The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak is fighting for his political life with his flagship policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda hanging in the balance. (1) The five-year plan hatched by former Home Secretary but one Priti Patel in 2022 to send some refugees to the east Afrikan state country for processing and long-term settlement was beset with legal woes due to concerns that it is not a safe destination. (2) It was revived by her successor Suella Braverman as the government sought to steer the dominant narrative away from the dire economic and social climate to immigration. (3)
On the face of it Rwanda may seem like a strange choice but it had previously engaged in a similar, albeit secretive arrangement with Israel between 2013 and 2018 and now Denmark, looking to re-ignite something rotten, is looking to get in on the act, in spite the well documented logistical issues. (4) In addition, under the stewardship of Paul Kagame who has been president since 2000 (and will be seeking a fourth term next year), Rwanda is regarded in some circles as an economic and political “miracle”, rising from the devastation of the 1994 genocide, which Kagame himself is credited with ending to being “a shining example of African growth and stability”. (5)
Some also point to the times Kagame has advanced his “Pan-Afrikan mission” and calling for a mindset shift among Afrikans to “push back on the foreign influence that makes it difficult to work together and address their challenges.” (6)
However, an alternative view is that the miracle is not all it’s cracked up to be. Indeed it has been argued that not only is Rwanda, according to Human Rights Watch, “a country where it’s very dangerous to oppose the government.” (7) Moreover, Kagame, who has had the likes of Tony Blair embedded in his administration since 2008, is seen by Black Agenda Report as “the Black head of state most useful to the U.S. and its allies.” (8)
One example of the this is the willingness to contribute to the ongoing occupation in Haiti. (9) Another is Kagame’s assisting the whitewashing of Israel’s apartheid legacy on the continent by acting as an “indispensable bridge” to its “scaling up engagement across Africa.” (10)
Most damning is both Rwanda and Uganda’s intervention into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that spiralled into what became known as “Africa’s World War.” (11) The protracted conflict that has seen millions killed, abused and displaced saw Rwanda, thorough war crimes comitted by its notorious M23 militia, established as “the apex predator in mineral-rich DRC.” (12) Further, the United Nations Group of Experts claim that Rwanda is “still Looting Tantalum, Coltan, Cassiterite, and Tin from DR Congo” ostensibly with the tacit approval of western multinational giants like Hewlett-Packard, Nokia, Apple, Intel, Motorola and Samsung. (13)
It’s hard to separate the movement of these minerals that are paradoxically, increasingly important to transition to so-called “green energy” solutions like electric cars, from the conflicts and even attrocities that facilititaes their movement around the world. Rwanda is a major player in this field directly as a result of its incursions into DRC as it possesses none of these minerals itself. Defeated in 2013, the recent resuscitation of the M23 doesn’t bode well fro the region or the continent leaving Paul Kagame having reconcile the perception of Pan-Afrikanist vs “godfather of the illicit minerals trade in the Congo.” (14)
(1) A Different Bias (10/12/23) Sunak Could be Gone in 72 Hours. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CA-FcTjkuo; Laura Kuenssberg (09/12/23) Tory party splits and spats put Sunak under serious pressure. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67670625
(2) Lucy Skoulding (15/11/23) Rwanda asylum plan: Timeline of government’s policy to deport migrants. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rwanda-ruling-deportation-braverman-sunak-b2447614.html
(3) Kiran Stacey (17/11/23) Former deputy PM condemns ‘dictatorial’ Braverman Rwanda plan. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/nov/17/former-deputy-pm-damian-green-condemns-dictatorial-braverman-rwanda-plan
(4) Daisy Walsh (23/06/22) What happened when Israel sent its refugees to Rwanda? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-61882542. Under the Israel scheme, many of the refugees sent to Rwanda ended up in Europe and there were reports of officials in the country working in tandem with traffickers; Black Agenda Radio (21/07/23) Kagame and Other Stooges Do U.S. Bidding in Haiti. https://blackagendareport.org/news/152/33/Kagame-and-Other-Stooges-Do-U.S.-Bidding-in-Haiti
(5) K.B. Taiwo (16/09/18) The Rwandan miracle: How a nation devastated by genocide has risen to become one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. https://medium.com/new-africa-network/the-rwandan-miracle-how-a-nation-devastated-by-genocide-has-risen-to-become-one-of-the-fastest-8383f30735dc. At 56%, Rwanda boasts of the highest rate of female parliamentary representation in world; Edward Rwema (26/03/17) Rwanda’s Kagame Is First African Leader to Address AIPAC. https://www.voanews.com/a/rwanda-s-kagame-is-first-african-leader-to-address-aipac/3782652.html
(6) Berna Namata (14/08/23) Kagame uses soft power to spread Pan-Africanism. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/kagame-uses-soft-power-to-spread-pan-africanism-4333806
(7) BBC News (08/12/23) What is the UK’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-61782866
(8) David Himbara (10/10/23) Kagame Lucrative Bromance with the Blairs Took a New Turn – Enter Pegasus. https://medium.com/@david.himbara_27884/kagame-lucrative-bromance-with-the-blairs-took-a-new-turn-enter-pegasus-22eeeb232179;
(9) Black Agenda Radio. Op. cit.
(10) AFP (10/07/17) Rwanda’s Kagame in Israel hails ‘blossoming’ cooperation. https://www.france24.com/en/20170710-rwandas-kagame-israel-hails-blossoming-cooperation; Glenn Frankel (24/05/10) Israel’s Most Illicit Affair. https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/05/24/israels-most-illicit-affair/
(11) Heidi Garnett (28/07/22) No end in sight for Rwanda-DRC conflict in Kivu. https://african.business/2022/07/trade-investment/no-end-in-sight-for-rwanda-drc-conflict-in-kivu
(12) Judi Rever (25/09/23) Rwanda is the ‘Wild West’ and should be removed from the mineral supply chain. https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/rwanda-is-the-wild-west-and-should-be-removed-from-the-mineral-supply-chain
(13) Ibid.; David Himbara (06/08/21) Rwanda Still Looting Tantalum, Coltan, Cassiterite, and Tin from DR Congo – UN Group of Experts. https://medium.com/@david.himbara_27884/rwanda-still-looting-tantalum-coltan-cassiterite-and-tin-from-dr-congo-un-group-of-experts-132f6870bb46
(14) Cobus van Staden (08/06/16) Green Energy’s Dirty Secret: Its Hunger for African Resources. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/06/30/africa-congo-drc-ev-electric-vehicles-batteries-green-energy-minerals-metals-mining-resources-colonialism-human-rights-development-china/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921; Maurice Carney (06/12/23) D.R. Congo’s Challenges: Elections, Rwanda’s War of Aggression and Critical Minerals for Green Transition. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/06/30/africa-congo-drc-ev-electric-vehicles-batteries-green-energy-minerals-metals-mining-resources-colonialism-human-rights-development-china/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921
So tonight we ask the question:
Why Rwanda?
1) How is the UK’s Rwanda scheme viewed in the country/continent?
2) Is Rwanda really an economic and political miracle?
3) What is Rwanda’s role in DRC?
4) Is Paul Kagame a Pan-Afrikanist or war criminal?
Our Special Guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of over 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
Bro. Claude Gatebuke: is a co-author of the book Survivors Uncensored 100+ testimonies from survivors of the Rwandan Genocide as well as pre-and post genocide Rwanda; inspiring stories of resilience and humanity. A genocide and Civil War survivor, Claude had dedicated his life to human rights activism. He is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the African Great Lakes Action Network (AGLAN). A staunch activist and outspoken critic of dictators and imperialism.
Claude is also a member of the advocacy coalitions that unite hundreds of advocacy organizations with a common vision for a peaceful Africa, found throughout the United States.
His advocacy work focuses on justice, genocide, mass atrocities prevention, and democracy. Mr. Gatebuke is both well sought after by activist groups and individuals around the world but also a well sought after speaker nationwide and across the globe by various institutions. He has been featured in various magazines and newspapers across the globe as well as appearances on national and international radio and television. He has also been a guest at the White House for a briefing of leaders in the community. He has spoken at hundreds of events worldwide.
His media repertoire includes appearances on BBC, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, NPT, NPR, SABC, RT, Straight Talk Africa, Arise TV, MyPeoples TV, NBC in Nashville, CBS Nashville, Fox Nashville, NewsCentral for television. His radio interviews and contributions include America Tonight, Bess FM, Heart of Africa, Black Agenda Report, Pacifica KPFA, WSKY, WFSK, WBAI, Transafrica Forum Radio, Afrobeat Radio, BlockReport Radio and Voice of America; and published articles and interviews as well as mentions in the Guardian, the Huffington Post, OmVärlden, The World Weekly, AllAfrica, Pambazuka News, San Francisco Bayview, Afrobeat Radio, The East African, Blackstar News, the Block Report and Christian Chronicle among many others around the world.
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