On 24th April 2014 Rwanda has suspended BBC broadcasts in the Kinyarwanda language because of a film questioning official accounts of the 1994 genocide.

The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (Rura) claimed to have received complaints from the public of incitement, hatred, revisionism and genocide denial as result of The BBC programme Rwanda, The Untold Story.

The programme included interviews with former aides of RPF leader President Paul Kagame, accusing him of plotting to shoot down the presidential plane – the act seen as triggering the slaughter.

The BBC has denied that any part of the programme constitutes a “denial of the genocide against the Tutsi”.

In a new letter dated 11 September 2017, a UK based Burundian/British lawyer named Pacelli Ndikumana, wrote to BBC Director General, Mr Tony Hall, accusing BBC Greatlakes Editor Mr Ali Yusufu Mugenzi to have made editorial decision which badly affected its audience as result of his personal and political interests.

In the letter he has also claimed that the current has of BBC Greatlakes services has seriously undermined the BBC to such an extent that many Kirundi listeners have given up listening the BBC. The general objective of the letter was to request the suspension of Mr Ali Yusuf Mugenzi, the editor of the Kirundi-Kinyarwanda program pending a full investigation for breaching the BBC code of conduct and editorial standards.

I have two important comments about this letter and request of Mr Ndikumana to BBC

  1. Many claims in that letter are clearly laughable. BBC Greatlakes which is also known BBC Kinyarwanda-Kirundi programme is the most popular radio in Rwanda and Burundi. It became popular because local radios have not been able to provide unbiased and professional programme about local issues. It has become a radio where local people go to learn about the really news. Despite that it has reduced its number of programmes and broadcasting times, it still very popular.

The main raison it was suspended in Rwanda is that it was broadcasting programmes that the current dictatorship did not want their people to hear. The government took advantage of that BBC2 television ‘Untold Story’ and went on to suspect BBC Greatlakes.

Since BBC Greatlakes was suspended to be broadcasted in FM waves, many of its audience in Rwanda have resorted in listening it online.

Furthermore, BBC Greatlakes would not have been very popular without a good leadership and professionalism of its chief editor Mr Mugenzi.

2. Who is then Mr Pacelli Ndikumana, who is attacking a popular radio programme and its most admired editor? Mr Ndikumana is well known activist in Burundi community in Europe. He is the founder of (Tutsi.org) and the association ( l’association SurciT-Banguka) which have known to promote Tutsi supremacists ideology in Greatlakes region. On 3rd September 2008, a Swiss Court ruled that Mr Ndikumana website (Tutsi.org) and his association represented racist views.  Thus Mr Ndikumana can never be a credible commentator of issues of Burundi or Rwanda while holding those kind of views.

Conclusion

Since BBC Greatlakes was suspended in Rwanda, Kigali regime have showed dissatisfaction to the fact that it has continued broadcasting and that many Rwandans were accessing it online.

Considering that Kagame and most if his entourage have seen to have similar racists views, we have strong raison to believe that Mr Ndikumana actions might have been influenced by Kagame regime in order to continue their plan to get Mr Mugenzi suspended and eventually sacked.

We believe that BBC management will investigate effectively to those biased and ill-intentioned accusations sent by Mr Pacelli Ndikumana  and eventually clear the name of its editor Mr Ali Mugenzi and aknowledge oppressive regimes and eemies of free media behind those complaints.

Marie Ange Uwimana