Rwanda and the Commonwealth
This has got to really go over well in Paris :wry:
Quote:
Cricket-loving Rwanda becomes 54th member of the Commonwealth
Rwanda became the 54th member of the Commonwealth yesterday and the second nation to join that was not once part of the British Empire.
The Commonwealth summit approved Rwanda’s entry at its two-yearly gathering in Trinidad and Tobago. Britain pushed hard for the admission of the former Francophone country.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Rwanda has made progress towards the Commonwealth’s core values in areas of democratic process, rule of law, good governance, protection of human rights and equality of opportunity.”
YES or OUI Zat iz ze question....
Rwanda integrating the Commonwealth is merely symbolic of a shift between a Francophone to anglophone world but symbols are crucial in Rwanda.
Several factors have led to that move. Some of the main :
* Kagame wants to (re)create a Rwandan identity on new bases (new flag, new anthem, new language, new history, new sports....). Moving from the francophone cultural world to the anglophone was a perfect way to do it,
*The new elite comes from Uganda has been eductated in an anglophone environment, its allies are mostly anglophone,
* The country's economy is focused on the EAC (which members countries are mostly english speaking),
* Bad relations with France
The Commonwealth is a perfectly inoffensive (ineffective?) organisation but allows Rwanda to mark a clear shift in its history. BTW Rwanda is still a nation member of the "Francophonie" (the French equivalent of the Commonwealth). :p
George Bush was right... "Mandela is dead!"
Thanks for sharing David. I read this other piece also on BBC a few days ago but forgot to post it on here. It's truly sad to see the country and the man going down this path even though in his mind he's got a good reason for doing what is being alleged. Doesn't the saying go, "a tyrant will always have a pretext to his tyranny."
Rwandan President Kagame 'sparked 1994 genocide'
An allegation made by an ex-RPF veteran, now in exile and sentenced in his absence to jail:
Quote:
Theogene Rudasingwa said he heard Mr Kagame boast in 1994 that he ordered the shooting down of the plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana.
"By committing that kind of crime Kagame has the responsibility in the crime of genocide," he told the BBC.
President Kagame has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15165641
The Shroud Over Rwanda’s Nightmare
A short NYT op-ed on the original informant for the UN commander's request to UN HQ to take pre-emptive action:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/op...it_ee_20140110
Friday night court - genocide conviction
A little late Friday surprise from a Paris court:
Quote:
A Paris court has delivered France's first-ever conviction for genocide, sentencing a Rwandan former intelligence chief to 25 years in prison over the 1994 killings of at least 500,000 people in the African country.
The landmark trial of 54-year-old Pascal Simbikangwa sets off what could be the first of dozens of French trials into one of the 20th century's greatest atrocities - two decades after it happened.
In a late night verdict after 5 ½ weeks on trial, he was found guilty of genocide and complicity to crimes against humanity.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1069...e-trial-f.html
Rwanda - the new African Prussia?
For reasons I do not completely understand Rwanda is emerging as a capable and willing power in Africa. It is after all a small, landlocked country with a number of currently happy donors helping a rapidly expanding economy and has as this thread mainly refers to a horrific recent history.
Rwanda's role, especially in the covert and military sphere, in the Congo (DRC) has been the subject of many posts on another thread, which is far larger 'Gazing in the Congo (DRC): the dark heart of Africa (new title)' at:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=2129
In a recent discussion with intelligence professionals Rwanda came up and was described by one retired practitioner as having Africa's best intelligence service, including a capable SIGINT unit.
Africans may dislike a European parallel, but Rwanda does seem to be akin to Prussia. A small country "punching way above its weight".
A contrary view of Rwanda, focusing on President Kagame:http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/...war?src=usn_tw