By David Himbara
One of the biblical Golden Rules says the following: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Meaning that you should treat other people with the concern and understanding you would like them to show toward you.
Rwanda head of state General Paul Kagame should borrow from this wisdom. For years, Rwandan refugees in Uganda were harassed, kidnapped back to Rwanda — and even murdered.
For example, Charles Ingabire, critic of Kagame and editor of Inyenyeri News, was fatally shot in Kampala, Uganda in 2011. Countless Rwandans kidnapped from Uganda and handed over to Rwanda include Lt Joel Mutabazi, who was a bodyguard of Kagame. Mutabazi together with his brother Jackson Kalemera were kidnapped from Uganda back to Rwanda in 2013. Kalemera has since disappeared — it is feared that he was murdered in 2015.
Now that Uganda appears to be putting an end to Rwanda’s abuses on Uganda’s territory, Kagame government is lecturing Uganda about good neighborliness.
Kagame ought to do to Uganda as he would have Uganda do to him — give Uganda a chance to put its own house in order. Kagame would never tolerate being lectured to by outsiders. So should not lecture Uganda.
Let Uganda abide by its own laws and by the United Nations’ regulations that protect refugees. We should all be thankful that members of Ugandan security services are facing the law for abducting and illegally repatriating Rwandan asylum seekers to Rwanda.
We should appreciate that Uganda has finally acknowledged that it totally failed to live up to its obligations of protecting refugees.
