Rwanda genocide commemorations

April 6, 2014 4:52 pm

Rwanda’s recovery must be secured

Kagame has been central but his time is nearly up

No African president divides opinion quite as sharply as Paul Kagame, nor inspires such contrasting caricatures. He is lauded as a visionary statesman both by supporters at home and influential admirers across the world – an almost unique example in Africa of a leader whose relentless pursuit of development has delivered peace and increased prosperity in the face of staggering odds. In equal measure he is castigated as a bloodstained tyrant – one with extraordinary licence to repress dissent, whose persistent meddling has contributed to destabilising the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo at the cost of countless lives.

One question looming over Rwanda as it marks the 20th anniversary of the onset of genocide is whether Mr Kagame will know when best to bow out. Although the constitution states clearly he must hand over power in 2017 after serving two elected terms as president, there is no easy answer.

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The polemics surrounding the man were partly born of the extreme circumstances in which he found his country when the guerrilla movement he commanded came to power. Rwanda was in ruins. Two decades on there is little doubt as to the central role he has played in establishing order and restoring hope after ending the 20th century’s swiftest and crudest act of mass murder.

With the same ruthless discipline as he once prosecuted guerrilla warfare, he has begun to transform the tiny mountain nation, driven by the belief that improving livelihoods for all will prove the most effective way to efface the divisive ideology that led to genocide. While Rwanda has made strides in this direction, the job is far from over and inequality is still rife. Government officials continue to work the longest hours, juggling a vast array of competing priorities in their efforts to rebuild society and state.

Yet the polemics that dog Mr Kagame are not only inspired by the past. They are also the result of contemporary signs of the revolution eating its own children. After the recent assassination of his former external intelligence chief, exiled in South Africa, he spoke with chilling effect of the consequences of betrayal. Among his detractors, this reinforced the perception of a man willing to go to any lengths to remain in power.

Mr Kagame argues that outsiders, offering prescriptions as to how he and his administration should behave, view the Rwandan genocide as an isolated event in history and underestimate its legacy. One of these is the fear, predominately but not exclusively among members of his ethnic Tutsi minority, of what happens when he goes. It is in this context that a campaign has begun to change the constitution so that he can remain in office beyond 2017.

Those in favour argue that Rwandans should be allowed to decide for themselves how quickly and on what terms they open up the political space. The problem is that in an environment where freedom of expression and political association is strictly limited, it is very difficult to know at what point keeping the lid so firmly on becomes counter-productive. The only way to find out is to try.

Mr Kagame is a young 56. The courageous way he has tackled continental taboos has won him influence internationally and admiration among many Africans whose own leaders are wanting. There are many roles he could play to further African interests on a larger stage. First, however, he and his government should prepare for a smooth succession at home and quell support for him to stay in power indefinitely. Rwanda’s circumstances are exceptional. But there are too many precedents that show how quickly achievements can unravel when rulers begin to believe that they alone hold the answer.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/36cd3d36-bbec-11e3-a31c-00144feabdc0.html

France pulls out of Rwanda genocide commemorations

President reportedly said France had a "direct role" in the "political preparation for genocide"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26904627