Ms Ingabire Victoire, an ardent advocate for racial politics, now resorts to the victimisation card

In a January23, 2010, communiqué, Ms Ingabire claims that “…despite a positive reception by the population, a rise of shield, a media hate campaign, calls to arbitrary arrests and the muzzling of [our] non-violent action…” Beyond her self-aggrandizement where she shamelessly describes the approximately thirty partners from PS-Imberakuri and the Green party who went to welcome her on her arrival as “a positive reception by the population”, Ms Ingabire takes the bull by the horns and addresses the various issues raised in different articles by concerned citizens of this country by rubbishing them as hate campaign against her and her political party. One of her followers, calling himself Kim Bazumva in a so-called response on Facebook to one of my previous articles, just reiterated their usual demagogic and double edged-talk. Rather than proving me wrong on my concerns about Ingabire’s ideological background, her historical ties with RDR and the latter’s links with the FDLR terrorist organization, my analysis of her trip to Gitarama to show respect to the grave of one of the PARMEHUTU forefathers, a party historically known for being the architect of the Genocide ideology that eventually led to the actual Genocide of the Tutsi in 1994. With regard to my analysis of her intended ambiguity over the Genocide and reference to other war crimes which intended to equate the two, thus insinuating a double Genocide, the man laments that “…what infuriated those who have made a bargaining currency the suffering of Rwandan people is that she did not follow RPF guidelines to never remember other victims of Rwandan conflict, to never honor and commemorate them since it challenges the RPF instrument of intimidation…” (Let our readers note here that in RDR’s glossary, “the Rwandan people” literally means the Hutus because to the extremists that their leaders are, the others aren’t Rwandan and could dare add: they aren’t supposed to be on earth if it was by their wishes.) “There is a compelling evidence of an agenda behind these allegations made by Mr. Felix Muheto and his commanding bosses. Not only have they brought to light how far paranoid and “genocide” opportunist the system actually is… Victoire Ingabire is challenging RPF’s BIG LIE of saying that among Rwandans there were those who died more than others during the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath, she is condemning and going against the divisive and segregationist policy that RPF government has been relentlessly promoting. And when this is publicly opposed they feel offended, blaming on others the sins they bear…” This is the nature of messages circulating on FDU’s website. It is such insensitive diatribes that truly infuriate me and I believe all genuine peace lovers and haters of impunity. I could not agree more with Mukayisenga’s comments in this paper on January 26 about Ingabire’s arrogant posture. And indeed, “…if this lady wants to stand for presidency, she should show us what she has done for us…” Unfortunately for her, that would be asking for too much. The only thing she has ever mastered in doing has been the tarnishing of the image of current Rwanda and to demean all the invaluable real achievements such as Gacaca, reconciliation of Rwandans, many poverty eradication strategies and the very visible economic development. Without any tangible achievements, one would logically try to rate her possible performance on the basis of , at least, her education qualification. We note that her CV as posted on Wikipedia indicates that she studied Commercial Economy and Management in the Netherlands, but there is no mention of the Institute or university she has been to, nor the kind of diploma she acquired there. As for her career, she is said to have been employed by a private American multinational company (name not given) based in the Netherlands. Her political career started in 1997 when she rose into the leadership ranks of the RDR to fight the current regime in Rwanda. The thinness of her Wikipedia CV prompted us to investigate her background in Rwanda, trying to unearth the details of this extremely controversial ‘mother’ that is vying for the high office of this country with an extremist ideology. We discovered some details about her upbringing that we would like to let the public acquaint themselves with. Ingabire Victoire was indeed born in 1968 in the former Kibilira commune (current Ngororero District) purportedly from Mr. Gakumba Pascal and Dusabe Therese. People close to her family however indicate that the said Gakumba had by 1968 not started cohabiting with Ingabire’s mother (they never stayed together for long even, when they later lived in the same house). In 1975, Ingabire’s mother deserted Mr. Gakumba Pascal and moved to Kigali settling in Butamwa, former Kigali Ngari. Ingabire’s primary school in Butamwa ended by her failure to pass the national exam at primary six and she enrolled in a vocational training school run by nuns in commune Gishamvu where they trained young girls in basket weaving and tailoring. She graduated out of this training school after four years with a certificate. Ingabire’s former school mates have however affirmed to us that she was already at that tender age politically active ‘in educating them on the differences between ethnic groups in Rwanda’ and that they were not surprised that she is using the extremist ideology that she is preaching. Although she had no other academic qualifications, they have indicated she was able to get employment in the Finance Ministry (Customs Department) through the influence of Dr Akingeneye, President Juvenal Habyarimana’s physician. Therese Dusabe, Ingabire’s mother, had been Dr Akingeneye’s concubine and according to former neighbours, fathered Ms Ingabire Victoire’s young sister, Uwineza Regine who later married an EX-FAR Captain. That when the multiparty system was introduced in Rwanda in 1992, Dusabe and her family deserted the MRND party for the infamous CDR whose extremist political line they shared totally. Information from the Butamwa Gacaca court has revealed that Dusabe Therese, Ingabire’s mother, took a very active part in atrocities during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. She is accused of having participated in several meetings together with other well known genocidaires, including her mentioned EX-FAR son-in-law, in planning the killings of Tutsi. She is accused among other things to have been particularly vicious against Tutsi women who were either admitted as patients, or in desperation, tried to seek refuge in the Health centre of Butamwa which she headed at the time of the genocide. The Gacaca court of Butamwa has already sentenced Ms Dusabe Therese in absentia to life imprisonment for her role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It is therefore no wonder that Ingabire Victoire has placed the banishing of Gacaca together with the law punishing the Genocide ideology among her top priorities and actually indicated she would undo all Gacaca rulings. It is worth noting and thanking other distant peace lovers the world-over, like Ms. Marie Collins, who have come out to clearly and seriously question the intentions of this carrier of Genocide-ideology and self-styled advocate for Genocide convicts. Rwanda is indeed a new country with people whose mission is not to destroy, but rather development in a reconciled society with a common future. Ms. Ingabire and her cohorts had better humble themselves, learn more about the Rwanda of today before they rush into re-incarnating their extremist ideology, which, I bet, they will never succeed in. muhetofe@gmail.com