DR Congo: Rwanda is starting to feel the heat.

Aljazeera reports DR Congo deploys elite unit to fight M23

Government is sending commandos to battle rebels based in the eastern city of Goma.

                    Al Jazeera’s Peter Greste reports from front lines around the eastern city of Goma.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is sending an elite unit of commandos to the country’s east to reinforce its regular troops in the fight against the M23 rebel group.

Both M23 and the Congolese government insist they want a negotiated settlement to the conflict that left hundreds of people dead and well over two million displaced since May 2012.

But with the warring forces digging in against one another, the prospects for talks seem dim.

They are dim indeed. In fact I would say they are non existent M23 are going to be disarmed or crushed. Rwandan propaganda disseminated through the government owned New Times shows just how concerned the Rwandan government are about this.

New Times ( Rwanda ) opines

Peace in the DRC still distant

By Joseph Rwagatare

Is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) anywhere near achieving peace? Hardly, even with the massive deployment of troops, huge expenditure and frantic diplomatic efforts. And this is why.

Firstly, there is growing evidence that the various organs of the United Nations are pulling in different directions in the search for an end to the conflict in DRC.

What a load of unmitigated crap. It is interesting to reflect though that it is a huge expense and the primary reason the world is having to spend that money is Rwanda. The money will be well spent if peace breaks out in the DR Congo and an even better investment if the regime of Paul Kagame falls.

On the one hand, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appears to favour a peaceful solution to the conflict. He put a lot of effort in formulating the Framework Agreement for Peace in the DRC and having it signed by the heads of state of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. He also seems to support regional initiatives. The appointment of Ms Mary Robinson as his special envoy to the Great Lakes Region would also indicate his intentions for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

On the other hand, the UN peace-keeping department, under Frenchman Herve Ladsous, seems to pull in another direction. It supports military action and ignores, even undermines regional efforts to end the conflict. For instance MONUSCO issued an ultimatum to all armed rebels to disarm just as an ICGLR Summit was meeting in Nairobi, Kenya to seek a more workable solution within the Framework Agreement.

Some how we are meant to believe that the political approach and the military are at odds despite both efforts being mandated under Security Council Resolution 2098. It then moves to the farcical with a reference to the ICGLR ( International Conference on the Great Lakes 

Region ) summit is somehow related to the United Nations as if it was another arm of the organisation rather than a separate body altogether. To make matters worse he either does not know or conveniently forgets that the origin of the Intervention Brigade or as I term it due to its origin the Africa Brigade is a request from the ICGLR to the UN Security Council. 

Fortunately or unfortunately from the perspective of Rwanda the UN Security Council made sure that the Africa Brigade was a neutral force tasked with extending the sovereignty of  the DR Congo rather than the Kigali aligned force Rwanda wished it to be. The  African Review reports from the ICGLR summit.

But beneath the surface of the summit, held under the umbrella of the 11-member International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), was a concerted effort by the major players, especially Rwanda and Uganda, to shift the focus of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) back to a negotiated deal, even as consensus around an exceptional United Nations military-backed intervention deepens.

Unanimously backed by the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2098, the new 3,000-strong force crafted from the existing Monusco is in the strife-torn eastern Congo to aggressively neutralise various armed rebel groups and is seen as a game changer.

But analysts say its would leave Rwanda and Uganda, which have been variously accused of fomenting the unrest in the Kivu regions, shorn of major influence in the region, hence their preference for a “regional solution.”

However, careful not to be seen to be going against the growing international consensus around the conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people, Kampala and Kigali, which vigorously deny having a hand in it, grudgingly accepted the UN force.

However, they have continued to lobby, behind the scenes, for a non-military settlement, in part informing the recent push for the ICGLR to reclaim its space.

The more workable solution that New Times writer propagandist Joseph Rwagatare and Rwanda desperately want is not going to happen the reason of course being that the world has decided to give peace a chance and end the colonial ambitions of Rwanda in the Eastern DR Congo.

MONUSCO was set up precisely to disarm armed rebels in DRC, but there is very little to show in this regard. Instead, it has partnered with some of them.

Foxtrot Foxtrot Sierra. Just how stupid is Rwagatare ? Or probably a better question is how stupid does he think we are ? MONUSCO was set up with a defensive mandate it was unable to complete its mission. When M23 the Rwandan proxy invaded Goma one could argue it partnered with them. It sure as hell didn't stop them.

" Currently, the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) in Congo is made up of 20,000 troops, but its mandate has purely been to protect civilians and not to fight. This is because the contributing countries insist that their forces should not engage in combat."

MONUSCO’s partisanship and the ultimatum it issued a few weeks ago are eerily reminiscent of what happened in Rwanda between 1990 and 1994. The French supported a regime that was clearly planning and later committed genocide. When the regime was facing certain defeat, its leaders, armed forces and armed militia were shepherded to safety in DRC (then Zaire) by the French who continued to arm them.

Apparently Ladsous’s MONUSCO wants to shepherd them back into Rwanda – arms, genocide ideology and all.

No he wants to either disarm them or kill them and that from the UN Security Council Resolution includes, 

" M23, the FDLR, the ADF, the APCLS, the LRA, the National Force of Liberation (FNL), the various Mayi Mayi groups and all other armed groups and their continuing violence and abuses of human rights, including summary executions, sexual and gender based violence and large scale recruitment and use of children, demands that all armed groups cease immediately all forms of violence and destabilizing activities and that their members immediately and permanently disband and lay down their arms, and reiterates that those responsible for human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law will be held accountable....

I am guessing Rwagatare has not bothered to read UN Security Council resolution 2098. 

Pulling in different directions at the UN obviously complicates matters and leads to the question. Who actually runs the United Nations? It seems the Secretary General does not. A cartel of powerful nations and interests does.

I am guessing international relations are a bit of a weak spot for Rwagatare the irony is of course the fool has forgotten that Rwanda holds an African seat on the UN Security Council .

I am nothing if not helpful though he can discover all he needs to know about the governance of the UN here. 


Ban Ki-moon will trot to the different trouble spots across the globe and try to persuade groups facing off against each to come to the negotiating table and talk peace. He will smile to emphasise his peaceful intentions. 

Occasionally he will threaten and frown to signal the gravity of his mission. But that’s about all he can do because most of the time he will be ignored.

The real problem for Rwanda is the world has stopped listening to the lies of the current regime.   Or as Abraham Lincoln said " You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." Ban 

Ki-moon is not the one being ignored it is Rwandan President Paul Kagame.  

Herve Ladsous will sit in New York and bully his way to achieve what his masters want.

All the powerful nations and groupings such as the United States and the European Union also have special envoys in the DRC to further their own interests which more often than not do not correspond to those of the UN.

US Envoy Russell Feingold ( former US Senator ) and UN Envoy Mary Robinson ( former President of Ireland ) are not special envoys to the DR Congo but rather the Great Lakes region a small but important point, I am guessing that he is correct in his assertion that the UN have a envoy to the DR Congo but I can't recall who that is. This is a different approach from the one Rwanda takes which is to send in heavily armed envoys, lots of them in the uniforms of the Rwandan Defense Force as we saw with the invasion of Goma last November.

" Rwandan troops “openly entered into Goma through one of the two official border crossings,” said the letter, which was written by Steve Hege, the coordinator of a United Nations investigative panel, and was leaked by a third party."

Not surprisingly, President Uhuru Kenyatta was prompted to point out at the ICGLR Summit in Nairobi on July 31st that the UN in eastern DRC should “strengthen rather than complicate and overlap” peace efforts already initiated in that country.

It was a bloody silly statement when he made it showing a spectacular ignorance of the history of the peace keeping initiatives in the DR Congo. Earth to Kenyatta what other peace keeping initiatives are you talking about ? The AU one or perhaps the ICGLR initiatives Oh yeah, they both asked the UN to run there initiatives as part of MONUSCO. 

Secondly, the money and effort are spent on finding the wrong answer to the problem in the Congo. The military solution that is now the preferred option in dealing with an essentially political and governance issue will not work.

Disarming the rebels ( or killing them off I really no longer care either way ) and preventing further Rwandan incursions into the Eastern DR Congo is a good start. Governance issues can be sorted out subsequent to that.  

Insecurity in the east of the DRC and other parts of that huge, wealthy but ill-governed country is a consequence of bad governance, not inherent criminality. The proliferation of armed groups (as we have argued many times before) is a result of the absence of an effective state in the area. 

Actually it is a result largely of criminality on the part of a nation state. Rwanda namely.  

No amount of money, no number of troops however well-supplied with sophisticated weapons, including drones, will fix the security and political problems in DRC.  

The United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC) set up in 1999 and its successor, the UN Stabilisation Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) and now the Intervention Brigade only add to the insecurity; they don’t end it.

They certainly do add to the insecurity of Kagame's regime. Kagame has funded the building of Rwanda by the systematic looting of the mineral wealth of the DR Congo the troops the drones and now the Intervention Brigade has ended that rort. Rwanda knows this and this story is an attempt a pathetic attempt to shift the blame and responsibility for the crimes against humanity committed by Rwanda and its proxies in The DR Congo.   
Until all the money and effort are put to the right cause -  to strengthen the state and address the denationalisation of some Congolese, which is the root cause of the conflict, all attempts at pacifying eastern DRC will remain futile.

Actually and I hate to admit it, in this Rwagatare has a point. Congolese Tutsi are discriminated against and this is something that Kinshasa must rectify. Kinshasa must rebuild much and winning the confidence of the whole population is a must. I hope they relise the opportunity they have been afforded.  

Thirdly, the deep involvement of the United Nations is itself a problem. I do not know of any troubled place where the United Nations has actually brought peace. On the contrary, wherever the UN has been involved, it has only succeeded in exacerbating the existing situation, often making a temporary territorial split permanent or helping fragment a country.

East Timor. Now you know one.

Examples abound. Two years ago NATO, with UN backing, attacked Libya to remove Colonel Muammar Gadaffi. The country has since been fragmented.

Small point but probably worth mentioning to our historical genius Libya underwent a revolution the role of NATO was defensive in neutralising the air power of Gadaffi. There were no UN soldiers in blue helmets.

Congo itself is a classic example of UN failure from the 1960s to the present.

The lowest point of the UN getting it wrong was in Rwanda and the Balkans. In the former, genocide was committed while its peacekeeping force, weakened by the very organisation that had set it up, looked on. 

The genocide only ended when the Rwanda Patriotic Army resumed its offensive and drove the genocidal regime out of the country. In the latter, ethnic cleansing on a massive scale was systematically carried out as the UN watched. It took action by the United States and NATO to put an end to it.

There are points on the UN conduct in both these operations that are worthy of several posts. The bottom line is some times the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Mistakes were made this is an attempt to do it correctly.

Today, ethnic cleansing is happening in the DRC as the UN again watches, and, if not checked, it will turn into genocide. Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese and even Rwanda nationals doing legitimate business in the DRC have recently been arrested, taken to unknown places and tortured. The UN, whose mission is to protect civilians, has said or done nothing about it.

No there isn't. At the moment the summary executions are being committed by M23. M23 attempt to set up an illegitimate administration in the eastern DR Congo may lead to it though. That is just one reason there is little support amongst ethnic Tutsi Congolese for M23.

This time it even gets worse because the UN is complicit in the crime. Through MONUSCO, it has knowingly or through inexcusable negligence allowed the genocidal Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) to fight in the Congolese army’s ranks which it backs or as part of its own Intervention Brigade. This is bound to destabilise not only DRC but the whole region, and for this reason, peace remains distant.

That is not true and is an idiotic allegation. FARDC has supported FDLR which is madness but Rwanda has done far worse in its support of M23.

Rwanda: Visit and screw human rights.

New Times ( Rwanda ) Sunday Times   

Come visit Rwanda, not just for the fun

Allen Brian Ssenyonga opines

                                                                  Allen Brian Ssenyonga

First of all, let me start by pointing out that I have not received a cheque from Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to promote tourism in Rwanda much as I would not refuse it if it came my way.

I think Allen would have a better claim for a cheque if the article had been run in The London Times, New York Times or even in Dunedin's Otago Daily Times rather than the Rwandan State controlled New Times.

But this actually gives me a chance to prove that RDB should not be the only government body in Rwanda charged with convincing foreigners to come and visit Rwanda. Yes, I know a lot of money has been spent trying to get people to think of the endangered mountain gorillas each time Rwanda is mentioned.

I have absolutely no idea how much the RDB has spent but I don't think of Rwanda as synonymous  with mountain gorillas. There would be many I suspect with an interest in the East African Gorilla population that are regularly hitting the Virunga National Park website and blog. That must surely count as an epic fail on the part of Rwanda and the RDB.

But you see, that branding came from the previous government where Rwanda was synonymous with the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This being the 19th year since that gruesome episode in Rwanda’s history, a lot has since changed and anyone thinking of Rwanda only through the Genocide lens is nothing but ignorant. 

Ignorant we may be but I for one look at Rwanda not so much through a genocide lens but through the lens of a bloody dictatorship overlayed with a  thin veneer of legality designed to convince the world that country is not the dictatorship it so obviously is. 

These days when you step out of Rwanda you are most likely to be asked about many other things besides the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis. People now know about Rwanda’s massive steps in the field of ICT, good governance, functioning state institutions, zero tolerance to corruption, impressive road network and many other things. 

Yes. Many would like to ask about Rwandas on going bad behaviour in the the eastern DR Congo ? Why on earth the government of Rwanda continually lies about its involvement when the evidence against it is overwhelming and conclusive ? The simple truth is Kagame is one of Africa's more successful Crocodiles  and  as for good governance ask Victoire Ingabire about that. Zero tolerance to corruption, for fucks sake theft is corruption and Rwanda participates in theft on an international scale amongst many other things  . From Reuters. 

" Congo and Rwanda had been working closely on the issue before allegations of Rwandan complicity in the M23 rebellion brought about a breakdown in relations.

Rwanda has historically benefited from the exploitation of hundreds of millions of dollars of Congolese minerals.

A U.N. report in December last year said that Bosco Ntaganda, one of the leaders of the current M23 rebellion who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, was continuing to smuggle minerals through Rwanda.

On Tuesday the advocacy group Global Witness said that its research indicated Rwanda was continuing to launder proceeds from minerals that may have benefited armed groups.

"Not only does Rwanda's predatory behaviour jeopardise its own reputation, ... it also risks undermining the credibility of initiatives being developed to tackle the conflict minerals trade," Global Witness spokeswoman Annie Dunnebacke said."

Rwanda’s impressive steps over the years have raised people’s curiosity about the country. And not only curiosity has been raised but also expectations. It is common to hear folks saying that Kigali is a beautiful city but with a lousy night life. Yes, that is very true but what is truer is that those amazed by Rwanda’s transformations have also set very high expectations for the same place.

Of course nothing happens in Kigali that can even be remotely acknowledged in the official mouth piece of the nation New Times. 

" Le Must, which is the smallest night club in Kigali, also costs 5.000Rwf a head. The atmosphere may be cozy but the decor and size can be suffocating to anyone who prefers space. There is a terrace outside that can cater to these needs although it won’t be of much use for anyone who has a problem with prostitutes."

Every year, a week is spent commemorating the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and during this week a plug is placed on the few fun options the country may have to offer. Because of this, many foreigners (and even Rwandans) leave the country and only return after April 14. 

The same group of ‘fun refugees’ will go on to inform anyone outside that they should not visit Rwanda during the memorial week because “it will be so boring”.

The problem is not that the genocide is remembered but that it is done so in such a political way. There is no reconciliation agenda. This is a week of official ethnic / racial hatred and as such fails everyone. Sorry it does not fail President Paul Kagame.  

Well, that too is true. The Memorial Ws boring. But if you see it that way then you are also very ignorant and probably disrespectful of what this week is all about.

Again I am ignorant and disrespectful not because I find Memorial week boring, I don't. I find Memorial week to be yet another Rwandan fraud and as such it is boring because at the state government level fraud is what Rwanda is all about.

The week is just one out of the 52 in a year set aside for reflection and learning. I must admit, too, that on many occasions I would also head for Kampala when the week came around. But this was also because the week always came when schools had broken off and as a teacher I was idle and thought it was a good time to go and check on my family. 

Eventually, I decided to stay and see for myself what the week was all about. Of course it was not fun but there was so much, particularly for a foreigner, to learn about what Rwandans went through, what they still go through and the challenges the country faces. 

The challenge Rwanda faces is that it is a dictatorship under the control of a Crocodile. Political dissent is not tolerated. For the Rwandan government history has finished and will not be allowed to restart any time soon.

So, yes, there is no fun during the memorial week but there is so much to learn and I find it encouraging when people decide to visit during this week to learn. The other day I was walking around Nyabugogo and I noticed a bus belonging to Kabale University arriving. 

I later saw on TV that actually a group of students from the same university were here to learn about the events of 1994. They visited Genocide memorial sites outside Kigali and even interacted with some of the survivors.

The image I have of this is sick. I see clean cut young Germans on a bus travelling through a Jewish neigbourhood in a world where the Axis powers won the Second World War. Am I wrong ? Rwanda participated in what many think of as the Third World War fought through proxies in the DR Congo... 6 million dead  and still climbing.

There is no doubt that these students are now much knowledgeable about Rwanda than those other ignorant people I see posting crazy stuff on social media. I was shocked when I saw some of the things people were posting in denial of the Genocide.  It is also encouraging that the memorial week is commemorated in different countries or cities around the world. 

Again I assume that I am one of the ignorant not that I deny the Genocide but presumably because I for one will not buy into the post Genocide bullshit that is spouted from Kigali and is echoed ( perhaps quite unintentionally ) in this article. 

I think it is time we encouraged those who are interested in learning about Rwanda to come and visit the country during this week and integrate them in some of the activities that happen during this period. Those charged with tourism have more work to do in this regard if we are ever to get more people to understand this country and its people.

Of course I suspect that if I was to visit Rwanda I would be gaoled  as a holocaust denier or more probably an ironically for Lèse-majesté, but that is because to some degree I do understand this country. I understand its President and his international goals. I understand Balkanisation.

There is so much one can learn from Wikipedia or Google searches. If we can have the whole of East Africa following Kenyan elections, why not market Rwanda’s lessons to the region. I hope I am not asking for too much here.

Sometimes it is better not to ask in case you get. Rwanda has many lessons for the region in what not to do. Despite Kagame's attempts to end history Allan Ssenyonga may well not be asking to much, but Kagame may well think otherwise.

Rwanda: Paul Kagame is a bastard.

Reuters reports 

Rwanda refuses visas for two U.N. Congo sanctions experts.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Conogolese President Joseph Kabila. PHOTO/Reuters  newvision 

(Reuters) - Rwanda has refused to issue entry visas to two members of a U.N. expert panel that accused Kigali last year of arming rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, describing them as biased, Rwandan and other diplomats said on Tuesday.

Several U.N. diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, disputed the allegations of bias.

Rwanda seems to believe that it can invade the territory of the DR Congo with impunity and then when inconvenient evidence emerges that confirms Rwandan malfeasance the response is always to deny it.

The U.N. Security Council's Group of Experts, which monitors compliance with sanctions and an arms embargo on Congo, said in a report last year that Rwanda's defence minister was commanding the M23 revolt in Congo and that Rwanda was arming the rebels and supporting them with troops. It also accused Uganda of supporting M23.

There is of course the irony that Rwanda now holds the African seat on the Security Council. Rwanda should be removed from the Security Council. Paul Kagame runs one of the most brutal corrupt regimes in Africa. He is terrified of external scrutiny.

Rwanda's government was furious about the experts' report, as was the Ugandan government, and denied the allegations. U.N. officials and Security Council diplomats, however, said the Rwandan denials were not credible.

The allegations against Uganda were ( and I have read and blogged on the report ) not sustained in my opinion. They had a right to complain in fact one of the allegations was to accuse Uganda of offering support to M23 with the provision of administrational support in the on going peace negotiations. That is just stupidity.  Uganda I note though has not with held visa's.

A Rwandan diplomat confirmed the refusal to issue entry visas to Bernard Leloup of Belgium and Marie Plamadiala of Moldova. Several council diplomats dismissed the Rwandan allegations of bias, saying they suspected Kigali may be getting revenge over the group's revelations about M23's Rwandan links.

Absolutely. If Rwanda wish's to conduct itself in this manner the argument for removal from the security council just grows stronger. 

"We told the DRC (Congo) sanctions committee ... that no visa will issued to both of them," Rwanda's deputy U.N. ambassador, Olivier Nduhungirehe, told Reuters. He was referring to the Security Council's Congo sanctions committee.

How bloody ironic. Olivier Nduhungirehe might well find himself representing a government thta will face international sanctions along the lines of Zimbabwe if Rwanda carries on killing and fomenting unrest in the DR Congo.  Paul Kagame record on domestic oppression is fairly mind boggling. 

Several diplomats said the other four members of the expert group are currently in the Rwandan capital Kigali for discussions with the government regarding the panel's continued investigation of Rwanda's role in supporting M23.

Why bother. Rwanda will not play by the established rules of international behaviour so screw them. Issue the report and bring in sanctions against the regime.

Britain, France and the United States are among the countries that have urged Kigali to cooperate with all six members of the expert panel, council diplomats said, adding that they hoped Rwanda would relent.

Last year's report by the Group of Experts caused significant grief for Rwanda. The United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, Britain and the European Union reacted to the experts' accusations by suspending some aid to Rwanda, which relies on donors for about 40 percent of its budget.

That gives a fair indication of just how awful this regime is.

ACCUSATIONS OF BIAS

The Rwandan U.N. mission prepared a memo complaining about Leloup and Plamadiala. In that memo, obtained by Reuters from a diplomatic source, Rwanda accused Leloup of "a clear pattern of a deeply-seated bias against the GoR (government of Rwanda)."

The memo said Plamadiala has "no demonstrated expertise" suitable to being a member of the expert panel and "demonstrates inappropriate professional boundaries not befitting a U.N. expert."

If think a diplomatic fuck off needs to be sent to Rwanda in terms that the leadership can't fail to understand. Something along the line if an ICC indictment for crimes against humanity would do it. 

Despite Rwanda's complaints, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reappointed Leloup and Plamadiala to the expert group.

The U.N. press office did not have an immediate response to the question of whether the Rwandan memo complaining about the two experts had been received by Ban's office.

Plamadiala declined to comment in an email to Reuters. Leloup did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

Last year, Rwanda accused the Group of Experts' coordinator, Steve Hege of the United States, of bias and leaking information to the media. Several council diplomats told Reuters those allegations about Hege were unfounded. The experts' new coordinator is Emilie Serralta of France.

Hege won and that must really piss Rwanda off. Rwanda will discover sooner or later that just because it operates on an ideology of hate, denial and corruption the rest of the world does not. The message that the world should send this and other Crocodiles is simple. You will be held to account for your actions.

Recently the M23 rebellion started to implode, U.N. diplomats and officials say. Hundreds of Congolese M23 rebels loyal to warlord Bosco Ntaganda fled into neighbouring Rwanda or surrendered to U.N. peacekeepers over the weekend after being routed by a rival faction.

It would be interesting to know what deals and influence Rwanda had on the above events. The fall out from this will be informative and I suspect will show Rwandan interference. 

Ntaganda, the fugitive Rwandan-born former Congolese general, walked into the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda on Monday and asked to be transferred to the International Criminal Court, where he faces war crimes charges racked up during the rebellion.

African leaders signed a U.N.-mediated regional accord late last month aimed at ending two decades of conflict in eastern Congo and paving the way for the possible creation of a U.N. intervention force to combat armed groups.

I have been blogging about this talk fest for ever I have serious doubts as to whether the force will ever take the field.

Rwanda: St. Paul Kagame

The Sunday Times ( New Times Rwanda Sunday edition ) canonises President Paul Kagame

Kagame operates like a company CEO – book

President Paul Kagame presided over the launch of Rwanda, Inc., a new book that showcases the country’s journey towards becoming an economic model for the developing world.

Authored by New York Times bestselling author, Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond, the 256-page book was published on November 13 2012; it mainly focuses on Kagame’s leadership style, describing him more as a company CEO than a political leader.

I sort of have to wonder if it is a book launch or a re-launch of a book. I certainly missed the November launch.

The book’s launch in Kigali Friday evening at Serena Hotel attracted over 100 notable dignitaries from both the government and the corporate world.

Rwanda, Inc. received uttermost praise from Kagame, who described it as a “true and real account of economic issues in Rwanda.”

Hang on lets actually take a breath of fresh air here. We have Paul Kagame  President of Rwanda giving utmost praise to a book that gives the utmost praise to The President of Rwanda who is Paul Kagame. One might assume from that, that Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond are writers of fiction.

“This story in Rwanda, Inc. is real – it is the story of Rwanda’s transformation. It is no longer an issue of whether this or that will happen – the only question that people worry about now and want to keep working at, is the pace of development,” Kagame said in his address to the guests.

“The problems of poverty and democracy go hand-in-hand and must be treated at the same time. The only medicine you will ever find for them is business, entrepreneurship and innovation. If you create a climate for functioning businesses and markets, then you treat the sickness of poverty and democracy.”

Interesting view point on democracy, it is a sickness like poverty.

The President further praised the book for shifting from the usual rhetoric represented from writers in the developed world who describe Africa as a failed continent.

“Many people in the West believe that Africa is a place of poverty, disease, conflict and all kinds of things – yet the truth is that Africa is of immense potential. All Africa needs is to get a few things right, by especially improving its potential for business and entrepreneurship,” Kagame said.

“Success does not come cheap, it is not easy, yet it is a must. That is what I believe and that is what Rwandans believe. This is the story of Rwanda, where we have come from, where we are today and where we want to be”.

Both authors told the audience that they were inspired to write the book after realising that Rwanda was a different picture from what it had been painted by several other books they had read.

“When I first traveled to Rwanda, I was astonished by what I found – it was far from what I had been reading. In a little spec of time, you find a building in a place where it wasn’t. What seemed like pure exaggeration became a reality to us – a country dedicated to development,” Redmond said.

Crisafulli added: “President Kagame operates more like a company CEO than a political leader. He is totally focused on the attainment of goals, building strong institutions, security, discipline and good governance, more like what a real corporate leader would do”.

Yes business operate without the moral imperatives that governments are supposed to follow. I guess Rwandan incursions into the DR Congo should be looked at as an investment.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo, also commended the book for taking on a business angle, different from what many writers on Rwanda are focused on – the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.

“I am glad that this book is not about the Genocide. Books on genocide are important but what I think is that Rwandans should not be seen only in the light of genocide. There is more to us than just the genocide,” she said.

The book received mostly positive reviews from a variety of dignitaries, including former US President Bill Clinton, Stephen Kinzer, author of A Thousand Hills, Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, among others.

Hmm. Mostly positive, well the first review I read was interesting. Eric Liebetrau in The Boston Globe   

In their latest collaboration, Patricia Crisafulli (“The House of Dimon”), former business journalist with the Chicago bureau of Reuters, and business consultant Andrea Redmond focus on Rwanda. Though less than 20 years removed from one of the most brutal examples of genocide in history, the authors make a somewhat less than convincing case that the country, led by its “CEO’’ president Paul Kagame, is poised to become a high-tech player in the global economy, “the ultimate turnaround story on a continent better known for broken promises and unfulfilled potential.”

Ouch.

Certainly, few can deny the significance of Rwanda’s progress since the genocidal slaughter that culminated in 1994. Poverty levels are down significantly — 44.9 percent in 2011, down from 56.9 in 2006 — and per capita income has increased from $200 in 2000 to $560 today. Rwanda is also unique within Africa with its zero-tolerance policy on corruption. However, Crisafulli and Redmond fail to persuade on the economic viability of a country in which subsistence agriculture supports 80 percent of the population and, as of 2011, less than 11 percent of households were electrified.

And then we get to the actual substance of the book.

The majority of the book is given over to praise for Kagame’s vision, determination, and dedication. Few will argue that “the economic and social progress realized in Rwanda since the genocide is directly attributable to the leadership of Paul Kagame,” but the authors lavish attention on the president and his mantra of self-sufficiency at the expense of building a coherent case about the country’s growth.

In other words this might as well have been an autobiography by Paul Kagame, it is ironic wholly appropriate I discovered this work of fiction in Rwandas State sponsored daily fictional outpourings.   

The occasional anecdotal stories about citizens making the most of available opportunities make for inspirational reading, but the book lacks in-depth analysis and suffers from a choppy prose and an awkward integration of research and quotes. Further, the authors consistently belabor obvious points — “a better educated Rwandan population will help the country continue its growth and development.”

...............Redmond served in a variety of additional leadership roles while with the firm.

She co-led the Chicago office for over six years in which she had P&L responsibilities for the business which experienced significant growth and operating profits under her leadership.

Additionally, Redmond was a founding member the firm’s Global Training Committee. She was also twice elected to serve on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Praise for the book
“In Rwanda, Inc., Crisafulli and Redmond recount the rise of an unyielding people and their chief executive, President Paul Kagame. The Rwandans rallying around their national pride have built predictable systems that reward enterprise and hard work, and create an exceptional blueprint for other developing countries.”- Bill Clinton, former US President.

“Crisafulli and Redmond investigate the Rwandan renaissance focusing on ‘Rwanda’s CEO,’ Paul Kagame…a fascinating portrait of a nation and a president at a pivotal moment in history.”- Publishers Weekly.

“Rwanda is the most amazing story in Africa - the fastest rate of poverty reduction ever achieved on the continent, despite huge handicaps of history and geography. Yet, until now, these achievements have largely been missed by the outside world. This book will awaken you to Africa’s most extraordinary phoenix.”- Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion.

“Rwanda, Inc. documents this beautiful country’s ongoing transformation through the lens of leadership, capturing the resilience of the human spirit and the potential for any country-or company- to chart an ambitious new course with ingenuity, collaboration, pragmatism and passion.”- Howard Schultz, Chairman, President and CEO - Starbucks.

“In the 21st century, finding ways to transform poor countries may mean the difference between war and peace. Any country that can provide a model for how to make a poor society prosperous will contribute decisively to global stability. This book suggests Rwanda may be building that model. Rwanda, Inc. is the story of the most exciting development project underway in the world today.”- Stephen Kinzer, author of A Thousand Hills.

About ‘Rwanda, Inc.’
The book looks at Rwanda’s emergence on the world stage with a unique model for governance and economic development under the leadership of its strong and decisive president, Paul Kagame.

Authors Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond look at Kagame’s leadership, his drive for excellence and execution that draws comparison to a CEO and emphasizes the development of a sophisticated and competitive workforce that leverages human capital.

The book describes how in Rwanda, the ultimate turnaround, strong and effective leadership has made a measurable and meaningful difference.

It depicts Rwanda’s progress as an example to other developing nations to lift themselves out of poverty without heavy reliance on foreign aid through decentralization, accountability, self-determination and self-sufficiency.

The authors also explore Rwanda’s journey towards its goal of becoming a middle-income nation with a technology-based economy, and its progress to encourage private sector development and foster entrepreneurship, while also making gains in education, healthcare and food security- and all with a strong underpinning of reconciliation and unification.

Rwanda, Inc offers a timely and fascinating look at the implications of Rwanda’s success for the rest of the continent and the world, at a time when so many nations stand on the brink of political and economic revolution.

More from the Boston Globe.

The authors present an interesting argument that Rwanda’s future growth will benefit from two cultural customs that emphasize self-determination and accountability: imihigo, “a kind of performance contract” dating to precolonial times, in which failure to deliver is not an option, and umuganda, national days of community work that occur on the last Saturday of every month.

To be sure, there is something impressive and admirable in the Rwandan national character that has helped to heal the deep, vicious wounds that remain from the years of genocide, and there are important lessons to be learned from the “Rwanda model: do for yourself, remain independent-minded and self-determining, and forge strategic partnerships with those who support your vision.” However, Crisafulli and Redmond rephrase this mantra so many times throughout the book that the message loses most of its impact. While Rwanda’s story is impressive by many measures, this rosy chronicle of its progress seems provocative but premature.

Rwanda. Read it and weep

Blogger Willis Shalita is happy, very happy, infact I would go so far as to say insanely happy. 

RWANDA ELECTED TO THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL.

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 3 Comments

Rwanda has been overwhelmingly been elected to sit on the U.N. Security Council for the next two years.

By a vote of 148 out of 193 members of the U.N., Rwanda joins this crucial world body. NO OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRY CONTESTED RWANDA’S BID.

Actually on this and this alone I think Shalita might be right. The official UN record disagrees giving the first round result as.

First Round Voting Results

African and Asia-Pacific States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Rwanda	148
Republic of Korea	116
Cambodia	62
Bhutan	20
United Republic of Tanzania	3
Democratic Republic of the Congo	1

From the UN results we could legitimaly make the assumption that both the DR Congo and Tanzania had stood for the African seat. Had that been the case then there is no way in the world Rwanda would have won outright on the first ballot, The DR Congo would have attracted many Francophille votes and Tanzania would have likewise recieved Commonwealth votes. Rawanda is a member of the Commonwealth  as well joining in 2009. From Wikipedia

" Gained ( Rwanda ) independence from Belgium on 1 July 1962. The second country (after Mozambique) to be admitted to the Commonwealth without any former colonial or constitutional links with the United Kingdom."

The Britsh Empire might have faded away but if Tanzania was running for a seat it would have carried the Commonwealth vote in a show down with Rwanda.  So while I agree with Shalita, I would suggest he has failed to understand the import of no other African nation contesting the African Security Council seat. 

Others elected include Argentina, Australia, South Korea and Luxembourg.

Off the subject a bit but it was great to see the Australians get on although it will complicate our New Zealand 2016 attempt. On that note the Australian achievement running against Luxembourg and Finland and winning through on the first ballot with 140 votes, puts  Rwanda's " overwhelming " result against no opposition firmly into perspective as very pedestrian, that 45 countries didn't vote for Rwanda out of 193 when they had no alternative puts the result into perspective and probably explains why the official UN figures are such a dogs breakfast. 

The implications of Rwanda’s election cannot be minimized. This is a vote of confidence in our leadership and governance, and President Kagame deserves our admiration and respect for having steered us thus far.

Well I have just minimised it with out having to go to too much effort. It is infact a sad inditement on both Rwandan leadership and governance, unfortunatly it is also an inditement on the judgement of the many nations that did vote for Rwanda including I suspect New Zealand I haven't managed to run that information to ground yet.

This cannot be good news to our detractors. The DRC made some under the table noises to Rwanda’s bid but it fell on deaf ears. How long can lack of leadership in the DRC be blamed on Rwanda?

Now from this point on Shalita  Willis, lets call him Willis, goes  from very happy to insanly happy  bat shit crazy. " The DRC made some under the table noises ?" 

You mean the DR Congo said it didn't support the Rwandan bid I assume, the DRC said that quite publically, unlike a significant number of UN member states who couldn't bring themselve to hold their noses and vote for Rwanda, so didn't say anything and didn't vote for Rwanda.

Funny how people distort the truth, yes Willis I am talking about you but not only you. With regard to the DR Congo leadership I have critised it often as have many observers both within and outside the DR Congo none of us hold Rwanda accountable for the mistakes Kinshasa has made. We hold however Kilgali and the administration of President Kagame directly responsible for the situation in the eastern DR Congo and you Willis, you might well ask what I hold you responsible for well Willis I hold you and your ilk responsible for Louise and that seems only fair.

I guess that the human face of Rwandas action in the eastern DR Congo is something that doesn't concern you. But you Willis and your nation will be held accountable for this. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) – or HATE RWANDA WICKEDLY – has egg on their face. Philippe Bolopion, UN Director of the New York-based campaign group wimply complained about Rwanda’s election, but nobody is listening. HRW has annoyingly tried to elevate their stature by demonizing our leadership and minimizing our achievements. Who made them boss of us, I ask?

Your wrong Willis the world is listening. The eyes of the world are watching Rwanda and that should scare the crap out of you. Don't for a second think that we weren't watching you yesterday Your leadership is being demonised by far more than HRW nobody is minimising the havoc Rwanda has achieved in the DR Congo  you see Willis it is personal.

Today is a great day for Rwanda. To our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, under whose office the task of Rwanda’s election fell, I say, JOB WELL DONE. You make us proud.

Now as far as comedy goes this is Willis at his best Louise Mushikiwabo is a joke on Wednesday she said.

The Government of Rwanda is set to pursue legal action against a United Nations-appointed Group of Experts that has accused Rwanda of fermenting dissent and political chaos in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Now given that that group of experts reports directly to the UN Security Council her only option is at an employment law level is to take legal action against the Security Council if that isn't enough comedy enough for you I can't for the life of me figure out what court she plans to litigate this in. I look at this issue in the Mushikiwabo link above.

 
In spite of attacks from all corners, the truth has prevailed, and Rwanda’s record speaks for itself. Much has been achieved. But, the job just begun.

The truth is something Willis you wouldn't recognise if it bit you on your arse.