By David Himbara
General Paul Kagame will host in 2020 the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the biennial summit meeting of the heads of government from all Commonwealth nations. This is embarrassing — the core values and principles of the Commonwealth as declared by its Charter are as follows:
- Democracy
- Human rights
- International peace and security
- Tolerance, respect and understanding
- Freedom of Expression
- Separation of Powers
- Rule of Law
- Good Governance
- Sustainable Development
- Protecting the Environment
- Access to Health, Education, Food and Shelter
- Gender Equality
- Importance of Young People in the Commonwealth
- Recognition of the Needs of Small States
- Recognition of the Needs of Vulnerable States
- The Role of Civil Society
Kagame does not abide by these values and principles and has turned the border with Uganda, a Commonwealth state, into a war zone
On February 27, 2019, Kagame closed Rwanda’s common border with Uganda, a Commonwealth member state. Rwandans are not allowed to cross the border into Uganda. A number of people attempting to cross the border have been killed by Rwandan security forces. On November 10, 2019, Rwandan security forces shot dead two Ugandans. The Rwandan ruling party newspaper, The New Times, reported the killing as follows:
”The Rwanda National Police on Sunday shot dead two Ugandan nationals suspected to be smuggling goods to Rwanda through ungazetted points. The shooting happened at around 3am in Tabangwe sector, Nyagatare District in the Eastern Province, and according to communiqué from police, the two deceased were part of a larger group of smugglers that was intercepted by a police patrol in the wee hours of Sunday.”
How does the Commonwealth hold CHOGM in a country that closed its border to another Commonwealth state? How does the Commonwealth hold CHOGM in a country that is killing people from another Commonwealth state?
