Museveni bets on France AND Rwanda losing

I have been trying to understand the issue between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and France for a while now. Last week Kigali broke ties with Paris after French judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere called for Kagame to be tried for alleged complicity in the death of former president Juvenal Habyarimana, which was thought to have led to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

While such a major charge against the man who is believed to have brought Rwanda back to some level of stability could have negative spin-offs, it seems odd that Kigali would act in this way given its efforts to reconstruct and reconcile the country as part of its innovative Gacaca process. Surely Kagame could simply subject himself to the Gacaca court, be found not guilty, and move on instead of making all this fuss? All this needless bother only helps to make it look like something is actually amiss. The idea that France calling for a head of state to stand trial ‘is just not cricket’ is quite short-sighted for a continent that is still trying to govern itself after almost 50 years of practise.

Perhaps that’s just where the problem is: Africa needs to show that is can rule. In this light, chasing France out is no more than a show of strong diplomacy and Rwanda, realising that former colonial allies almost always constitute the bulk of trade, will soon welcome the European foe back, albeit only after an official apology by Paris of course. Schools will reopen and the embassy will once again stock Champagne instead of sparkling wine and all the sour grapes will be a thing of the past.

But perhaps not so. While Rwanda is still trying to mend the divides between its own people, its eastern neighbour has sought the opportunity to spin some anti-European sentiment. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni clearly saw the gap for rhetoric and got up on his perch and said France must leave Kagame alone. In some ways Museveni is right, Rwanda is sovereign and therefore France has no right over it, however, in many other areas he is dreadfully wrong. Saying that Europe (France) is the problem isn’t going to solve anything and may lead to a backlash where everything ‘European’ is destroyed. Surely the self-proclaimed champion of human rights in Africa doesn’t want his people to sit with less infrastructure and fewer opportunities.

The same applies for Rwanda. If Rwandans start seeing France as an enemy and some misguided individuals decide to torch French schools, the Central African nation will suffer. Sure, France would lose a small hold in terms of expanding its culture, but ultimately, Rwandans will find themselves in a position of fewer opportunities for education and fewer opportunities for trade. Diplomacy and rhetoric have their pitfalls