Makuza raps Rusesabagina ‘heroism’

Prime Minister Bernard Makuza Thursday lashed out at Paul Rusesabagina for claiming that he saved the lives of people who had sought refuge at Hotel des Milles Collines in the 1994 Genocide. He was speaking during the official launch of a new book ‘Hotel Rwanda – or the Tutsi Genocide as seen by Hollywood’ which was jointly authored by Dr Alfred Ndihiro and Privat Rutazibwa. The function was held at the hotel in question. The content of this book tells the story as it was here at Milles Collines (hotel) contrary to what was depicted in Rusesabagina’s Hotel Rwanda. I was among the people who survived from this hotel, Makuza told the people who had turned up for the launch at Hotel des Mille Collines. He said that all Rusesabagina’s deeds during the Genocide were out of economic interests not humanitarian. We all paid money to stay in this hotel and there is no one he (Rusesabagina) went out to rescue….people came and stayed here because they paid money, said the Prime Minister. He recalled a moment when he met Rusesabagina at the hotel. He pointed at me and said that I as an advisor to Agathe Uwilingiymana and was among the people who had brought problems, the premier added. Makuza was a legal advisor to Uwilingiyimana, the former Prime Minister who was among the first people to be killed during the Genocide. Hotel Rwanda is based on a book written by Rusesabagina, a former hotel manager in Rwanda. Makuza thanked the authors of the new book for using their intellectual capacity to tell the international community the real truth. Ndahiro, who is also the President’s advisor on Media and Public Relations, said: Rusesabagina distorted the history of our country and it is the responsibility of every Rwandan to set the record straight. In a separate interview, Ndahiro said that he was approached by survivors who were in the hotel during the Genocide to assist them disseminate the truth as it unfolded. I decided to conduct an in-depth study into the perceptions of survivors on Rusesabagina, and after the research, I found out that I had gathered enough material to write a book, said Ndahiro, who is also co-author of ‘Rwanda, ten years on’.Ends

National

Makuza raps Rusesabagina ‘heroism’