Kagame Remains Untouchable in Rwanda’s Presidential Election

3 months ago

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is group to beryllium reelected for a 4th word Monday arsenic Rwandans ballot successful statesmanlike and legislative elections. Kagame has held powerfulness for 3 decades since starring nan rebel group that took power of Rwanda and ended nan genocide successful 1994. (AP)

Our Take

Rwanda’s elections Monday are acold from a free and adjacent vote, particularly nan statesmanlike election. During his clip successful power, Kagame and his authorities person routinely targeted immoderate meaningful opposition, utilizing strategies ranging from a weaponized judicial strategy to enforced disappearances and killings—including transnational repression—to soundlessness critics and opponents. Seven years ago, successful nan past statesmanlike election, Kagame received 99 percent of nan vote. A akin consequence is expected adjacent week.

The bequest of nan genocide—in which 800,000 people, mostly taste Tutsis, were killed by extremist Hutus—also continues to play a immense domiciled successful Rwanda. For understandable reasons, Kagame’s image arsenic nan leader who not only ended nan genocide but guided nan nation’s reconstruction successful its aftermath has fixed him an almost untouchable position domestically. At nan aforesaid time, however, his authorities has politicized that legacy, pinch Kagame’s critics astatine location and overseas routinely portrayed arsenic genocide-deniers.

Under Kagame, Rwanda has besides been consistently accused of supporting rebel groups successful neighboring countries, astir notably nan Democratic Republic of Congo. A report circulated earlier this week by U.N. experts says that an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan authorities forces are operating alongside nan M23 rebel group, which is composed chiefly of Tutsis, successful eastbound Congo. As we’ve reported previously, nan Rwandan-backed M23’s reemergence successful 2022 has led to 1 of nan world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Rwanda’s backing of M23, alongside different rebel groups, has frayed bilateral relations pinch Congo and Burundi to specified an grade that location were concerns nan tensions could lead to unfastened hostilities, further destabilizing an East African region seeking to prioritize economical improvement and integration. And yet, Western powers subordinate Kagame’s clip successful powerfulness pinch home stability, economical maturation and an “effective” security partnership successful Mozambique. As a result, nan West has been eager to place nan Kagame regime’s home quality authorities abuses and regionally destabilizing behavior.

Rwanda’s civilian nine and location neighbors are nan ones near to woody pinch nan consequences of that disregard. And pinch Kagame moving virtually unopposed, nan predetermination Monday will guarantee that they proceed to look nan aforesaid challenges for nan foreseeable future.

The 2 parties successful Sudan’s civilian war—the Sudanese service and nan paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, aliases RSF—both arrived successful Geneva earlier this week for abstracted “proximity” talks pinch nan U.N. mediator successful nan conflict, pinch nan extremity to found section cease-fires to protect civilians from nan violence. One broadside did not show up for nan scheduled convention connected nan first time yesterday, though U.N. officials would not opportunity which.

While nan subject actors successful Sudan’s civilian warfare person been routinely invited for bid talks, different groups person been near out. In particular, though women and women’s groups proceed to play pivotal roles arsenic peacebuilders and humanitarians successful nan conflict, they’ve been near retired of general bid negotiations. As Mike Brand wrote successful April, that must alteration going forward.

Regular flights betwixt Saudi Arabia and Syria’s capital, Damascus, resumed earlier this week for nan first clip successful much than a decade. Saudi Arabia is 1 of a number of countries successful nan Middle East that person pursued a thaw successful relations pinch Syria, now that nan country’s decade-long civilian warfare is mostly frozen, moreover arsenic it remains unresolved.

Still, while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whitethorn beryllium coming successful from nan cold, nan negotiated thaw is not needfully paying dividends for nan country, which remains devastated by nan war. As Jonathan Fenton-Harvey wrote past year, Syria remains stuck successful a conundrum: Without investment, nan state tin person nary stability, but without stability, it will person nary investors.

People locomotion done mounds of rubble that utilized to beryllium high-rise flat buildings successful Aleppo, Syria.

The U.S., Canada and Finland announced a caller “Ice Pact” woody astatine nan NATO acme earlier this week that will spot nan 3 countries build a fleet of polar icebreaker ships to situation China’s power of that market. The woody is conscionable nan latest reminder that nan conception of “Arctic exceptionalism,” successful which nan arctic regions are immune to awesome powerfulness competition, nary longer seems to hold. Read much successful this article by Nima Khorrami and Andreas Raspotnik from 2022.

Kenyan President William Ruto announced yesterday that he had dismissed almost his full Cabinet, aft weeks of anti-government protests successful which astatine slightest 41 group person been killed. Read much astir nan longstanding societal grievances successful Kenya that led to nan demonstrations successful this Daily Review.