Gregory Mthembu-Salter meets Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, whose message for his hostile neighbour is ‘loud and clear’
Major General Paul Kagame has been President of Rwanda for 56 days, following the resignation in March of former leader Pasteur Bizimungu for “personal reasons”.
When the Mail & Guardian interviewed Kagame in Kigali on June 10, Rwandan troops were on the verge of pushing Ugandan forces out of Kisangani in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after a week of heavy fighting. Kagame insisted that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was to blame for the latest fighting.
Referring to reports that Museveni had recently described the Rwandan leadership to Parliament as “boys” whom he had personally taught all that they know, Kagame said that his message to Museveni was “loud and clear”.
“Museveni has addressed Parliament and insulted Rwanda and the leadership of Rwanda … Rwandans would benefit more from being left alone to manage their affairs without others knowing what is good or bad for them. Rwandans have been portrayed as having a lot to learn from others and this has cultivated other bad feelings.”
Kagame said that Museveni sees himself as the strongman of the region, and that that was the problem in Rwanda-Uganda relations. “For Museveni, if his forces are not in charge then there should be fighting. It’s a very bad attitude.”
Kagame insisted that despite the “regrettable” loss of Congolese life in Kisangani, leaving the city to Museveni’s forces would only make matters worse. “Letting him have his way in Kisangani would not solve the problem. [It] would only encourage him.”
Kagame was angered by Museveni’s recent remarks concerning the alleged failure of the Kigali regime to adopt an inclusive political approach, which the Ugandan leader claims is the central weakness of the Rwandan government, both at home and in Congo.
Museveni suggested that the high-level political resignations that rocked Rwanda earlier this year showed the government’s failure to pursue more broad-based politics. He also contrasted Rwanda’s interventionist approach in Congo to Uganda’s “inclusive” style, which apparently seeks instead to nurture home- grown Congolese political participation.
These allegations query a central tenet of the Rwandan government’s claim to political credibility – namely that even though it won an outright military victory in 1994 its instincts are democratic. The international and donor communities have broadly accepted this claim. This acceptance, helped by guilt about their role during the genocide, has led donors to give billions in reconstruction aid to Rwanda. The flow of aid has continued through the latest war in Congo, and Rwanda cannot afford to lose it.
Kagame sees Museveni’s comments as a threat to Rwanda’s political credibility. He claims his country is an inspiration for the region.
“The way we have reconciled our society and brought everyone in is the model. In Burundi, they are six years behind us. In our army we have integrated over 15 000 from the former armed forces. More than 1,5- million refugees have been brought in from Congo, including those who were involved in the genocide. We have established a variety of institutions like the Human Rights Commission to help consolidate these gains.”
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have, however, recently published two reports critical of Rwanda’s human rights record. The reports’ claims have been dismissed by the Rwandan government as “mean-spirited, grossly prejudiced and shallowly researched”.
During the interview, Kagame denied recent speculation that he concluded a deal with Congolese President Laurent Desir Kabila when they met in Eldoret, Kenya, earlier this month.
It is claimed in Kampala that Kagame and Kabila, despite their differences, are united in their ambition to frustrate the Lusaka peace process, fearing it could lead to Kabila losing power and Rwanda leaving Congo. Congo is believed by many in the region as too lucrative for Rwanda to abandon willingly.
The Ugandan press has speculated that in the event of a Zimbabwean pull-out, Kabila has offered Kagame the diamond-rich town of Mbuji-Mayi in return for Kagame assisting Kabila in his struggle against the Uganda- backed Mouvement pour la libration du Congo.
Kagame rejected this. “Can Kabila give me Mbuji-Mayi for nothing? Why do these Ugandans speculate? Why don’t they ask me?”
Kagame said that Kabila had agreed to deal with the Rwandan interahamwe “decisively”, while he promised that if Kabila acted against both the interahamwe and the Mai-Mai militia, Rwanda would withdraw from Congo.
Information from South Kivu suggests, however, that Kabila is instead increasing his assistance to these forces, prompting fears in Kigali that he is opening up a second front right on Rwanda’s borders. The prospect of renewed fighting in South Kivu, and the near certainty that the war in Congo between Uganda and Rwanda is far from over, does not create auspicious conditions for the planned South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployment in Congo.
Contrary to growing perceptions in the region, South Africa has not yet been asked by the United Nations to supplement its tiny presence in Kisangani. Nonetheless, Kagame sought to assure the SANDF that if it does come, it will have nothing to fear. “Before South African troops arrive my feeling is we shall have resolved the problem of Kisangani … Those coming to help should be optimistic.”