Over 1000 business operators from Nyarugenge Friday took to Kigali streets to protest the recent arrest of Rose Kabuye. This is the latest among a series of similar protests that have been going on across the country since Kabuye’s arrest in Germany on November 9. By 2pm most business outlets in downtown Kigali had closed and the business owners had gathered at the city centre to march to the German embassy. They took to the streets carrying placards with several messages. Nyarugenge district includes the business district so most of the businesses in the city were closed. One of the placards directed towards those responsible for Kabuye’s arrest read; “why don’t you arrest genocidaires on your soil!! Hypocrisy!” “After failing to stop the Genocide they have to arrest those who stopped it. Now they have become judges while protecting perpetrators of the Genocide,” said Laurent Mwenzanyu, the chairman of the business community in the district. Kabuye was part of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) a force that is responsible for stopping the Genocide against Tutsis which left over a million people dead. Mwezanyu who owns a wholesale shop the city said “we did it (protest) as Nyarugenge business community. We are showing our solidarity. We are going to match around the city in protest for the arrest.” “Their radios [French] don’t air what is going on so that people can have debates and get to the full understanding of issues,” he added. “The French have always been against peace since their arrival in Rwanda,” said an angry looking Joseph Mugarura an employee of Rwanda Micro Finance, a banking institution in Kigali. Rose Kabuye was arrested following indictments issued by French Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere against her and eight other former RPA officers claiming that they played a hand in the shooting down of former President Juvenal Habyarimana. The Government of Rwanda has strongly contested the indictments saying that they are politically motivated owing to the fact that the judge did not conduct investigations in the matter to come up with concrete evidence. On arrival in France, Kabuye was granted bail by court and she is currently waiting for a date of hearing to be fixed. Since her arrest numerous songs have been composed to stress Rwandan feelings against the arrest of Kabuye. Ends
