Four decades ago the government of President Kayibanda was overthrown by President Habyarimana with a gang of officers known as “The Juvenal Habyarimana comrades of July 5, 1973,”.

The governing military Junta known as the National Committee for peace included

Major General Juvenal Habyarimana as the Chairman

Lieutenant -Colonel Alex KANYARENGWE

Major Aloys NSEKALIJE

Major Sabin BENDA

Major Epimaque RUHASHYA

Major Fabien GAHIMANO

Major Jean-Nepomuscene MUNYANDEKWE

Major Laurent SERUBUGA

Major Bonaventure BUREGEYA

Major Bonaventure NTIBITURA

Major Aloys SIMBA

It is this government of President Habyarimana with his comrades commonly known as comrades of July 1973 that is accused of killing 63 members of the government of Kayibanda, including President Kayibanda himself whose death is still unknown.

According to the families of the victims of Habyarimana regime, they have never been given them a chance and conducive environment of remembering their loved ones, hence they organized these events in Brussels last week.

Why are they remembering this tragic event now? Why in Brussels not in Rwanda?

As Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa said, in Rwanda they are neither saints nor devils, it is in between the saints and devils. This is our history for all the past years since the creation of Rwanda by Gihanga. Successive governments have failed to correct the mistakes of the governments they have replaced.  For example if you look at the Habyarimana comrades of July 1973, you will not be surprised that half of them had been sidelined in just less than 5 years. The reason for the falling apart of the comrades of Habyarimana culminated into confinement of Major Lizinde in notorious Ruhengeri prison, he was the intelligence Chief of Habyarimana. Like the animal firm one of the July Comrades Col. Alex KANYARENGWE went into exile, this was the beginning of the end of President Habyarimana. Initially, like his successor Paul KAGAME he did not see it as a disintegration of his army because, little did he know that these guys where part of the army, they too had friends, comrades and shared common understanding. Indeed, their departure was the recipe for a latent disintegration of President Habyarimana army and government.

In fact confusion and intrigue has also eaten up the Police, barely 5 days in charge of the CID Directorate Tony Kuramba who had replaced Theos Badege who the Police Spokesperson Damas Gatare said he had gone for further studies, now he has bounced back with Tony Kuramba as his deputy. “ACP Theos Badege yasubijwe ku buyobozi bwa CID nyuma y’iminsi 5 asimbuwe’

It should therefore be a narrow vision to suppose that a person or an army officer should be marked out as an eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of any leader. They are neither eternal allies, nor perpetual enemies. Indeed, interests are eternal and perpetual, therefore, it’s these interests that bind people together if they are no longer there, and people part ways.

Whereas it is regrettable for the death of many Kayibanda’s ministers and former senior government officials, this tragedy should not be used by the government of RPF and Kagame to wash it clean or to justify its behaviour on the opposition and those perceived to be. It is also worth noting that the massacre and extra-judicial killings by the RPF regime cannot and will not be compared with the Habyarimana’s regime. In fact, RPF and Kagame has butchered more Rwandans both in the country and outside than all the previous governments combined.

As RDF almost empty of the former Kagame comrades including the recent war hero Gen. Charles Muhire, paradoxically President Paul Kagame thinks he is consolidating his power. He is out with money and other incentives which have divided the opposition despite the fact that all are facing Kagame as the common enemy. They cannot exercise their right of assembly guaranteed by the Rwandan Constitution, yet they are fragmented in what they call political parties out their own country.

Apparently, the common ground for democracy is a country that many of us don’t have; it would be delusional or sleep walking to think that we can dislodge President Kagame with his heavy money purse, external support and big lobbying empire of Big brothers, like Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Pastor Rick Warren and many more. Therefore the biggest challenge for the opposition is to come together irrespective of their political background and ideology. We need a renaissance of new Rwanda, at one point Rwandans made mistakes; this is a high time that we corrected these mistakes instead of infighting or creating new political parties on foreign soil.

Obviously, it’s the opposition that is making Kagame stronger, he has no army, he has remained with a clique of mercenaries like Gen.Jack Nziza, Dan Munyuza and a few of the confused security officers who don’t know where to go  or what to do. It is not surprising that the recent murder of the Flavia Kayitesi a daughter of Col. Sabiti NDANGIJE was not reported in the Rwandan media, neither the incarceration of one of the RDF Senior Officers and a historical member of RPF Gen. Frank Rusagara. As I have mentioned above the recentretiring of untired generals including, former Air force chief, Lt Gen Charles Muhire, Former Western Province division Commander Brig. Gen Wilson Gumisiriza who has been under house arrest, former Northern province Commander Brig Gen. Gashaija should be a reminder to other RDF officers that they are not immune from the Kagame’s sword of both political and physical extermination.

President Kagame has no allies; he has mercenaries who would work for anybody who proves stronger than him.  The remaining Kagame’s political lifeline is the disunity and fragmentation of the opposition, let all Rwandans learn from the past, work together for a new Rwanda that will flow milk and honey not blood and refuges.

Jacqueline Umurungi