By Charles Kambanda
1. Kagame has kicked out “Mota Engil Engenharia e Construcao Africa”, (Mota Engil), from Bugesera airport construction “deal”!
The “investor” had signed a “deal” with Kagame junta to construct and manage Bugesera airport for 25 years, with the option to extend the “deal” for 15 years.
Construction of Bugesera airport commenced. However, Kagame developed misunderstandings with Mota Engil, for undisclosed reasons.
Today, Kagame signed a new “deal” with the Emir of Qatar, to construct and manage the airport in perpetuity. Qatar air, which is Qatar government owned airline, will own 60% stake in Bugesera airport.
Issue:
a) A 60% stakeholder has unlimited power over the business. Qatar government will therefore have unlimited power over Bugesera airport. This is fixed asset business. Bugesera airport will probably be a Sovereign (Qatar) in another Sovereign (Rwanda). How will the two Sovereigns, each led by an insane absolute leader, work together?
b) An international airport bears on many public policy areas and priorities. How will Rwanda design, prioritize and implement its public policy that touches on Bugesera airport, owned by another Sovereign, 60% stake?
c) Mota Engil, the company Kagame kicked out, has threatened to take on Rwanda in Court, probably in Washington DC or New York, for breach of contract. Rwanda is likely to lose millions of US dollars in litigation and compensating Mota Engil. For which proportional good has Kagame taken this highly risky route, in legal, economic and political terms?
2. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Emirates – Qatar’s neighboring countries – accuse Qatar of supporting terrorists in the region. Kagame is accused of supporting terrorism in the region. Moustapha, the major sponsor of terrorists in the Sahel is now based in Kigali. Moustapha is Emir of Qatar and Kagame’s “business” associate and partners-in-crime.
Issue:
d) Should the Great Lakes Region of Africa expect unimaginable acts of terrorism, with DRC becoming a failed State and the center of Kagame’s “brand” of International terrorism?
3. Qatar’s neighbors have banned overflights to Qatar, including Qatar air, because the government of Qatar is real headache to the entire region.
Issue:
e) Qatar is in disparate need of an airport, over which the Emir of Qatar has absolute control, from which Qatar will coordinate international terrorism and distribute contrabands. Why is Kagame determined to provide such facility to Qatar?
f) Where does this “deal” leave Kagame with Western democracies, Saudi Arabia, Israel, etc., who support and sustain Qatar’s regional isolation?
g) What does this deal mean for physical security in the Great Lakes Region of Africa?
h) Will Kagame remain loyal to Qatar or he will change his mind and kick Qatar out of the “deal”? The cost will probably be unbearable, for Kagame and his junta, either way.
