This post provides another example of Bishop John Rucyahana’s close ties to the Kagame government, not that any more evidence is needed. A bit of background to set it up:
Rose Kabuye was a fighter in the RPF invasion force that took over Rwanda before and during the genocide of 1994. She rose to be a Lieutenant Colonel and was later the mayor of Kigali and the Chief of State Protocol, a position close to the Dictator, Paul Kagame.
As part of an investigation into the assassination of Rwanda’s President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down in 1994 precipitating the genocide, a French Judge issued an arrest warrant for Kabuye in 2006. In 2008, Kabuye was arrested in Germany as part of this French investigation. According to this Guardian report:
Rwanda’s information minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, said the German authorities had forewarned Kabuye that she was likely to be detained, but she chose to travel to Europe anyway because a trial would expose France’s politically motivated attempts to whitewash its own complicity in the mass slaughter.
Rwanda’s former Attorney General, Gerald Gahima, told me, “Kagame deliberately stage managed Rose Kabuye’s arrest (The Germans warned the Rwanda Government she would be arrested if she visited Germany) as a strategy to get the file of the French Criminal Case.” Mr. Gahima also confirmed that “Rose Kabuye was actually innocent; she was not one of those involved in the planning and execution of the attack against Habyarimana’s plane.” Kabuye was later released and received a hero’s welcome back in Rwanda. Kagame’s insiders have a limited shelf-life, so in 2010, Kabuye was dumped from the cabinet and has in most respects vanished from public life in Rwanda.
What does this have to do with John Rucyahana? Well, the Bishop had his Diocese issue a statement blasting France over the arrest of Kabuye, a statement which was published in Rwandan propaganda organ The New Times. Why would he do this? Because Paul Kagame and the RPF ordered all officials to speak up about the arrest. The United States embassy in Kigali said this about the “protests” of the arrest that took place across the nation:
(SBU) The nationwide marches were uniformly peaceful and orderly, with security forces closely monitoring the progress of the assembled crowds. Ostensibly called by local NGOs and media houses, the marches were in fact organized by the government and ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF). Instructions went out from the central authorities to all administrative levels of the government to assemble their populations for the marches.
So Rucyahana’s Church Diocese issuing a statement about this situation was done at the command of the State. Mr. Gahima said, “Kagame had ordered everyone, public official and private alike, to participate in activities defending Rose Kabuye.” This also sheds light on the complicity of current Archbishop Rwaje in issuing an “Ecumenical Letter” attacking the United Nations report which exposed Rwanda’s support for the terrorist M23. I surmise that Archbishop Rwaje was similarly acting on orders from the State when he put his name to his “unsatisfactory” letter.
Rucyahana’s statement, full of vitriol for France, follows after the text from the New Times:
Anglican Church condemns Kabuye arrest
NORTHERN PROVINCE
The Anglican Church, Shyira Diocese, has strongly condemned the recent arrest of the Rwandan Director of State Protocol, Rose Kabuye.
In a statement issued last week, the Diocesan Council chaired by the Right Reverend John K. Rucyahana, said the actions by Germany and France, was a plan to ruin Rwanda.
Below is the full statement:
We consider the criminal arrogance of the said developed countries, especially France and Germany and their condescension, and contempt treatment of the lesser economically developed nations of Africa in general and specifically Rwanda as:
Tearing down our country and its political institutions and depriving our national leaders of their legitimacy for their own benefit, to a point that has up to now been and is the very reason of our instability.
Sowing divisions and hatred among Rwandans, for the sole benefit of dividing to reign and bring the nation to the brink of total collapse- France being behind all planning, manoeuvring and implementation of genocide and continued collaboration with genocide perpetrators.
These are France’s political and fraudulent manoeuvres to track down our leaders as criminals, when, these Rwandan heroes under French arrest warrants are the very leaders who halted the commissioned genocide.
We, the Anglican Community of the Diocese of Shyira, are very saddened that France and Germany are not deterred by their past criminal acts against our nation, once again shamelessly; they are on a campaign of derailing our nation.
We therefore:
Publicly, denounce France and their supporters in their despicable ill intended procedures.
We publicly, denounce those using the law and international conventions, fraudulently, to deprive others of the God given rights and dignity.
We denounce in the strongest terms, all exploitive tricks used by France to continue to deprive the people of Rwanda, of their destiny and abundance of life.
The Anglican Church, Shyira Diocese, implores Rwandans to honestly commit themselves to praying to God for the total redemption of Rwanda from colonial oppression.
The Christian community in Shyira Diocese, request the United Nations (UN) to take clear resolutions restraining super powers from overrunning the rights of developing nations as it is being done by France.
The clear example is the arrest of Mrs. Rose Kabuye which is unfair not only to her as a person but also deprives Rwanda of its sovereign rights.
The Anglican Church of Rwanda, Diocese of Shyira, joins the rest of the Rwandans, in condemning publicly the colonial derogation and the behaviour of France which deprives us of our rights and inflicts pain on our people.
The Church appeals to all Rwandans to remain united and join their forces in order to face this huge attack from France and protect our dignity and the sovereignty of our nation, which is God given.
Since the colonial abuse has been exerted upon us for too long, we implore you, the Rwandan people to take upon ourselves the destiny of our country at any cost and orient the future generations.
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