Rwanda: Is US Justified to Indict Kagame?

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by Kevin Jon Heller

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The United States of America seems to have no permanent enemy or friend, but permanent interests. In pursuit of its interests, the US has created dictators in many countries gotten rid of them when they ‘threaten’ the US interests. Potentates like Mobutu, Hosni Mubarak and Ali Saleh were left to face the wrath of the mass after they proved to be a liability to the US. Dictators such as Theodoro Nguema Obiang, Denis Sassou-Ngwesso and Ali Bongo are still in power plundering and ruining their countries as they deem fit simply because they have not yet proved to be dangerous or independent minded in dealing with the US.

Rwanda, since its resurrection from the 100-day massacre became the darling of the West. Nobody lectured Paul Kagame on democracy or Human Rights.
 
Those who failed to interfere to stop genocide in 1994, especially the so-called world powers, had to pat him on the back to silence him from accusing them of their failure. Those who still remember how the international community failed Rwanda, wonder how Kagame would be key to the destabilization of DRC that was destabilized since it gained independence. Many still remember how the CIA killed the founder of DRC Patrice Lumumba and handed over power to puppet and thief Joseph Mobutu who ruined and plundered DRC for decades. Many wonder how, ironically, DRC ‘stability and prosperity’ can be in the agenda of the country that toppled and killed its founder. Still many wonder how invading, plundering and destabilizing DRC would be a crime while doing the same to Iraq would be deemed legal! What a contradiction!

Currently, the lovey dovey relationship between Kagame and The West has been stained. All results from the poisoned chalice known as DRC. Kagame is now openly assaulted and accused of aiding M23, a ragtag rebel group in DRC in order to destabilize the already destabilized DRC. Before long, Kagame and Museveni invaded DRC under the pretext of repelling and seeking to arrest Hutu militias. This reason was accepted for a while before the true motive came to the agora. Seriously, Kagame is threatened and warned that he can be indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague just like Taylor who was recently found guilty and sentenced to serve 50 years in the prison.



Stephen Rapp The Head of US war crimes office


Some western countries have announced the suspension of financial aid to Rwanda. This is a warning to Kagame to behave well. One Stephen Rapp, who leads the US Office of Global Criminal Justice was recently quoted by the Guardian saying, “Charles Taylor never set foot in Sierra Leone, and aided and abetted, and was convicted of aiding and abetting, the Revolutionary United Front with assistance that was substantial and, the judges said, without which the RUF could not have committed the atrocities to the extent they did commit them. Because of that evidence, Charles Taylor was convicted and sentenced to 50 years.” if anything, this is a clear message to Kigali that the US can change the rules of the game anytime if at all and when at all.



Kagame remains at large despite war crimes crimes against humanity and genocide he com- mitted in both Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo