19 June 2008
Village Urugwiro — President Paul Kagame Wednesday said that the African continent had failed the people of Zimbabwe by its failure to help resolve the political crisis in that country.
The President made the remarks during his regular meeting with members of the local and international media at Village Urugwiro, Kigali.
"There is a failure by African countries to support the process in Zimbabwe. The first impression is that there are some serious problems," said the president.
He continued, pointing out that even though neighbouring countries had a moral obligation to help, it was up to the people of Zimbabwe to take the first step.
"The problem cannot be solved by outsiders, but Zimbabweans themselves should be seen to be trying to solve their own problems," pointed out Kagame, though he suggested that if they failed, then SADC (Southern African Development Community) should "step in."
The country embarks on a second round of presidential elections next week, the run up to which has been marred by political violence and threats from Mugabe and his supporters vowing that they would not let the opposition candidate, Mr Tsvangirai, take power even if he won.
Morgan Tsvangirai narrowly won the first round of the elections but failed to get the more than 50% needed to avoid a runoff.
President Kagame was sceptical as to whether the elections would be free and fair in view of the current war drums sounding from Mugabe's camp.
"It does not need a genius to understand that free and fair elections can be hard to contemplate in the current situation," Kagame pointed out.
The president also touched on the issue of indictments by Spanish and French judges, saying that they were an insult to the people of Rwanda.
"They use the law when it suits their purposes," said Mr. Kagame, adding that Rwanda's decision to indict foreigners suspected of involvement in the 1994 Tutsi Genocide for war crimes was more valid and had tangible evidence.
"There are compelling reasons why they should indict more people living in their countries," he continued, saying that it was simply politics, where those countries think 'might is right'.
The government recently decided to apply the Universal Jurisdictions clause embedded in its laws to indict those it has tangible evidence against.
"We should not be treated like this. We shouldn't take it lying down. We have to be prepared to respond," he said, adding that he would raise the issue of foreign indictments against third world countries in the African Union.
Church should apologise
President Kagame also condemned recent remarks by the head of the Catholic Church in Rwanda, Archbishop Thadée Ntihinyurwa, who recently told some foreign radio networks that the Rwandan judiciary should not handle the trial of the four army officers charged with the deaths of Kabgayi Catholic clergy in 1994.
Ntihinyurwa alleged that the trial would not be transparent and should be handled by foreign courts or the Arusha-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
The President reminded that the Church failed the people of Rwanda in 1994 and that he was surprised that opposition was coming from someone who, in the past, had been subject to investigations into his "personal" role in the Genocide.
"The other day the Pope apologised to Americans for crimes by members of the clergy. I am waiting for the day when they will do the same for the people of Rwanda," remarked the president.
Several priests and nuns have been indicted and found guilty of Genocide by the ICTR, Belgian, and Rwanda courts.
The most recent being Father Athanase Seromba, the former parish priest of Nyange who ordered his church to be razed to the ground using a bulldozer.
The church came tumbling down on over 2,000 Tutsi refugees who had taken refuge inside. Seromba was handed a life sentence by the ICTR .
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Read your history, Dude. Kagame came into power FIGHTING the genocide that killed 800,000 of his fellow countrymen. He should be praised and supported as he continues the fight (which has yet to be completely eradicated) and tries to bring justice to those that managed to survive the killings and now must cope with loss of family and homes. He does not deserve to be lumped together with anyone else. He's a true African hero.
Kagame is a dictator,a criminel, a possessed guy with bloody hands,how can he pretend to give a lesson of ethics?Does he think that nobody knows his crimes in Uganda, rwanda,and Congo ? Shame on him !! You who support him are pagans like him and if you do make a conversion of hearts you will face an eternel condamnation in the unqnenchable fire of hell.I am 60 years old,and in my knoweldge,all evildoers like Kagame who allow satan to reign in thear hearts have a terrible end.Keep telling lies and killing rwandans but you will never escape the divine justice. Kagame does not change,he is always the same since I knew him in Uganda,a mean guy,stuborn,criminel now dictator on power with bloody hands.That`s all.
We Mupenzi, Ufite icyo upfa na Kagame,kandi ntacyo uzamutwara! urabeshya yr time ll come! Turakuzi neza icyo umuziza,n'ibibazo byawe ndabyibuka byose muli St Michel bxl!! Think twice mbere y'uko tukogosha uwo musatsi.
It is a shame to hear someone who does not know the Rwandans’ history, tell such a liar on how Kagame came to the power, who does not remember when in 1990 , Kagame Invaded the Rwanda, killing innocent children and women. Who does not remember how kagame was killing innocent old citizens in four years of civil war in Rwanda which he started , and now you are telling people that he became on power by stopping genocide? I mean he started the genocide and was helped by militias to accomplish his objectives, that how he became a dictator ….. if you are not ignorant you are a fanatic, shame on you.
What can I do to save mother Africa??
As the saying goes, “East – West, Home is best”. Day in and day out, the blunt of bad leadership is continuously destroying a continent already strained by disease and other social catastrophes, as the international community looks on. Media coverage, like the one on Zimbabwe today seems to mean nothing to the Zimbabweans who are brutally murdered in cold blood. From Kenya to Zimbabwe; Somalia to Sudan; Rwanda to Burundi; Uganda to DRC; South Africa to Western Sahara; Angola to Chad; Central African Republic to Congo Brazzaville; and many other sham democracies around the continent continue to threaten lives of majority of poor Africans at the benefit of the small ruling classes. Poor citizens part with their small earnings to pay taxes to contribute to their own brutality, suffering and exploitation. Though colonialists exploited and continue to exploit the continent through neo-colonialism, the ruling classes in African countries surpass colonialism. Open murders, intimidation, harassment, mutilation and human rights abuses continue under the nose of the international community. Media coverage and strong worded statements by world leaders do so little to change anything.
Zimbabwe is a current phenomenon that is happening as everybody witnesses. African leaders seem to sound patriotic support to their fellow murderer, intimidator, tyrant, undemocratic leader at the cost of the majority of Zimbabweans. All they can talk of is a government of national unity without due consideration of the many people that have been mutilated and killed. Kenya is a story that is still fresh in our minds. Though a government of national unity was formed, the poor people were mobilized against each other while the government security forces mercilessly murdered people in front of media cameras. The sham democratic practices intended to legitimize such governments continue to be funded by the international community with evidence that they will never be free and fair. When stiff sanctions are sought, some world leaders claim that those are internal affairs of the individual countries. It’s easy to think that international structures are intended to strengthen and support such practices. Sovereignty claimed doesn’t have meaning to the Africans that suffer the impact of oppression.
It defeats where a common African can run to for help since they don’t have means to reach the capitals of the international community. They don’t have the mechanisms, but sometimes resort to whatever is in their reach. Tribal militias and brusque militant groups take up arms in self defense, and suffering continues. The international community again facilitates such uprisings by arming these groups against each other, as world leaders give empty statements that are impact-less.
It’s a great shame that Africa hasn’t yet recovered from the blunt of the apartheid in South Africa, the Burundi and Rwandan genocide. Also to remember are the recent Kenyan massacres; the munjiki militia in Kenya; the ongoing brutality of the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda and neighboring countries; the black mambas and kibooko squads in Uganda; the janjaweed militias in Darfur, the Islamic courts in Somalia, the DRC tribal militias, to mention but a few. Empty statements from the presidents of the US, the UK, the EU, and above all the United Nations have had so little to cerebrate about, but fueling further suffering of poor African people.
Therefore as we seek to find a lasting solution to peaceful Africa, we the Africans have to do something. Starting with the upcoming presidential runoff in Zimbabwe, Africans need to be mobilized into peaceful and non-violent social disobedience. Non-violent means should be explored at continental level. The struggles of our fore fathers like Mzee Mwalimu Nyerere, Kwame Nkurumah, and the living Nelson Mandela should be taken to a new level of action and demand for freedom of the African continent. The struggle and movement should start now!
The African continent should unit under the slogan “they all must go, we want freedom” meaning that the entire bad leadership and their partners leave the continent to create room for freedom, the bad political leaders; the states funded coercive mechanisms, their international partners, their multinational partners, and every oppressive entity out, so the African people can decide the fate of their politically and economically crippled continent themselves. In the face of ever increasing poverty, suffering, mutilation, brutality, oppression and total economic meltdown, the African people have found enough purpose to continue resisting, and will muster sufficient creativity to start building practical alternatives to the despair of bad leadership and neo-colonialism.
If the popular rebellion in Africa succeeds, it could show the world that African people are able to live through severe crisis and come out the other side, not merely having survived, but stronger, and happier for struggling for new ways of living. For like three or two days in the coming week or even coming months, human rights movements at country levels should mobilize tens of thousands of Africans to take up non-violent means to start up the struggle to fully liberate mother Africa. Actions and events can take place across the world in solidarity with the African people.
What can you do on these days? All African lovers should stand up and either stay in doors on the Zimbabwean election day; or just place a placard in front of their homes claiming for freedom; tie black bands on their hands or heads to mourn those who have been victims to bad leadership, etc, etc, etc. Let this be the start of a struggle for the liberation of Africa. Here are some additional ideas ...paint and take pots and pans by the road side with the message “they all must go, we want freedom now”, start up a local strictly non-violent neighborhood assembly with the slogan of “We want freedom NOW!, report to your workplace or college/university with the slogan “We want freedom NOW!, display the slogan all over the place of your reach, ....the options are endless..., but strictly ensure that they are non-violent and peaceful.
The aims of the Days of Social Disobedience include: 1) To show that there is a movement of movements against bad leadership and neo-colonialism and move beyond insurrection towards a real social revolution. A social revolution, made of thousands of revolutions, where people are beginning to build the life that they want and preparing to defend it rather than simply protesting against what they don't want. And that Africa is an inspiring model of this. 2) To build a powerful global network of solidarity for Africa. The movements in Africa may be in danger of isolation; without the security and the mutual inspiration of international solidarity, they will suffer further repression. We should strive to portray to the many movements worldwide we've had our hopes rekindled in the dark days of neo-colonialism, most of the people on the streets of African cities and those in rural communities have no idea that they can provide such widespread optimism. By seeing the world’s social movements acting in concert and solidarity with their struggle, the African people will be inspired to continue their struggle for freedom. 3) To learn from the events in Africa and apply these lessons to building our own autonomous spaces, neighborhood assemblies, alternative non-violent mobilization, slogan covered work places etc. 4) To spread the stories and information about the movements in Africa to social movements across the world. Let us struggle to spread the movement to many groups with actions/events: ranging from the Disobedient in Africa, to Direct action groups in Europe, Asia, America, etc. The African freedom starts with you. Spread the message like wildfire emphasizing peaceful and non-violent means of the struggle!
William Makamazibu makamazibu@yahoo.co.uk
What can we do to save Matherland Africa?? Should be the main forcus in every Africans' mind. Stop pointing fingers, start acting now. Do your best to save your fellow countrymen,your matherland. Be countable and get involved.
Ask yourself, what have I done to save my countrymen? what should I do to stop violance now? Time is runing out!! We say enough is enough.
Let us all joing together. If we follow our hearts, the truth and the love for all. We will rebuild our Matherland Africa.
How should we start? Any ideas my countrymen?? Lets build a movement based on Love for all and no one is left behind.
Enough is enough, start Now!!
"A Call for Africa Unified"
When President Kagame says that Africa failed her children for not standing firm against dictator Mugabe, I have no choice but to concur. I don't even go the route of whether or not he is sincere, whether or not he was elected in a fair and undisputed contest. I just wish there were more condemnations like his, and that people everywhere were contemplating a more muscled course of events to overthrow the new "Shame of Africa".
All of this would eventually disappear if we were to bome the United States of Africa (USAf). This should be the fight of a lifetime for many politicians. All young Africans should dream about it...
What a jock! African morality seems to turn upside down! Kagame and Odinga of Kenya should be ashamed of themselves to take any moral ground to look into others governance problem. These two came to power through ethnic genocide means. They put their power gaining over the people. Africa really does not need the Odiga and Kagame who do not care about the innocent people ethnic infighting so long as they get to the throne.