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Britain's Hidden Role in Rwandan State Violence

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E overtly by the British and US Britain’s hidden role in governments. It is arguable that the AT civil war continued for such a ST lengthy period due primarily to the Rwandan state violence substantial Western assistance granted to both forces. Hazel Cameron explores how an idealised The final three months of the civil history of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide war coincided with the period of the BRITISH Rwandan genocide perpetrated by has provided cover for Britain’s role in Hutu extremists against the Tutsi and moderate Hutu of Rwanda. THE violence abroad. Throughout the period of the genocide, the RPA’s relationship with OF British intelligence networks tan Cohen noted how in and geopolitical concerns as well as permitted their political Stalinist Russia, ‘the past has to mutual paranoia and deep representatives to assert some Sconform to the present to ideological and cultural divisions influence in respect of the mandate establish a version of history (a (Cameron, 2011). of the United Nations Assistance master narrative) to legitimate current In 1986, the Rwandan Tutsi Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) at United Nations Security Council VIOLENCE policy’ (Cohen, 2001). In Rwanda, refugees in exile in Anglophone Paul Kagame has skilfully Uganda formed a rebel guerrilla discussions. The genocide and civil orchestrated a ‘master narrative’ that organisation in opposition to the war ended in Kigali in July 1994 with has resulted in the West’s selective Francophone government of the victory of the guerrilla RPA who amnesia of historical and ongoing Rwanda. Its military wing became immediately established a human rights violations perpetrated known as the Rwanda Patriotic Army Government of National Unity. initially by the Kagame-led rebel (RPA) and the political section, the Kagame later took over the guerrilla force known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). In his Presidency of the RPF government of Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), and capacity as Uganda’s head of military Rwanda. latterly the government of Rwanda of intelligence from November 1989 Since their formation, the RPA which he is President. until June 1990, RPA leader Paul have been responsible for grave As part of this mythological Kagame received training in human rights violations. Studies history of Rwanda, Kagame has advanced military tactics and indicate that the RPA massacred tens successfully created an over- intelligence methods at the US of thousands of civilians in what has simplified dichotomy of victim and Army’s Fort Leavenworth Command been described as summary perpetrator, the category of ‘victim’ and General Staff College in Kansas. executions, between April and necessarily including the former Tutsi Military training for the guerrilla RPA September 1994 giving rise to guerrilla army of the RPA. The effect in Uganda was also provided by speculation of a double genocide. of this has been to obfuscate the British forces at their base in Jinja Documentation from August, extent of RPA atrocities throughout (Destexhe, 1995). A British September, and October 1994, the past two decades and consolidate intelligence network with the RPA which includes memos to Secretary its governmental rule following their developed in Uganda after the of State Warren Christopher, describe ‘victory’ in 1994. The atrocities formation of the rebel force and was a conscious attempt by Western committed by the Rwandan regime sustained throughout the 1990s government officials to ‘cover-up’ include massacres in the Democratic (Cameron, 2011). reports of RPF killings. Republic of the Congo, which ‘reveal On 1 October 1990, the guerrilla Both Human Rights Watch and a number of damning elements that, RPA invaded the north of Rwanda Amnesty International have if proven before a competent court, but, with the assistance of a rapid documented mass rape, murder, and could be classified as crimes of French military intervention, the other gross human rights abuses as a genocide’ (United Nations, 2010). government of Rwanda (GoR) result of the Rwandan presence in There is a long history of repelled the attack. Evidence the then-Zaire from November 1996 Anglophone–Francophone rivalry in indicates that the order for this until May 1997. A recently drafted the Great Lakes Region of Africa. aggression against the GoR was UN report documents the most Historically, French foreign policy in made with the full knowledge and serious violations of human rights the Great Lakes crisis clearly approval of the British and American and international humanitarian law reflected a very real fear that Britain intelligence services (ibid). This failed committed within the territory of the and the United States would incursion prompted almost four years Democratic Republic of the Congo supplant French influence in the of civil war between the Hutu- between March 1993 and June 2003 biggest Francophone country in dominated GoR, overtly supported (United Nations, 2010). The report Africa, namely Zaire/DRC. The by the French government, and the reveals over 600 crimes, the majority Anglo-French rivalry in Africa has Kagame-led Tutsi guerrilla rebels of of which have been committed by historically been rooted in economic the RPA, supported somewhat less Rwandan government forces headed 18 ©2010 Centre for Crime and Justice Studies 10.1080/09627251.2010.525922 rCJM No 82.indd 18 30/11/2010 09:57:52 by Paul Kagame. It indicates that and tantalum to Asia via Rwanda. resources of Eastern and Southern E several of the crimes perpetrated by British companies facilitate this trade Zaire, including strategic reserves of the RPA in the Congo during the by importing minerals from the DRC cobalt, whichisofcrucial importance AT period of the study, ‘point to via Rwanda. Moreover, numerous for the US defence industry. ST circumstances and facts’ from which British businesses have violated the Since the formation of the a court could infer genocidal OECD guidelines for multinational post-genocide government of intention (ibid, p. 12). The RPA, with enterprises. According to the UN Rwanda, the United Kingdom has the knowledge and support of Paul report anumber of business been one of President Kagame’s Kagame, used hoes, bayonets, and enterprises were considered by the staunchest allies and is the country’s BRITISH axes to massacre Rwandan and Panel of Experts to be in violation of largest financial donor, committing Congolese Hutus, and in many other the OECD Guidelines for around £850 million to date. cases the victims were raped, burned Multinational Enterprises (UN, 2002). Throughout the past two decades, THE alive, or shot dead. TheUnited Nations reports of the British military has also provided According to areport published 2001 and 2002 query whether UK training and strategic/tactical advice OF by the United Nations in 2001, the development aid to Rwanda has in to Rwanda in respect of their Democratic Republic of the Congo is fact partially financed the Congo incursions into the DRC. This support richinraw materials and ‘Rwanda’s wars, therebypassively facilitating the is regardless of Rwanda being a military appears to be benefiting exploitation of the resources of the country where journalists and indeed directly from the conflict’ (United Democratic Republic of the Congo international lawyers face arrest, Nations, 2001, para. 126). Tinis and the continuation of the conflict, intimidation, harassment, and VIOLENCE playing aleading role in an upsurge either willingly or otherwise. They violence and human rights advocates in mineral exports from Rwanda, further evidence that aggression are forced to flee the country for fear some of whichare exported through against the DRC, sanctioned by both of persecution or arbitrary arrest. Rwanda illegally and unlawfully.The Kagame and Museveni for the It is clear that former Prime country’stotal mineral export purposes of the unlawful removalof Minister Blair had full knowledge of earnings in 2009 exceeded $100 valuable rawmaterials in the Congo, the UK’s ‘passive’ role in war crimes, million and are on course to exceed has receivedthe support of the crimes against humanity, and returns of $200 million in 2010. The governments of Britain and the possibly genocide in the Great Lakes othermajor export minerals from United States and their respective of Africa over the past two decades. Rwanda are wolfram, coltan, and corporate interests since 1996. At Post-premiership Tony Blair has gold. Rwanda is actively involved in stake in these military operations in maintained his relationship with Paul the illegal export of quantities of tin the Congo are the extensive mining Kagame, announcing his official role ©Richard Hanson/Tearfund Victims of violence in the DRC: Orphans at Mamam Jeanne Orphanage, Goma, North Kivu 2009 cjm no. 82 December 2010 19 rCJM No 82.indd 19 30/11/2010 09:57:54 E as Kagame’s unpaid personal adviser. The objective of British foreign Tony Blair, www.tonyblairoffice.org/ Blair has also developed a charity policy towards Rwanda throughout news/entry/tony-blair-meets-with- AT ‘Africa Governance Initiative’ that the previous two decades has visionary-leader-paul-kagame-during- latest-two-day-vi (accessed on 29 August ST pays for a nine-strong team of staff to arguably been motivated by the work permanently in Kigali, many in advancement of the interrelated 2010). the president’s office. During a 2009 goals of maintaining power status Cameron, H. (2011), Complicity: The visit to Rwanda, Blair stated ‘I’m and ensuring economic interests in Hidden Role of Britain and France in delighted to be back in Rwanda key areas (Cameron, forthcoming). Rwanda’s Genocide, Abingdon: Routledge. BRITISH working with my good friend Paul One must question whether such an Kagame.... Whether you want to start objective is compatible with the Cohen, S. (2001), States of Denial: a small business or construct a legal obligations of the United Knowing About Atrocities and Suffering, Cambridge: Polity Press. THE complex multi-million dollar deal, Kingdom in terms of international the government of Rwanda is serious law, since the evidence available to Destexhe, A.
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