Pages

Friday, 26 July 2013

Rwanda has also been a country of increasing hunger


Rwanda has also been a country of increasing hunger

If the Rwandan government can lie about its involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 17 years, how many other lies can it be carrying related to its internal policies? Rwandans' general prosperity is one of such many lies.

The image of hunger in Rwanda despite the economic miracle that president Paul Kagame is credited with.

The image of hunger in Rwanda despite the economic miracle that president Paul Kagame is credited with.

Reuters reported on Friday 26th July 2013 that the United Nations pledged $400 million over five years to help Rwanda reduce poverty, hunger and disease.

"Rwanda relies on external funding, including aid, for about 40 percent of its budget, which stands at 1,653 billion francs ($2.6 billion) for the fiscal year that started this month," writes the newspaper.

The source adds that: "Some $276 million will go towards development – including health, nutrition, education and the environment – while the rest will go to economic and governance projects, the government said in a statement issued on Thursday."

Countries usually supporting the Rwandan government last year cut or held back aid over its alleged backing of rebels in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, but Kigali has never admitted to such allegations despite strong evidence of its persistent involvement.

Surprisingly, while foreign partners of Rwanda see special priority in supporting pro-people efforts to alleviate the suffering of Rwandans, president Paul Kagame and his government don't seem to care about what the population is going through in its day-to-day experience.

People remember the $400 million of eurobonds that Kigali attracted from the international financial market back in April 2013.

That amount of money was raised very quickly, but what is questionable was the purpose that it was planned to fulfill.

With such financial resources, Rwanda plans to use $200 million to repay loans on the Kigali Convention Centre and a development plan for Rwandair, the national carrier, according to a copy of the prospectus obtained by Bloomberg News. Another $150 million was meant to be spent completing the center and $50 million on a hydropower plant, according to the prospectus.

The government was also planning to sell stakes in 13 state- owned companies focusing on agriculture, services, transport, banking and insurance industries by the end of the fiscal year of 2014 to 2015, raising about 10 billion Rwandan francs ($15.7 million), according to the prospectus.

This information explains that the Rwandan president Paul Kagame is more than anything else concerned by economic policies which benefit a tiny minority of Rwandans, mainly contributing to the strengthening of his political power, all this at the expense of the general population.

Rwanda has also been a country of increasing hunger


Rwanda has also been a country of increasing hunger

If the Rwandan government can lie about its involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 17 years, how many other lies can it be carrying related to its internal policies? Rwandans' general prosperity is one of such many lies.

The image of hunger in Rwanda despite the economic miracle that president Paul Kagame is credited with.

The image of hunger in Rwanda despite the economic miracle that president Paul Kagame is credited with.

Reuters reported on Friday 26th July 2013 that the United Nations pledged $400 million over five years to help Rwanda reduce poverty, hunger and disease.

"Rwanda relies on external funding, including aid, for about 40 percent of its budget, which stands at 1,653 billion francs ($2.6 billion) for the fiscal year that started this month," writes the newspaper.

The source adds that: "Some $276 million will go towards development – including health, nutrition, education and the environment – while the rest will go to economic and governance projects, the government said in a statement issued on Thursday."

Countries usually supporting the Rwandan government last year cut or held back aid over its alleged backing of rebels in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, but Kigali has never admitted to such allegations despite strong evidence of its persistent involvement.

Surprisingly, while foreign partners of Rwanda see special priority in supporting pro-people efforts to alleviate the suffering of Rwandans, president Paul Kagame and his government don't seem to care about what the population is going through in its day-to-day experience.

People remember the $400 million of eurobonds that Kigali attracted from the international financial market back in April 2013.

That amount of money was raised very quickly, but what is questionable was the purpose that it was planned to fulfill.

With such financial resources, Rwanda plans to use $200 million to repay loans on the Kigali Convention Centre and a development plan for Rwandair, the national carrier, according to a copy of the prospectus obtained by Bloomberg News. Another $150 million was meant to be spent completing the center and $50 million on a hydropower plant, according to the prospectus.

The government was also planning to sell stakes in 13 state- owned companies focusing on agriculture, services, transport, banking and insurance industries by the end of the fiscal year of 2014 to 2015, raising about 10 billion Rwandan francs ($15.7 million), according to the prospectus.

This information explains that the Rwandan president Paul Kagame is more than anything else concerned by economic policies which benefit a tiny minority of Rwandans, mainly contributing to the strengthening of his political power, all this at the expense of the general population.

Rwanda: The Cult of Prime Minister and Rucagu should be guarded against the Catholic Church.

 
The Cult of Prime Minister and Rucagu should be guarded against the Catholic Church.
 
At the recent ceremony of consecration of the Bishop of the Catholic Church, Bishop Kambanda of Kibungo Diocese, the Prime Minister urged the Catholic Church to support the Youth movement of Edward Bamporiki, which was formed by the RPF machinery to solicit votes for Kagame in the elections of 2017 through the political agenda of labeling all Hutus as genociders so that no one  will challenge him, since according to Kagame all  Hutus derive guilty from their  parents or relatives in the same way mankind inherited the sin from Adam and Eve the first occupants of the garden of Aden.
Bamporiki
 
Habumuremyi
Whoever tries to challenge Kagame and RPF is labeled a thief, criminal, genocide, negationist, genocide denier depending on his ethnic background despite the fact that the ethnic background in Rwanda is very difficult to determine for certainty, what the former regimes did though was to introduce national Identity Cards with Rucaguethnic background. It is not clear how the Kagame, Habumuremyi and Rucagu camp will tell who is a Hutu or Tutsi save for the Twas who are not even mentioned in the Rwandan political spectrum.
 
Will the RPF bring back the National Identity card that bears the ethnicity? Will they introduce a new syllabus in the schools where they will tell teachers to tell students to stand up or sit according to their ethnic background? How will they differentiate the Hutus from Tutsis?
 
Kagame and RPF have been all along evangelizing the gospel of Rwandaism a country without ethic divisions only the classic divisions manipulated by the colonists and the Catholic Church, now they are coming with same tactics that were used by the past regimes of divide and rule.
 
Apparently it is only in Rwanda that the Roman Catholic Church is told what to do by the government, the Catholic Church is known worldwide to be pro-people and an advocate of the poor, that's why Pope Francis has told the Vatican officials to go back to ethics of the Catholic Church to work for the poor, love for mankind and peace in the world. It is still in the minds of many Rwandans and the Catholic church that on the orders of Kagame Three (3) Top Roman Catholic Bishops were murdered in Kabgayi because according to Kagame they were members or perceived to be pro- the regime of MRND, now the Kagame regime is playing the same cards of lobbying the Catholic Church to work for the RPF ruling party.
 
The Catholic Church should be independent and pro-people not pro-regimes, the Prime Minster should stop indulging the Catholic Church in Partisan politics. The Rwandan proverb that a stick used to hit your co-wife should be thrown away (inkoni ikubise mukeba bayirenza urugo). How can the Catholic Church forget so quickly what happened to their colleagues?   The Catholic Church should be brave enough to resist any temptations using the prayer of Our Father who is in Heaven.
 
"Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen" Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
 
This is not only a message for the Catholic Church but also the Youth, all the past regimes have indulged the Youth in criminal activities and after being used, they find themselves on the wrong side of history, 18 years is not too long for the Youth like Bamporiki not to reflect and draw back lessons from the speech of President Habyarimana were he said that he will tell his Youth (Interahamwe) to go down and hunt for the enemy.  Now in the same analogy the Kagame regime told the youth to go down on their knees and apologize for the crimes their realtives and parents committed. Why should these young men be confused and misled to be used like Robots and later to be thrown in the eternal hell?
 
If really Kagame and his regime did not order the massacre of the 3 Catholic Bishops and other Priests, why can't Kagame and RPF allow the Catholic Church to give them a decent burial they deserve?
 
It is unfortunate that Kagame has manipulated the political climate in Rwanda, unfortunately we do not have a sound opposition that can challenge some of the evil acts of RPF and Kagame, the Catholic Church has been a victim of the aggression of the Kagame regime, because whenever, the Catholic Church demands their own rights, they are labelled genocide sympathisers, this has undermined and eroded the independence and confidence of the Catholic Church.
 
It is therefore, imperative that the Catholic Church resists the temptations, intimidations, harassment of the Kagame and RPF the same way, the Pope John Paul II, who clandestinely resisted the communism after the Second World War until it was defeated in 1990s. It is indeed, the responsibility of every Rwandan to resist the autocratic regime of Kagame and RPF, the international community should assist the Rwandans to build a future that will stand generations to come without ethic characterisation, we should build Rwanda of Rwandans without Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas.
 
Jacqueline Umurungi
Brussels.

Rwanda: The Cult of Prime Minister and Rucagu should be guarded against the Catholic Church.

 
The Cult of Prime Minister and Rucagu should be guarded against the Catholic Church.
 
At the recent ceremony of consecration of the Bishop of the Catholic Church, Bishop Kambanda of Kibungo Diocese, the Prime Minister urged the Catholic Church to support the Youth movement of Edward Bamporiki, which was formed by the RPF machinery to solicit votes for Kagame in the elections of 2017 through the political agenda of labeling all Hutus as genociders so that no one  will challenge him, since according to Kagame all  Hutus derive guilty from their  parents or relatives in the same way mankind inherited the sin from Adam and Eve the first occupants of the garden of Aden.
Bamporiki
 
Habumuremyi
Whoever tries to challenge Kagame and RPF is labeled a thief, criminal, genocide, negationist, genocide denier depending on his ethnic background despite the fact that the ethnic background in Rwanda is very difficult to determine for certainty, what the former regimes did though was to introduce national Identity Cards with Rucaguethnic background. It is not clear how the Kagame, Habumuremyi and Rucagu camp will tell who is a Hutu or Tutsi save for the Twas who are not even mentioned in the Rwandan political spectrum.
 
Will the RPF bring back the National Identity card that bears the ethnicity? Will they introduce a new syllabus in the schools where they will tell teachers to tell students to stand up or sit according to their ethnic background? How will they differentiate the Hutus from Tutsis?
 
Kagame and RPF have been all along evangelizing the gospel of Rwandaism a country without ethic divisions only the classic divisions manipulated by the colonists and the Catholic Church, now they are coming with same tactics that were used by the past regimes of divide and rule.
 
Apparently it is only in Rwanda that the Roman Catholic Church is told what to do by the government, the Catholic Church is known worldwide to be pro-people and an advocate of the poor, that's why Pope Francis has told the Vatican officials to go back to ethics of the Catholic Church to work for the poor, love for mankind and peace in the world. It is still in the minds of many Rwandans and the Catholic church that on the orders of Kagame Three (3) Top Roman Catholic Bishops were murdered in Kabgayi because according to Kagame they were members or perceived to be pro- the regime of MRND, now the Kagame regime is playing the same cards of lobbying the Catholic Church to work for the RPF ruling party.
 
The Catholic Church should be independent and pro-people not pro-regimes, the Prime Minster should stop indulging the Catholic Church in Partisan politics. The Rwandan proverb that a stick used to hit your co-wife should be thrown away (inkoni ikubise mukeba bayirenza urugo). How can the Catholic Church forget so quickly what happened to their colleagues?   The Catholic Church should be brave enough to resist any temptations using the prayer of Our Father who is in Heaven.
 
"Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen" Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
 
This is not only a message for the Catholic Church but also the Youth, all the past regimes have indulged the Youth in criminal activities and after being used, they find themselves on the wrong side of history, 18 years is not too long for the Youth like Bamporiki not to reflect and draw back lessons from the speech of President Habyarimana were he said that he will tell his Youth (Interahamwe) to go down and hunt for the enemy.  Now in the same analogy the Kagame regime told the youth to go down on their knees and apologize for the crimes their realtives and parents committed. Why should these young men be confused and misled to be used like Robots and later to be thrown in the eternal hell?
 
If really Kagame and his regime did not order the massacre of the 3 Catholic Bishops and other Priests, why can't Kagame and RPF allow the Catholic Church to give them a decent burial they deserve?
 
It is unfortunate that Kagame has manipulated the political climate in Rwanda, unfortunately we do not have a sound opposition that can challenge some of the evil acts of RPF and Kagame, the Catholic Church has been a victim of the aggression of the Kagame regime, because whenever, the Catholic Church demands their own rights, they are labelled genocide sympathisers, this has undermined and eroded the independence and confidence of the Catholic Church.
 
It is therefore, imperative that the Catholic Church resists the temptations, intimidations, harassment of the Kagame and RPF the same way, the Pope John Paul II, who clandestinely resisted the communism after the Second World War until it was defeated in 1990s. It is indeed, the responsibility of every Rwandan to resist the autocratic regime of Kagame and RPF, the international community should assist the Rwandans to build a future that will stand generations to come without ethic characterisation, we should build Rwanda of Rwandans without Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas.
 
Jacqueline Umurungi
Brussels.

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Thierry Vircoulon sur RFI: «Le rôle perturbateur du Rwanda dans la région des Grands Lacs a été mis en évidence l’année dernière» - Rwanda / RDC / Etats-Unis - RFI



RWANDA / RDC / ETATS-UNIS - 
Article publié le : jeudi 25 juillet 2013 à 17:50 - Dernière modification le : jeudi 25 juillet 2013 à 17:50

Thierry Vircoulon sur RFI: «Le rôle perturbateur du Rwanda dans la région des Grands Lacs a été mis en évidence l'année dernière»

Des soldats rwandais près de Jomba, en RDC, le 24 janvier 2009.
Des soldats rwandais près de Jomba, en RDC, le 24 janvier 2009.
Photo AFP / Lionel Healing

Par Caroline Paré

La situation dans les Grands Lacs en débat, ce jeudi 25 juillet 2013, devant le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU. C'est le chef de la diplomatie américaine John Kerry en personne qui va représenter les Etats-Unis à la tribune de New York. Il y a 48 heures, les Etats-Unis justement avaient enjoint le Rwanda de mettre un terme à son soutien aux rebelles du Mouvement du 23-Mars, le M23, dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo. Un appui que Kigali dément officiellement même si Washington déclare détenir des preuves de l'implication de responsables militaires rwandais. Un changement d'attitude vis-à-vis de Kigali pour Thierry Vircoulon, chercheur à l'Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri).

Thierry Vircoulon : Il y a en effet un changement de conditionnement. Cela avait déjà été le cas l'année dernière lorsque la crise du M23 a commencé. Ca s'inscrit dans la continuité maintenant de la position américaine. Le rôle perturbateur du Rwanda dans la région des Grands Lacs a été mis en évidence l'année dernière. Et il y a une politique de pression de la part des Etats-Unis, mais aussi d'autres acteurs.

RFI : Washington dit s'appuyer sur des éléments concrets, des preuves ; il y a eu récemment des accusations dans un rapport signé de l'organisation de défense des droits de l'homme Human Rights Watch qui dénonce notamment des exactions.

La violence et les tensions ont repris sur le terrain depuis quelques semaines au nord de Goma où l'armée congolaise affronte le M23. Ca donne lieu à des échanges d'accusations qui vont dans tous les sens. Kigali accuse l'armée congolaise de collaborer avec les FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda). Elle accuse même la Monusco et les Nations unies de travailler aussi avec les FDLR. Et de l'autre côté, il y a des accusations selon lesquelles en effet le M23 a fait des exécutions sommaires.

Egalement des accusations de viols, des accusations d'enfants recrutés de force ?

Oui, qui sont la continuité de ce qui s'est passé l'année dernière. De ce point de vue-là, on peut dire qu'il n'y a pas de changement. Et c'est assez dommageable puisque l'initiative onusienne de paix qui a été lancée en février était censée calmer un peu les choses. Et on constate qu'à l'heure actuelle, il y a plutôt un regain de violences sur le terrain. Et on se demande dans quelle mesure ce qui se passe à New York est connecté avec ce qui se passe au nord de Goma.

C'est-à-dire qu'aujourd'hui ce qui pourrait se dire dans les prochaines heures au Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies n'a finalement que peu d'impact sur le cours des événements dans cette province du Kivu ?

Pour le moment, Kinshasa favorise une option militaire. Après l'humiliation très sérieuse de l'année dernière face au M23, Kinshasa voudrait bien renverser le rapport de force et humilier à son tour le M23 pour entrer dans un nouveau cycle de négociations puisque les négociations, qui se tiennent à Kampala, sont dans une impasse complète et n'ont pas avancé depuis maintenant très longtemps.

Alors précisément, on parle de Kinshasa, on parle de Kigali. Quel est aujourd'hui le rôle tenu par la présidence ougandaise dans la région ?

La présidence ougandaise dans la région fait profil bas actuellement. Ce sont les armes qui parlent et il n'y a plus vraiment de négociations. A Kampala, je ne sais pas d'ailleurs qui est-ce qui est encore présent autour de la table, mais j'ai l'impression que du côté congolais, en tout cas, il n'y a plus grand-chose et que le facilitateur ougandais est plutôt maintenant dans son bureau qu'à Entebbe.

Comment Kigali peut continuer à nier toute présence alors que précisément des preuves attestent du contraire ?

Kigali ne reconnaîtra jamais sa présence, parce que si elle le faisait, ça serait une bombe atomique contre elle. Mais comme vous le dites, un certain nombre d'acteurs ont des preuves et par conséquent ce qui est essentiel, c'est de réussir à trouver les bonnes pressions sur Kigali. L'année dernière, les sanctions financières, les suspensions d'aide des bailleurs européens notamment ont eu un effet assez convainquant sur Kigali, le retrait du M23 de Goma était assez lié à cela. Donc c'est encore cette arme de la suspension de l'aide qui pourrait être utilisée si Kigali venait au secours du M23.

La question qui se pose aujourd'hui, c'est aussi le positionnement de la communauté internationale vis-à-vis de Kinshasa. Est-ce que d'une certaine manière, indirectement, Kigali ne permet pas à cette présidence de la RDC de retrouver des appuis un peu perdus au cours des dernières années ?

Sur le plan diplomatique, la RDC avait « gagné » puisque le Rwanda apparaît dans cette crise du M23 comme l'agresseur. Il ne faut pas oublier que l'accord de paix, qui a été sponsorisé par le secrétaire général des Nations unies au mois de février, prévoit non seulement que les pays voisins n'interfèrent pas dans les affaires congolaises, mais que la RDC, le gouvernement congolais, fasse un certain nombre de réformes et s'ouvre et se démocratise. C'est cela qui est en jeu en ce moment aussi à Kinshasa. Il y a des concertations nationales qui sont lancées. On va voir si ces palabres vont avoir un effet quelconque ou pas du tout. Mais en tout cas, il y a également une pression sur Kinshasa pour changer de comportement. Beaucoup d'acteurs maintenant reconnaissent que, même si le problème du M23 était réglé, la région du Kivu resterait une zone d'insécurité assez forte parce qu'il y a des racines locales dans tous les conflits qui concernent le Kivu. Nous venons de publier un rapport de l'International Crisis Group sur des conflits dans le Sud-Kivu qui met en évidence que, en dehors des interférences étrangères, il y a des causes très locales à ces confits.

TAGS: + AFRIQUE - ETATS-UNIS - M23 - OUGANDA - RDC - RWANDA
FICHE PAYS :

-“The root cause of the Rwandan tragedy of 1994 is the long and past historical ethnic dominance of one minority ethnic group to the other majority ethnic group. Ignoring this reality is giving a black cheque for the Rwandan people’s future and deepening resentment, hostility and hatred between the two groups.”

-« Ce dont j’ai le plus peur, c’est 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.”

READ MORE RECENT NEWS AND OPINIONS

Popular Posts

WebMD Health Channel - Sex & Relationships

Love Lectures

How We Made It In Africa – Insight into business in Africa

David DeAngelo - Dating Questions For Men

Christian Carter - Dating Questions For Women

Women - The Huffington Post

Recent Articles About Effective Communication Skills and Self Development