GENERAL KAYUMBA NYAMWASA MUST ACCOUNT FOR THE LOSS OF RWANDAN LIVES IN DRC

Dr Theogene Rudasingwa


Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa
30th June 2019
Washington DC, USA
E-mail: [email protected]

Over the last few days the world has again witnessed the graphic images of killed or captured Rwandan rebel soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rebels are under the command of exiled Rwandan General Kayumba Nyamwasa who lives under the security protection of the South African Government.

Paul Kagame’s most notorious disinformation officers have been upbeat in their habitual gloating over his victims and announcing victory over Nyamwasa’s isolated and impoverished ragtag rebel “army”.
President Kagame’s band of sycophants have also been tripping over each other to erroneously and conveniently blame President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda as the long-term hater of Rwandans (read: Kagame and RPF!), supporter of Nyamwasa, and the cause of all Rwanda’s continuing political turmoil.

Nyamwasa and the coterie of followers in what is called the Rwandan National Congress (RNC) have responded with a shameful silence and blatant denials.

There is nothing new in the Nyamwasa’s behavior. With Kagame, Nyamwasa was the architect of the notorious Directorate of Military Intelligence in 1990, headed Rwanda’s military as it committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even possible acts of genocide against Hutu in Rwanda and DRC.

Kagame and Kayumba have much the same mindset. Both believe power is the ultimate end, and that it must be acquired and maintained by all necessary means, preferably through violence and intrigue. Both take the lives of Rwandan and Africans as mere expendables. I have dealt with both in close, private, off-guard moments. At heart, both extol the idea of Tutsi supremacy.

The protracted Kagame-Nyamwasa feud was a cutthroat competition to control Rwanda’s coercive machinery of dispensing violence to rule and conceal their crimes. Nyamwasa lost the contest and seeks the same objectives by the same means of violence, political manipulation and intrigue.

In exile since 2010, though a co-founder of the RNC, he has never acknowledged crimes committed against officers and men of RPF, nor those committed against members of the Hutu community. In fact, he used every opportunity to undermine such efforts within RNC and broadly within Rwanda’s opposition groups.

His obsessive desire to unseat President Kagame, and inherit the RPF-DMI killing machinery, has continued to blind him to the sanctity of human life and the requirement for eradicating the culture of impunity and violence in Rwanda.

As a co-founder and Coordinator of RNC (2010-2016), on a parting note on July 1, 2016, I wrote these seemingly prophetic predictions:
RNC is facing the worst leadership crisis ever, with internal strife characterized by a toxic atmosphere, factionalism, and unacceptable indiscipline. Increasingly, a Tutsi militaristic clique was gaining ground within the RNC, pushing a legalistic and bureaucratic approach to gain and dominate power within and outside the structures of the organization.
The Coordinator is no longer able to lead such a divided organization, amidst internal rebellion, and there are four options before us: 1) to continue with the status quo; 2) to declare the organization bankrupt; 3) to divorce peacefully or acrimoniously; or 4) to reform and simplify the RNC into an effective organization strong enough to deliver on its promises.
Since 2016, Nyamwasa has recklessly and selfishly steered RNC into adventurous militarism, leading to the loss of Rwandan lives as the current fiasco clearly shows.

First, he sent over 400 mostly young Rwandans in the jungles of DRC without political guidance, oversight, and means of survival. He shares this responsibility with Gervais Condo (USA), Jerome Nayigiziki (USA), Corneille Minani (USA), Emmanuel Hakizimana (Canada), Jean-Marie Micombero (Belgium), Jean Paul Turayishimye (USA), among many others in RNC’s undisciplined or otherwise clueless entourage.

Second, being a cowardly armchair general, he commanded his miserable ragtag army from far away in the comfort of South African hospitality, through the proxy services of his civilian brother -in- law, Frank Ntwali.
Third, just as his reckless pursuit of power led to the factions and collapse of RNC in 2016, his legendary pursuit of cheap popularity led to divisions and split within the nuclear force as soon as it encamped in Minembwe, South Kivu. Divided, without political and military leadership, lacking logistics and supplies, the fate of the rebel soldiers was sealed. It is absurd that Kagame and his killing machine would have even remotely thought these so-called rebels presented present and credible threat to Rwanda.
Fourth, as the matter of Nyamwasa’s army in DRC became public knowledge, and Kagame’s grand deception machinery pointed fingers at Burundi and Uganda as the general’s accomplices, RNC was happy to deceptively ride on the wave of publicity. Nyamwasa lied to his followers who had donated money to believe that he had support of Uganda and Burundi, and that his army in DRC was growing and functional.
General Nyamwasa and his RNC should face the public and account for each of the young Rwandans they sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Africa, USA, Canada and the United Nations Security Council should take the lead in seeking accountability from General Nyamwasa and other top RNC leaders.

It is time for General Nyamwasa and the RNC to wind up their deceptive and dangerous business by declaring themselves politically and militarily bankrupt.

Rwandans should be fully aware that General Nyamwasa and his RNC are a very dangerous clique which does not care for the lives of Rwandans, and whose only agenda is to capture power and maintain the RPF-DMI bloody dictatorship without Kagame. If they are unable to care for 400 people, how will they care for a nation of 12 million Rwandans?

Early in his presidency, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has made a gross error, by disregarding the history of his country, the plight of his people, and his own late father’s long track record of fighting for justice. Allying himself with President Kagame to hunt down and kill Rwandans and Congolese people is an ill-fated choice. President Kagame has humiliated and inflicted harm to Congolese people to levels never witnessed in recent history. President Kagame, who is responsible for the assassination of three African Presidents (Juvenal Habyarimana, Cyprian Ntaryamira, and Laurent Kabila), always has evil plans in his mind as a quick and viable option for those who opt not to abide his will. President Tshisekedi is forewarned,

There will be time for President Kagame to account for the crimes he has committed against Rwandans and African people.

There will be time for General Nyamwasa to account for the crimes he has committed and for the continuing loss of lives of Rwandans.

For the Great Lakes region and the international community: Beware of General Nyamwasa and his RNC!