong,” he emphasised, adding, “It’s not as easy as one plus one equals two, that’s not how it is.”
Kagame accuses Rwandan dissident General Kayumba Nyamwasa, who lives in South Africa, or arming rebels to destabilise his country.
Nyamwasa has since ruled out using military means to unseat Kagame, saying his organisation, Rwanda National Congress (RNC) believes in peaceful handover of power.
“Whoever wants to destabilise Rwanda under the pretense of giving Rwandans the life he wants instead of the life they want, or have, that they have struggled for, cannot win that war. It’s impossible. It can’t happen,” charged Kagame.
The President spoke at the closing of the 12th Unity Club Forum, an association of current and former cabinet ministers and their spouses.
Protests
Meanwhile, Kagame also spoke about protests in a “neighbouring country” he did not mention, saying they were a result of massive exploitation of people by their leaders.
He said in the unmentioned neighbouring country, 1% of the population controls 100% of the country’s resources, leaving others to suffer.
“Countries I mentioned with problems is because they never cared for the people. It’s that burden they are struggling with. They are paying accumulated debt… Those demonstrations you are seeing is about people saying ‘. Hmm you lied to us. From the beginning, we supported you, we followed you and afterwards you abandoned us and took all the country’s resources,’” said Kagame.
The Rwandan president was understood to be referring to Uganda which is grappling with protests at Makerere University.
The students are protesting the tuition increment policy they say discriminates the poor.
The administration says the policy was passed after consultations with students.
Police and the Education Minister, Janet Museveni claim the protests are being funded by political actors seeking to destabilise Uganda.
Kagame’s remarks could be seen as being supportive of political violence in Uganda.
“In that neighboring country,” said Kagame, adding, “1% of the population controls 99% of the population politically. Then 1% controls 100% percent of the resources and the rest follow. The demonstrators you see are people demanding what is theirs. They are saying you cheated us. Those people are used like one would use a motorbike to reach your destination. Now people are saying we refuse to carry you on our backs. You take everything and leave nothing to us.”
The audience looked on in stone silence as Kagame spoke his heart out.
Kagame fled from genocide in Rwanda to seek refuge in Uganda. He lived and studied in Uganda.
A trained intelligence officer, Kagame would later pick up arms to fight alongside President Museveni in the NRA war that brought the latter to power in 1986.
Speaking at the same function in Kigali, Kagame claimed that while living in Uganda, the Rwandan refugees received people who advised them not to waste time returning to their homeland.
“In 1988, they sent people to give us lessons and ask us why we want to go back to the little country. What does one want in their motherland? However it might be, whatever the situation it might be in, that’s their motherland, it’s their home,” said Kagame.
“The then leaders were starting history midway and telling those that were outside to stay there. They were even paying people and sending them to convince us to stay where we were and even make those places where we had sought refuge our home.”
“When you take someone’s right from them, the urge to fight to get it back becomes even stronger. And in the struggle for truth, for human rights, those on the right side of history always win,” he added.
He said the refugees “were not willing to become secondary citizens in foreign lands. A secondary citizen is someone who gets leftovers. Nationals get to choose first and what is left out is given to secondary citizens. We didn’t want to live that way.”
Rwanda’s relations with Uganda and Burundi remain strained with Kampala and Bujumbura accusing Kagame of meddling in their internal affairs. Kigali denies the charge.
Source: ChimpReports