‘I drank toilet water but never let go of my patriotism’

DAVID MUNYURANGABO, 64, was born in Nyanza, Southern Province, before he was driven from the country in early the 60s as a teenager. For many years, Munyurangabo – who is today a commissioner in charge of the Eastern Province in the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) – participated in liberation quests, which saw him thrown into prisons in Tanzania and Burundi. The balding ex-soldier-turned-liberation hero speaks on his hair-raising past and offers advice on patriotism in this interview with JAMES MUNYANEZA. Qn: On July 4 you were awarded a medal for your contribution to the liberation cause. As we commemorate the Patriotism Day, do you think Rwandans are patriotic? A: Normally, I am not a pessimistic person but what I see today is worrying. What is happening is a sharp contrast to how people used to behave in the past. For instance, Rwandan refugees used to be more united and had much love for their motherland even when they had been denied the right to live in it. Qn: Could one say that that feeling for lack of belonging and a home was the main factor that used to motivate Rwandan refugees in the past years? A: Obviously, that itself contributed much to their commitment. We were a rejected people, and even when you would do anything to be reintegrated in the local communities of the host countries, you would still be discriminated against. Such discrimination was even institutionalised. I remember in Burundi, a Rwandan primary school pupil was required to obtain 75 percent to be promoted, while Burundians needed only 55 percent. That was something official. Qn: And was that applied to Rwandans only, not other foreigners? A: Even children of other foreigners were subjected to that policy. However, the other foreigners were the French, Belgians and Congolese. All those had their own schools. There were ecole (school) Francaise, ecole Belges and ecole Zairoise (Congolese), and that is where their children studied from. However, that experience taught us how to stand up and work hard for ourselves even in refugee life. Qn: How did you do it? A: We started to mobilise Rwandan refugees to put together their efforts and set up schools in refugee camps. We encouraged them to take their children to schools and to embrace the culture of working hard. We always told them that their future rested in their hands, and told them how imperative it was to prepare their offspring for the years ahead. Qn: Tell me something about your contribution to liberation struggles. A: (laughs). It is a long, long, long story. I started liberation activities after school in 1962 when I was 18 years old. I and many others sacrificed their personal pursuits, and started to look at broader problems affecting Rwandans. There were countless problems affecting Rwandans at the time. Some had been chased out of their country; others were living in Rwanda like they were not citizens, and generally the country was suffering brutality and social injustices caused by the dictatorial regimes of the time. The leadership of the time had put individual interests ahead of national interests, and the whole country was slipping into a reign of terror. It is because of all that that a number of Rwandans, myself inclusive, from various places and countries began the process of liberation, and that dream came true 13 years ago. Qn: And how did you personally participate in that cause? A: My participation falls in the category of Rwandans who had been expelled from their country. I was part of Ingangurarugo (a rebel group formed shortly after the 1959 Tutsi expulsion from Rwanda), which then Rwandan authorities nicknamed Inyenzi (Cockroaches). We launched a guerrilla-style rebellion through Umutara (now in the eastern Province) in the 1962, but were later repulsed and we retreated to Tanzania. However, on reaching there (Tanzania), the Rwandan government asked Tanzanians to arrest and deport us to Rwanda. Following an understanding between both sides, Tanzania deported (our colleagues) Numa, Mpambara and Nyabujangwe. We were later told that the three were executed from Ruhengeri. Qn: How did you survive? A: It was miracle. I and one Karakire were arrested and detained in Muyenzi in Ngara (in western Tanzania). As we were there waiting for fate, a soccer team of inmates from another prison in Muhweza (also in Ngara region) visited us for a friendly match. I was included on our prisoners’ team. I had never played football before and was trembling, and nervous to come in contact with the ball and opponent players. I was just running all over the pitch. However, something unbelievable happened in the game. As I was running near the opponents’ goalmouth, someone hit the ball, which deflected off me and ended up in the goal. That created scenes of madness and I was lifted up by many people including prison policemen. I had accidentally become a hero because it was the winning goal. After the match, I was hosted by prison officials and did not sleep inside the prison that night. I was also immediately appointed team captain. However, I told them that I had no clothes with me, and since I had everyone’s ear I was granted permission to go home and get clothes. I left, went through Muyenzi and finally crossed to Kigamba camp in Burundi. That is how I survived. After sometime, Karakire was also freed and later joined me in Burundi. Qn: Wow…. then what happened in Burundi? A: We were also harassed there. We were arrested on a number of occasions. For instance on April 21, 1965, thirty-one of us were arrested. A decision was reached to deport us to Rwanda but we were saved by the (then Burundian) King Mwambutsa, whom we had in one way or the other also assisted. We were detained for five months in Mpinga Central Prison in Bujumbura. Later, another man called Butera, a son to Francois Rukeba, was also arrested and brought to the same prison. (Rukeba was the president of the Union Nationale Rwandaise (UNR), one of the oldest Rwandan political parties). Life in that prison was very harsh. Each of us was detained in a small latrine room. From April through August we were drinking running water of the toilet. The toilets had no window apart from a small opening the size of a plate, through which sometimes they passed a plate of food to keep us alive. It was a terrible situation. One day, I don’t know how we found ourselves out. We fled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) where we joined a rebellion led by Pierre Murera. That rebellion had the likes of Laurent Desire Kabila (who later became Congo’s president) and Che Guevara. (Che was a Cuban revolutary, who left his ministerial position and went to support liberation struggles in other parts of the world. He was Industry minister). We joined that rebellion (against the then Congolese government of Mobutu Sese Seko) because we had fled from Burundi and that was the only choice we had. However, we later pulled out and returned to Burundi. Members of our group continued to be persecuted, and many of them were killed including our leader Jean Kayitare, who was Rukeba’s son. He (Kayitare) was killed by a Burundian army Captain called Nyanka. Qn: You seem to be acquainted with the operations of Ingangurarugo or Inyenzi as you were commonly referred to. Were you part of the High Command? A: It’s true, I was working closely with Kayitare. I was part of the High Command. There were a number of others, some of them are still alive. Those still live include Joseph Bitangimpuruza alias Mwarimu, Dolphine Gasana, Alphonse Muhindanziga, Desire Ruzindana, Charles Ngoga, Viatore Habyarimana and Romeka. Another comrade Alloys Ngurumbe passed away just three weeks ago. There were a number of others that passed away. We used to call each other Kamarade (comrade). Qn: When you returned to Burundi, did you settle peacefully? A: Not really. The same problems persisted. The government of Rwanda continued to ask Burundian authorities to hand us over to them. Because of that pressure as well as other political deals between both countries, Burundi decided to expel me, Rukeba, Cleophas Nyagahene, Ngurumbe, Ildephonse, and others. In December 1979, we were given a two-week ultimatum to leave the country. I applied for asylum in Kenya but was denied saying that they had already accepted Rukeba. Nyagahene secured an asylum in Zaire (now DRC), while Ildephonse went to Belgium. I had nowhere to go. It was an extremely difficult situation, and the ultimatum had already run out. I would go to the offices of UNHCR in the night and return to camps during daytime. They (UNHCR) applied and obtained an asylum for me in Canada, but told me that I will have to go alone and my family would join me after six months. I didn’t like the idea of going alone, and I found Canada to be very far from home. By going there, I would have lost touch with home, and other Rwandans with whom we were sharing refugee problems. I rejected the offer. But I had a Burundian friend called Rutagamirwa. He was known to then Burundian president (Col. Jean Baptist) Bagaza because the latter was his son-in-law. He (Rutagamirwa) arranged a meeting between me and Bagaza, to introduce my problem. We later met at Rutagamirwa’s home. After a brief conversation, Rutagamirwa requested Bagaza if he cannot bail me out. The president asked his head of external and internal security agencies Colonel Nzohabanayo, who was present, to look into my issue. I had a deep sigh of relief upon hearing that. He (Nzohabanayo) gave me an appointment next day. However, when we met he advised me to go to another country and spend there three months, after which I should come back to Burundi. Things went back to square one. I went to Kinshasa in Zaire. Upon reaching there, I found a demonstration staged by Rwandan refugees in Kinshasa to denounce Burundi’s decision to expel us. They were demonstrating at Burundi’s embassy in Kinshasa. After three months, I returned to Burundi and went straight to the office of Colonel Nzohabanayo as he had instructed me. However, things turned worse. He was mad at me. He accused me of inciting a demonstration in Kinshasa at their embassy. But after many days, I convinced him that I was innocent. After months, I managed to convince him that I was innocent and he let me stay in the country. They however continued to hide me whenever Rwandan delegations visited to avoid a political clash with Kigali. All that happened between 1979 and 1984. After sometime, I settled down in Ngara in Bujumbura until 1990 when I joined RPA (Rwandese Patriotic Army) on October 8. But before then, I had met RPA commander (Maj. Gen.) Fred Rwigema after he and other Rwandans participated in Uganda’s liberation struggle which ended in 1986. He (Rwigema) would come to Burundi, and I myself would travel to Uganda. We had also met a number of Rwandan refugees especially in Nairobi. Qn: Going by your words, your experience as a refugee was full of nightmares. What was the secret behind that undying spirit despite all the hurdles? A: Nothing but the need for a belonging, and for freedom of all Rwandans. I love to be free. Today, Rwandans have returned home; they have a nation they call home; to work for their nation. Qn: After all that, do you think Rwandans at the present need to embrace that spirit? A: What we need is to keep that spirit; the culture of patriotism should be rooted deep in our families; our children should be taught to love their country, so that they grow ready to make sacrifices for their nation. Many people sacrificed their lives for this country, for us all. We should therefore carry on the fight by say, working hard, being ready to defend our country, and living in peace and harmony as one people. The judiciary should do its job well; injustices should be done away with so that we don’t fall back into the same situation that led to the liberation struggle. Ends