The RPF-Inkotanyi, Rwanda's ruling party, recently celebrated its 35th anniversary since its founding in 1987. Today, the party serves as the driving force behind Rwanda's transformation and has been in charge of the government since defeating the genocidal regime in 1994.
In a podcast interview with The New Times on Monday, veteran politician Protais Musoni, shared insights on the early days of the Rwanda Alliance for National Unity (RANU), which later became RPF-Inkotanyi, and delved into the party's history.
Musoni has served in different capacities including as cabinet minister, and he is currently the Chairperson of the Pan-African Movement, Rwanda Chapter.
Listen to the podcast here.
Journey to refuge
Musoni began his education in Rwanda, and his family resided in Mamfu, presently known as Muhura, Nyagatare District. His parents were coffee traders who owned a lorry. Life was promising then with some level of development in the country.
Unfortunately, their peaceful existence was interrupted when a group of Hutus attacked their home, breaking windows and forcing the family to flee to the plantations for safety.
Fortunately, their neighbor, an elderly man called Kajyibwami and his sons, came to their rescue, collected the family, and took them to their home.
According to Musoni, after fleeing to their neighbor's home, they later went to a Protestant church where they awaited their father's arrival. When he eventually arrived, he arranged for them to move to Kigali with the intention of taking them to Burundi, where he had business connections.
However, plans changed, and they were forced to travel from Nyagatare to Gicwamba, then to Bweya, close to the Rwanda-Uganda border. He was seven when his family became refugees in Uganda.
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Despite being young at the time, Musoni recalls feeling a sense of animosity towards the people who had made them flee, although he could not fully understand what had caused the attack on his family. He remembers a yellowish airplane called Ingombabishire that would broadcast instructions on how to kill, and every time the para-commandos arrived, they had to run for safety.
He says that eventually, the attacks became so severe that they had to flee to a refugee camp across the border. Musoni explains that those with cows would go to Kizinga camp while those without went go to Kamwezi – in Uganda.
As the eldest son, Musoni's father assigned him to look after the family's cows during the journey. Musoni's father made an arrangement with a friend, who took his family to safety, while Musoni stayed with the cows. They made their way to Rukinga from the border. Those without cows went to Shungerezi, while those with cows went to Nyakivara refugee camps.
According to Musoni, around 1962, his family settled in Gahirimbi, where he began his studies. To create a classroom, they would locate the largest tree nearby, bring stones to sit on, and construct a blackboard out of mud to attach to the tree. Their writing materials consisted of wooden scraps.
In 1963, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stopped providing food to those who owned cows, and they were forced to work for food. Musoni was too young to work, so he cut firewood and started selling that in exchange for food.
Eventually, Musoni's father decided to sell some of their cows and purchase land in Mbarara. Musoni says that in 1963, they moved from the refugee camp to Cyamugoranye district, Gakoba, where Musoni resumed attending primary school. However, tuition became too costly, and instead of dropping out, his father took him to Shungerezi, a refugee camp, to live with a friend.
Musoni recalls that it was challenging because they couldn't study during weekends and a few weekdays as they needed to search for food. Despite the difficulties, they were fortunate to have Rwandan teachers who were very patriotic, such as Narcisse Musabeyezu and Tito Rutaremara.
Despite facing various challenges, Musoni and his peers were determined to succeed and work together, resulting in them achieving the best grades in the district. In 1969, Musoni passed in Grade 1 and enrolled at Centrio's College in Cyangobe.
However, as the college did not offer O’ Levels, he transferred to Ntare School. During this time, Idi Amin, the late president of Uganda, had assumed power and imposed a policy prohibiting Rwandan refugees from pursuing professional courses at university.
To circumvent this policy, Musoni had to change his name to Protais M. Nowe and claim that he was not Rwandan. Nevertheless, he was still constantly reminded of his refugee status whenever issues arose.
Despite Musoni and his peers’ efforts to officially identify as Ugandan, socially they remained Rwandan, which made them develop a thick skin.
Musoni recalls that during holidays, when returning home from Ntare school, the inadequate transportation system meant that many Rwandan students had to pass through Mbarara. To protect the girls, Ntare boys would organize patrols until they found transportation home. The sense of injustice they felt due to their refugee status created a strong bond of solidarity among them.
Musoni studied his senior five and six at Ntare school with another Rwandan student named Gabiro (real name Nyagahene), while the rest were in ordinary level at the school, which is one the most prestigious schools in Uganda. It was during this time that he met President Paul Kagame and other Rwandan students.
During the 1970s, Obote's socialist ruling regime in Uganda encouraged a lot of discussions, including national student unions that encouraged students to participate in debates in clubs.
Musoni joined the Pan-African Movement club during this time when he was at Makerere University.
He says he engaged in intense discussions about different trouble spots and events happening around Africa. Through these discussions, he and fellow Rwandans learned about the struggles of other Africans and began to develop ideas on how to take action to improve their own situations rather than relying on others to rescue them.
Musoni recalls that education was a top priority for everyone, and Rwandans worked hard to achieve good grades and learn how to survive in a harsh world. Musoni attended Makerere University as a Ugandan, even though he was afraid they would discover he was not.
In 1977, when Makerere students decided to lead the fight against Idi Amin's regime, Musoni and others were severely beaten, leaving him with permanent scars. Despite the violence, this event raised awareness about the struggle against the oppressive government. Later on, the Banyarwanda (Rwandan) refugees started meeting to discuss their suffering and the unfair treatment they received.
Formation of RANU
In 1979, President Amini was removed from power and a group of Rwandans, including Fred Gisa Rwigema and Col (rtd) Charles Musitu, were part of the army that enthroned the new government. Musoni saw this as an opportunity for other refugees to start a struggle as well.
The Rwanda Alliance for National Unity (RANU) – the precursor of RPF-Inkotanyi – was formed that same year. Although Musoni was not recruited to join RANU while he was at Makerere University, he was recruited into the Rwandese Welfare Foundation, an NGO that aimed to unite the Banyarwanda through socio-economic activities.
According to Musoni, RANU was formed in July 1979 at a school called Lenana in Kenya because it was easier to operate there without the Banyarwanda issue. RANU had a group of members in Uganda who sent delegates to meetings in Kenya. The first congress RANU held had around 10 people, but the ones Musoni attended kept expanding.
There were 11 people from the executive committee and regional chairmen from different countries. However, they had to hide their identities because they were a political organization aspiring to return to Rwanda and fight the injustice against a section of Rwandans.
In 1982, RANU's awareness campaign was strengthened by the circulation of a newspaper called Alliancia, which was edited by members including Mike Rwigema and a one Canisius (who later died in Botswana). The newspaper helped people understand that RANU was serious and wanted to connect with them. All the members of RANU would write for the newspaper at the time.
In February 1981, Musoni recalls that the current President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, alongside Fred Rwigema, President Paul Kagame launched a liberation struggle against the oppressive regime of then President Milton Obote.
Obote branded the NRA liberation movement, as a collection of Rwandans and formed a militia group similar to the Interahamwe, called UPS and asked them to fight the ‘Banyarwanda’. They were assigned to push any Rwandans in the camps or back home, and when some of them got to Rwanda, the government declared that they were not Rwandans and pushed them into no man’s land.
Musoni and four other Rwandans who were living in Nyahururu, Kenya, realised that they needed to form a strong political organization. They wrote their manifesto and constitution and started looking for other members.
In 1983, their organization joined RANU as its cell. Later that year, Musoni became the regional chairman of RANU in Kenya.