History does not teach many Rwandans, neither do many people learn from their mistakes; this is the fate unfolding in the Green Party of Rwanda led by Frank Habineza. As the Biblical saying goes that Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples Judea Iscariot for just 30 pieces of Gold, so is the Green Party sold for money by its boss Frank Habineza. “Ikirenge cya Green Party kirerekeza muri Forumu y’amashyaka”.

Frank Habineza 

Initially the Green Party was denied registration because it was perceived by the RPF as an opposition to the regime philosophy of physical extermination of political opponents. Indeed, Frank Habineza went into exile after the murder of his vice president Andrew Rwiseraka Kagwa who was decapitated and his body was found in the swamp. “murdered-green-party-vice-president-andre-kagwa-rwisereka-his-body-was-found-in-july-2010-at-mukura-river-bank-in-the-south-of-rwanda”.

After the brutal murder of Mr. Rwisereka the Co-Spokespersons of the European Green Party, Monica Frassoni and Philippe Lamberts, expressed their deepest sympathy for Mr Rwisereka’s family, friends and colleagues and called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. It’s unfortunate that up to now neither the public nor the Green Party have known the killers of Mr. Rwisereka Kagwa.

Why now Mr. Frank Habineza is betraying the cause of his colleagues who even paid with their own blood for the freedom and democracy of Rwandans? The answer is simple, President Kagame has used money from public coffers and from conning Rwandans with none existing projects like the Agaciro Fund where he conned Rwandans inside the country and in the Diaspora.

Indeed, this the money that is splashed all over the world to intimidate or Kill whoever, does not succumb to his brutal methods of governance. As I said earlier Rwandans don’t learn from their own history and some times you are attempted to say that sooner or later history will repeat itself. Towards Genocide, Justin Mugenzi, who was on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was a politician who participated in the creation of the Liberal Party and is alleged to have led its Hutu Power faction. Although Justin Mugenzi was initially arrested in what the government of Habyarimna called the sympathizers of the RPF at the first invasion of Rwanda in 1990 by the RPF rebel group that later toppled the Habyarimana government after his assassination together with his Burundian counterpart, Habyarimana used money and other incentives to bring back Mugenzi in the political ideology of MRND.

Frank Habineza is not only one who has fallen in the Kagame trap of money and other monetary incentives irrespective of human rights violation and continued murders, media suffocation and other atrocities that constitute crimes against humanity. The likes, of the former Prime Minster Celstin Rwigema, Evode Wizeyimana who was very critical of the Rwandan Judiciary once called “a gang of bandits” are now employed and work for the same government they accused of human rights violation and lack of rule of law.

The international community is equally mesmerised as Kagame’s supporters like Tony Blair (who called him a “visionary leader”), Bill Clinton (“one of the greatest leaders of our time”), Clare Short (“such a sweetie”) and Howard Schultz, chief executive of Starbucks, who was persuaded to invest in Rwanda have delusionary believed or opportunistically supported the Rwandan dictator. Such idolatry raises the question, what spell does this flinty statesman with bookish, even nerdy looks, with no obvious charisma, cast over western leaders – and why is it now wearing thin? This Rwandan despot is in Brussels attending an African -EU summit , sitting with some leaders who shake hands with this man who has not only killed his own people but has invaded neighboring countries.

As Rwandans remember the 20 years after genocide , we should not be  complacent and see  Rwanda’s short comings through the prism of the genocide, a hundred apocalyptic days that wiped out 800,000 men, women, children and babies and left no family unscarred. Neither should Kagame use the genocide as a pretext to kill or sideline Rwandans who want to engage in the democratic transformation of their country.

Frank Habineza received death threats after breaking away from Kagame’s ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), he has been advocating for democracy and he once said that he is frustrated at international donors’ failure to push for genuine democracy. “I requested Britain and others to take action regarding political space in Rwanda, but what they are doing, I don’t understand. If the international community took a stand on political space and democracy that would be the most helpful to us.” Despite the fact that nothing has changed , the man who was frustrated is now not only getting married to the regime but soon will be in the same bed with the people who killed his colleague, but more frustrating is the timing of Habineza joining hands with RPF without asking the Kagame regime to bring to justice the killers of Mr. Adrew Rwisereka Kagwa.

Many Rwandans seem to me to know what is going on in their country; they are knowledgeable and hard-working people. Those are qualities that I believe help any people to fight for their rights, regardless of the Kagame government being a murderous one that suppresses its people’s rights to freedom of conscience, association and speech, and conducts itself – especially with respect to the Democratic Republic of Congo – for its own immediate and personal benefit. I think one day all these atrocities committed by the Kagame regime and those who don’t learn from history, will be judged harshly by history.

Jacqueline Umurungi

Brussels.