January 19, 2024
Is Rwanda the bully boy of the neighbourhood? If you were new around this neck of the woods and listened to the cacophony emanating from some quarters, you’d be tempted to think so. And, to lend credence to these accusations, many observers of this region frequently state: “Rwanda must be guilty as charged or else why is she always on neighbours’ accusatory lips?”
And, indeed, with tear-laden accusations of interference in their internal affairs by her two neighbours, who wouldn’t believe this country is to blame?
But are the tears genuine or are the two neighbours shedding crocodile tears to disguise something? Because if they were to be genuine, it’d mean this country is the biggest enigma this side of the century.
How, you may ask. For having suffered the worst indignity in history, she has elected to jump to the rescue of anybody faced with any form of abuse, anywhere in the world. We all know that, apart from being among the biggest contributors to the UN peacekeeping force, she has also contributed in building peace in countries on bilateral arrangements. Citizens of these countries are sleeping easy thanks to the country’s gracious efforts.
It’s a fact, too, that Rwanda is always ready to give succour to anybody in distress. It is anathema to her, to hear that humans are being sold like slaves in Libya; girls being denied education in Afghanistan; migrants being kept in despicable conditions in the UK; say it. We know that, despite her small size, she is a welcoming home to anybody denied their rights, whatever haggles pretentious politicians may be involved in to show they care for foreigners’ freedoms.
Pretentious and hypocritical politicians denote those like British cabinet ministers and MPs who are wrangling about migrants’ rights at the end of the line.
End of the line in the sense that they consider the migrants on their territory without remembering that those are only a few survivors of an extremely treacherous route. First, many will have perished in the scorching desert, after paying vast sums to human traffickers for the dreadful death. Survivors of the desert will have been cropped down by the Mediterranean monstrous waters. And, finally, the English Channel will have sunk more to throw onto its shores only a few survivors.
When Rwanda gets involved, she is seeking to stem the whole tomblike venture.
That apart, who doesn’t know that this country is a fanatic of, craves, nay, lives for the coming together of countries and their peoples to advance themselves? This is because, to her, integration means the expansion of markets, diversity of innovative ideas and rejection of individual countries living in silos, among others. Think the many countries’ integrations Rwanda belongs to.
Which reminds me. The two querulous neighbours should remember whom to thank for getting the idea of belonging to the East African Community, whose principles they are now busy trampling! Just as they have trampled La Comminauté Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs (CEPGL), an economic integration of DRC, Burundi and Rwanda that today lies in limbo.
Clearly, then, Rwanda is not the kind of country that can think of sabotaging neighbours. Even if she were to be located on the moon, the two countries would today be mired in their morass.
So, instead of forever crying wolf, leaders in the D.R. Congo and Burundi should find ways of addressing their problems. Pulling the Rwanda wool over citizens’ eyes about her being the source of all their problems can only buy them short ruling comfort.
In the end, their citizens will demand meaningful development, as they see in their leaders’ vilified neighbour. They’ll discover how their leaders use aggression accusations as a cover-up of their ineptitude. How they foolishly believe that the West, for loathing any progressing African country, will help them in their fight against their ‘cover-up contrivance’, Rwanda.
And so, thoughtlessly they came together, like souteneurs in the bagnio that was Bujumbura, with a beef-up by a Rwandan pack of dissidents. They reviewed how support by the clandestine Burundi army to the Congolese army and its coalition of FDLR, CODECO, Mai Mai, Chini ya Tuna, etc., génocidaires, rapists, etc., to overrun the M23 that’s fighting for its freedoms was faring.
The verdict: not well. So, Burundi, punish Rwanda, because M23 has Congolese Rwandophones of the stock of the section of those killed in the Genocide against the Tutsi! And the reasoning behind that? Wipe out Rwanda and kill DRC and Burundi domestic opposition!
Now, paradoxically, Burundi borders, not DRC’s, with Rwanda are closed, don’t ask me how. Just know that Rwanda will never again get any silverfish nor eels.
Hah, think on it! Silverfish and eels? Give me another! Much loss Rwanda will suffer!
Poor homeland, what gods cursed you, that you should have prats for leaders of your neighbourhood? Leaders sans principle nor vision; who think their problem is a safe and progressing Rwanda, not poverty. Leaders whose mission and vision is to blow Rwanda out of existence. Talk about captured grasshoppers in a covered basket!
But, not to worry. From 1994, Rwanda has shown that she can prevail over the worst of odds.
