How President Kagame Sacrificed women during the 1990-1994 war?
To understand the pose and posit of a woman in Rwanda's contemporary political dispensation, it is prudent to reflect on the value the RPA/F attached to women during the 1990-1994 war that later brought the RPA/F war to power. It is this value attachment that the RPA/F would later re-concretize while in power.
During the war, women in RPA were treated as commodities not human beings. For instance we were called 'dry ration'- a term describing the tins of beans and dry food that soldiers ate while on mobile. So women were regarded as those tins of goodies. Women in RPA ceased to be human beings but rather seen as war equipment such as 120 mm mortar, 107mm Katyusha, 75mm recoilless and many more.
In early 1992 I was posted as welfare officer in one of our Sick Bay On arriving, I was called to go and see the Commanding officer Afande Charles Nzaramba. I was impressed by his disdain of the commanding officer he had just taken over, having characterised him as a "reckless, womaniser", and that "all the nurses were carrying their knickers on their head". But to my shock, when I later got up and saluted him in preparing to take my leave, he said to me that he thought I was going to spend a night with him.
As they narrated the horror they were going through, not from the enemy fire but from their fellow men combatants, a sense of hopelessness and helplessness took the part of me. One of them names withheld due to security reasons told me that she is no longer a human being but rather a "120 mm mortar". Another one names withheld due to security reasons said that she is 75 recoilless and went on to say that she only wishes to meet her old Dad and Mom and apologise for having left them alone.
When she gave me that audience (dates please and place of meeting), I raised my concerns about women's abuse and what i think should be done to avert the situation. Her reaction was not for the weak-hearted. She told me that we have failed her so she has nothing to do. I asked her that whom she is leaving us with then but a reply never came forth. To quote her in Swahili, which is actually the military's lingua franca, Rose said: "Wamesikyana wa menishinda, sina cya kufanya' then I responded ' sasa Afande umetuwaca, umetuwaciya nani?" With no response in sight, i got up, saluted her, and left not in peace but in bewilderment.
I remember one woman by the names of Joyce came to where the Girls who had had babies were based before there were sent home. On arrival, she sarcastically said: "We sent you to fight not to have babies." I looked at her and didn't say a word but in my mind, I had literally "killed" her seven times.
He then agreed that it was true that they sacrificed our lives at the expanse of the war. He went on to say that when they tried to withdraw the women from the front line; and all the commanders threatened to put their guns down and asked Afande Paul Kagame to go and fight the war alone. James apologised and promised to forward our grievances to the high command.
In those guerrilla movements, women that were promoted were never seen as favours from one of the commanders who were her boyfriend but rather seen as recognition of their abilities; contrary to our own struggle.
Nduguteye explained to us that the reason they have come to meet us was that they have formed a women combatant unit which would serve as our base such that we don't spread AIDS to our male commanders. Whether Ndugute hadn't understood why he was sent remains unclear to-date but the rest of the commanders, who were present, like all of us women, were exasperated to the bone marrow.
After a week January 1993 we all women combatants and women cadres were called for a meeting with Afande Paul Kagame. We received him with chanting and dancing very happy saying finally we can see "mwenyewe", literally meaning "himself". Every woman felt that this was the time we had waited for, for a long time.
No words can explain how I felt. I convinced myself that there was no need of saying anything since it was going to fall into deaf ears. After that, he calmed down and started explaining the reason of forming women unit. When he finished talking, he invited questions. I looked around and all the girls were quiet and even women cadres looked very cold. I then gathered my guts and put up my hand. I was determined to tell him what I felt about them (officers and senior officers and was ready for any repercussion). I started by thanking him for coming to meet us and also for blasting us. I said that when children mess up, the parents tell them off or even punish them but it is too late, the damage is done already. I told him you blamed us that we as women in the struggle have abused our role, but to me it is the other way round. Leaders you have abused your role. I started reminding him how it feels like joining the army and going through the training; how all the ideology you come with is brain washed; and after that training, how you start picking up something else. I also reminded him the beginning of our struggle.
The struggle started with unexpected death of the leader of our struggle Afande Fred Rwigema with other top commanders. It was a blow to all the soldiers and this situation created disorganisation in the struggle.
There was no defined administration and everyone was using own initiative. I asked them who made the girls pregnant. I explained that it was the senior officers (viongozi). Who named all sorts of abusive names to women combatants? Senior officers (viongozi). Who named sick bay as Sodoma and Gomora? Senior officers (viongozi). Who failed to solve our problems even when we asked them to help us and stop such abuses towards women combatants? Senior officers (viongozi).
I was waiting for a blast of a slap but to my surprise, Afande Paul Kagame looked calm and composed. He agreed that were sacrificed and explained again that all commanders threatened to stop fighting if he was to withdraw us so he had no option other than sacrificing our lives. He promised to support us and said to the commanders that if it happened again, he would imprison them and throw away the keys.
The creation of unit had good outcome. One, we were able to connect and support each other. We were able to exercise our administration and we had a chance to acquire some skills during cease fire. Women promotion was based on capabilities rather than one's boyfriend.
It was neither a bed of roses even after capturing state power in 1994. Women abuse persisted- graduating from a curse to be endured not a problem to be solved.
After the war, in 1994, most of the female combatant had a base in camp Kanombe. Some of them were mothers with their little ones. One day can't recall the date Afande Rwahama Jackson evicted them with no warning and they were thrown outside the barracks with no accommodation at all. How they survived? Don't ask. That no one cared in the face of such an inhumane act is beyond human comprehension.
Like I said, not all commanders were inhumane but at least 80% were inhuman. On the other side, women cadres faced the same problems but not as women combatants. These cadres- most of whom were graduates and professionals from different institutions- contributed a lot to our struggle, such as Anna Gahogayire, Inyumba Aloisea, Christine Nyinawumwami, Mary Baine, Francine from Burundi to mention a few. But all these ladies were abandoned and harassed by RPF and the government.
All these brilliant, brave, intelligent women are not seen in the parliament neither are they seen in the government. After the war, they all suddenly became incompetent. Obviously, the RPF and the government knew they can never manipulate them so easily and the only option was to harass them and frustrate them (some of these women were in the government and they fall out of favour, right?). How about women combatant who survived the war? Where are they and how are they surviving? I understand some of them suffered the post war trauma, they are often asked if they really fought in the struggle. It is so disheartening, but may be not to some.
And if you are wondering about the crux of the matter, it is seeing old women demonstrating at the parliamentary building in support of President Paul Kagame's third term. One elderly woman from Gatsibo, in an interview USA's premier news channel- the VOA- said bluntly that "My local leader signed for me and they packed us in a bus to here to support amending the constitution." If this is not abuse, then what is it?
My personal appeal to all Rwandan women, both inside and abroad and also other women in the whole world, to stand up and fight for peace and their dignity. Look at the wars around the world and ask yourself who the causers are and who suffers most when men mess up the world. We should chose to keep quiet and suffer for ever or get up and fight with the help of few men who have a heart to bring peace in the world.
- Rose Kabuye, pictured in 1994 when she was a major in the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Once the RPF took power, she was appointed mayor of Kigali and later served as a member of parliament and a government official. She was arrested in 2008 having been charged by a French court for alleged involvement in the incident that sparked the genocide in 1994.
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Maître Innocent TWAGIRAMUNGU, DHR FOUNDER&OWNER
http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/democracy_human_rights
COMBATTONS la haine SANS complaisance, PARTOUT et avec Toute ENERGIE!!!!!!
Let's rather prefer P.L.H.L ,Peace, Love , Hope and Life, and get together as one!!!
Inno TWAGIRA
Posted by: Alfred Nganzo <alfrednganzo@yahoo.com>
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-Ce dont jai le plus peur, cest des gens qui croient que, du jour au lendemain, on peut prendre une société, lui tordre le cou et en faire une autre.
-The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
-I have loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore I die in exile.
-The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
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