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Kagame, France Need Neutral Umpire

New Vision (Kampala)
EDITORIAL
November 21, 2006
Posted to the web November 22, 2006
Kampala
A French Judge wants Rwandan President Paul Kagame prosecuted for 'war crimes'
on grounds that he ordered the downing of Juvenal Habyarimana's plane in 1994.
This comes shortly after an inquiry in Rwanda, similar to South Africa's Truth
and Reconciliation Commission, started hearing testimonies that the French
government aided the Interahamwe.
So is this a coincidence? Is it tit for tat? Or a deliberate move to divert
attention from the inquiry in Kigali?
Whatever the case, France is not the right party to probe pre-genocide events.
Apart from open support for the old Hutu regime allied to the Interahamwe,
France directly and unilaterally intervened in the war and occupied south
western Rwanda.
This came as RPF/A was gaining ground against the killers. The territory
occupied by French troops was used by Interahamwe to cross to then Zaire where
they still elude justice. At the time France reportedly feared losing a
territory of influence to "Anglo-Saxons". These and other actions explain why
the Rwandan government insists on France's complicity in the genocide.
It would be more helpful to thank RPA under Kagame's leadership for having
brought the bloodbath to an end, and for the subsequent economic recovery.
It is not true that Habyarimana's death sparked off the genocide. The
preparations had been completed before the plane came down at Kanombe, and the
genocide would have still happened even if he remained in power but failed to
make peace. Otherwise how were the killers able to swing in action with
precision immediately after his death?
While RPA had a few troops in Kigali at the time of the crash under a shaky
truce, these were mainly in gazetted areas. And some hard-line elements in
Habyarimana's regime were opposed to the peace talks and would have been happy
to see him off. Probably these had easier accessibility to Kanombe Airport than
anybody else.
All these leads require thorough investigation, and a party that is not only
neutral but is also seen to be neutral is a must.


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