How "Rwandan elements of the Ugandan Army" foiled Rwanda's dream of eternal oppression

It’s quite fascinating how the Rwandan genocidaires on the run recount their glorious past, particularly their vivid memories of October 1, 1990. You see, to these champions of selective history, that was not the day when a refugee dominated army rose to reclaim their stolen rights, no. Instead, it was the day when so-called Rwandan elements of the Ugandan army (whatever that means) dared to attack the sacred banana republic of Rwanda. How, oh how, could such a betrayal have occurred? How could Rwandans, after decades of disenfranchisement, dare to dream of returning home, much less with guns? After all, their homes were now comfortably occupied by a regime that saw no need to share anything with them. Let’s not forget that Rwanda, established in 1962 by enlightened White fathers missionaries and their faithful Belgian colonial partners, was a utopia—if you weren’t one of those pesky Tutsis. Under the leadership of various regimes, including the ever-benevolent Habyarimana, this land was run with the efficiency and fairness of, say, a 1930s European fascist state. And why not? Rwanda had it all: ethnic quotas, national IDs that made apartheid look like a clerical error, and the finest discriminatory policies this side of the equator. A perfect paradise where a certain group of people called Tutsi were denied the right to education, jobs, and even the ability to dream of a better life, including their right to life. But I digress. Those so-called Rwandan elements of the Ugandan army had no reason to come back, you see. The genocidaires, in 1987, would argue that Rwanda was overcrowded, and surely, the people who had fled into exile since 1959 had gotten comfortable in their refugee camps, living the dream on international aid. They should’ve been content with their refugee status, for who wouldn't want to live in a makeshift grass thatched hut for three decades while watching their homeland fall further into an abyss of autocratic bliss? After all, when a country’s population doubles in thirty two years, surely there's no room for anyone else—especially not those who might seek justice and equality. And if Habyarimana’s government was kind enough to save space by murdering one million Tutsis in 100 days, well, that's just efficient population control, isn’t it? In a shocking twist of fate, those refugees—those traitorous Rwandan elements—did return. They came, they fought, and they shattered the genocidaires' dream of a Rwanda purified of dissent. To add insult to injury, they dared to rebuild the country. Oh, how cruel time has been to those genocidal revisionists, now scattered across the globe in self-imposed exile, gnashing their teeth in frustration while Rwanda thrived! In a mere 30 years, the population has doubled from six million to 14 million, and life expectancy has risen to 70 years, all while eliminating ethnic-based discrimination. But how, you ask? How can such a thing be possible without the guiding hands of the genocidaires? Ah, yes, the fascists are not amused. Enter Ingabire Victoire Umuhoza (IVU), their unsung hero, the great democratic alternative. After all, nothing screams democracy like a person convicted of genocide-related crimes and terrorism! Ingabire, who’s bravely living in her own home after receiving a presidential pardon, is seen by Western democrats as Rwanda’s savior. A democratic alternative to Kagame, they say! And how could she not be? Forget the fact that she once led the charge in attempting to continue Rwanda’s genocidal legacy, that she remains a darling of FDLR apologists and DRC criminals called Wazalendo, or that she smiles while sitting on a platform built of Tutsi bones. No, what matters is that she tweets from the comfort of her own home, calling for justice and freedom—ideals she once trampled on with genocidal fervor. And then, there’s the international community, ever so selective in its sympathies. It appears that some “democratic” organizations in the West are nostalgic for the days when people like IVU and her RDR and later FDU-Inkingi held sway over Rwanda’s future. The mere fact that she, a convicted terrorist, is somehow seen as a viable opposition figure speaks volumes about the West's unique understanding of democracy. Perhaps, in their minds, “democracy” means giving mass murderers and their sympathizers another shot at running the show. But let’s not dwell on logic. Instead, let’s raise a glass to the revisionists—those poor souls trapped in their alternative realities, where they reminisce about the days when they could dictate who lived and who died. Surely, they’re the true victims here. Rwanda has evolved, but the world should always make space for those still stuck in 1994, clutching their fading memories of a regime built on oppression, terror, and genocide. In the end, these “Rwandan elements of the Ugandan army” ruined everything. They ended the Genocide against the Tutsi, rebuilt the nation, emancipated its people, and ushered in an era where discrimination is a relic of the past. But fear not, for the voices of the genocidaires, though small and scattered, will never be silent. They will continue to tell the tale of how a glorious, racist regime was brought low by a band of refugees—because nothing is more tragic, after all, than the loss of an opportunity to kill and oppress.

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How "Rwandan elements of the Ugandan Army" foiled Rwanda's dream of eternal oppression