Rwandan children are in school, not in DRC jungles

Editor, I wish to respond to Joseph Rwagatare’s article, “US gets it wrong on Rwanda” (The New Times on October 8). These deliberate false accusations by those who should know better make one want to cogitate the reasons behind this behavior. It would be very naïve to think that the US administration would not know that Rwanda wouldn’t do such a silly thing. I mean, if Rwanda did not practice this at the height of its own conflict, why would it export it to other countries at this time? And one may ask, are these supposed child soldiers Rwandan or Congolese children? Obviously they can’t be Rwandans because our kids are all busy with school; and if they happen to be Congolese, it defeats basic logic why Rwanda would go into the Congo to recruit kids into armed conflicts. Would it be because the Congolese warring factions cannot recruit for themselves? We have seen child soldiers defecting from the FDRL genocidal militia and returning home, to Rwanda; why wouldn’t these powerful defenders of human rights don’t make any mention of these ex-juvenile combatants? Yet no one has even pointed out the fact that FDLR are recruiting children for their genocidal campaign! This is ridiculous to say the least! And assuming that the Americans might have sighted kids in M23 ranks, why isn’t it a matter for M23 to answer? Why should Rwanda be held accountable for crimes committed across its border, in a country that has nurtured and harboured dozens of militia groups for decades? In my analysis, there is a simple motive behind these recurring accusations. Rwanda was grossly betrayed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and some of these nations who are claiming the moral high ground today were directly involved in the genocide, while others approved it in silence. That today they are not seeing Rwanda as a corpse but a shining star is a huge embarrassment. There is this unholy alliance designed to portray Rwanda as the aggressor rather than what it is – the victim of Western injustices. I commend Rwanda’s administration for not allowing itself to be diverted by this Western conspiracy but remained focused on what matters to Rwanda the most – building a prosperous nation. Putting it a bit religious, God will always be on the side of the righteous, no worries. Donart, Kigali

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Rwandan children are in school, not in DRC jungles