The international community's limited attention span is laser-focused on jihadism in the Sahel and the imploding Horn of Africa. But interstate war is potentially brewing in the eastern DRC.
Rwandan dissidents have claimed that President Paul Kagame has used dirty tactics to go after his critics abroad. Now, a classified FBI report obtained by OCCRP confirms that Rwanda has been conducting “poison pen” operations on American soil for years.
Newly elected President William Ruto has his work cut out crafting a coherent political strategy to address the crises bedevilling the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.
Anti-migration policies against Africans and a general climate of persecution against foreigners in Europe and North America are sending African migrants to new destinations such as China, Turkey, the Middle East and even South America.
There are parallels to be drawn between the colonial measures of regulation, control and containment imposed on Africans and those imposed on today’s refugees and migrants.
Rwanda has been praised for its economic achievements but political persecution and human rights violations remain rife in the country.
In spite of the official denial of involvement, the arrest and disappearance of Cassien Ntamuhanga is proof that the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana and the Rwanda genocide that followed is, tragically, still claiming new casualties.
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At the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Rwandan President Paul Kagame could not escape insistent questions about the controversial plan to deport asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda.
National dialogue has been shown to open the door to resolving longstanding conflict and should be adopted by the countries of the Great Lakes region to address the root causes of conflict in eastern DRC.
Rwanda’s proposed refugee deal with Britain is another strike against President Paul Kagame’s claim that he is an authentic and fearless pan-Africanist who advocates for the less fortunate.
Rwandans are welcoming, but the government’s priority must be to solve the internal political problems which produce refugees.