Not that Rwanda is whining about it. But the truth is that when the world stood by and left the Genocide to take its own course, it took a bit of a while for the enormity of the disaster to sink into many people’s minds.

There was soul searching for some, which culminated into admissions that have since gone a long way to healing wounds and promoting the much-desired reconciliation efforts – whether between people, or nations that got affected directly.

It must have taken a lot of grit for the likes of former US president Bill Clinton to apologise to Rwandans in 1998 about America’s inaction to stop the massacres. There have been many nations since that have regretted their ignorance. All this has come with understanding, but prodded with the determination by the reigning government not to be bogged down by self pity but rebuild the country by sheer hard and selfless labour.

Today, even in neighbouring countries, Rwanda is held in awe, a country to be given a wide berth because they think there is violence going on there still. It takes one to travel to the country first to realize how so grossly unfounded their fears were. The realisation actually comes with a big shock.

So then will the world wake up one day to the pretensions of Rusesabagina. It is beginning to wake up, in bits and pieces, but the flood gates will open for sure. And it has started, without any help from Rwanda, but with well informed Emory students who have done their homework about this country and find what they were being fed on a little bit unpalatable.

So also will the world wake up to the fact that all Rwanda wants is to find a lasting solution to FDLR’s continued presence in Congo and thwart their determination to fulfil their ill agenda. All Rwanda wants is to be left in peace to pursue its development programmes, not to go chasing rebels. It takes a while to figure out, but Rwanda minds about Rwanda and Rwandans’ welfare, and any individual or group efforts to derail these efforts will fail in the long run. 

Ends