Treachery, a most despicable characteristic of the human make up

Rwanda has been plagued with treachery right back to King Musinga’s reign. They exiled him and put Rudahigwa on the throne. This was the beginning of the destabilization of the social fibre that held the society together. It was not the normal, natural course of events whereby a king died and his son was enthroned, like in every monarchy on this planet. The treachery was carried so far as to subsequently, ‘suicide’ King Rudahigwa during a visit to a physician in Burundi. After the takeover by Kayibanda and the 1959 massacres and the fleeing of thousands of Tutsis to neighbouring countries, treachery was again to prevail all through the years of his power. The overthrow by Habyarimana promised some respite for the Tutsis remaining in the country, but this was marred by the successive mass murders in regular ten year outbursts, which in turn, provoked the exodus of large numbers of Tutsis to foreign lands. The some two thousand exiles who lived in Brussels formed a well knit community which fervently upheld the language, culture and customs of Rwanda. They were also fiercely active in the endeavour to get the International community to listen to their cause. This again is where the treachery comes in as they are totally ignored by the International community. Who wants to know about some bunch of refugees in Brussels or anywhere else, for that matter? And, Habyarimana is being a good boy toeing the line, plus the fact that he does not want to hear about these exiles coming back to Rwanda. His initial opening towards them quickly became buried in the treachery of Akazu:- The hardliners are all around Habyarimana, his own wife being one of the most perfidious. He always appeared as if he was somehow bungling it along, not really being totally in control, undecided, which was probably his downfall. When the exiled community finally decided to take things into their own hands and come home anyway, regardless of Habyarimana or the International community, they took the World by surprise. They were immediately blackguarded by Habyarimana and his clique and the world followed as if they were outsiders invading, instead of coming rightfully back to the land of their forefathers. They could no longer suffer the burden of being refugees. Whatever the price, they had to claim their rights in the face of the world. The World did not want to listen, did not give a monkey’s uncle about them, well; they were going to show the world. By the time things came to the table in Arusha, Tanzania, the treachery was undermining every attempt to negotiate the integration of the exiles. They simply did not want them at any cost, they had no time for negotiations, and there were no negotiations, just a show case for the world. This was a vast playacting to camouflage their real intentions, the extermination of the Tutsi. Now the great mystery behind the shooting down of Habyarimana’s plane is subject to much speculation, none of which seems to have elucidated the matter. It remains a mystery. However, it is a very farfetched idea that the RPF could have had anything to do with it. Who is supposed to be investigating the question, who has the famous black box? Will it be just a French investigation or will there be international involvement? Treachery was engrained in the society for a long time so people almost got used to it, accepted it as a normal part of life, instead of an aberration. It went deep into the population; they lived in a full state of treachery for decades. To betray someone, to live in perpetual betrayal was normal, it was lurking behind the eyes, waiting for a chance to pounce and devour the victim. There is a story of a lady who had a very big family somewhere in Gitarama. They had a neighbour. For years that lady would refuse to stay in the house on her own, even if they left her with the seven year old, she would agree, but alone no. She was afraid of her neighbour. Her family tried to reason with her over the years, but she was adamant. Who killed her the day of the genocide, her neighbour, of course? For years she had felt that threat behind the façade of everyday polite living, but there was no mistaking for her that she was facing immediate treachery at the first occasion and she was right. Rwanda has more than her fair share of very deep and almost insoluble problems; let her get on with the job, she has enough on her plate without having to deal with a cock and bull story cooked up by some French judge under dubious evidence. Ends

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Treachery, a most despicable characteristic of the human make up