Rwanda: Opposition from exile, jail, or the street?

Olivier Nyirubugara (Zevenhuizen -- 16 January 2011). While Rwandans opposed to president Paul Kagame were celebrating the first anniversary of the return of Victoire Ingabire, now in jail in Kigali, one topic dominated private talks: the spectacular flight of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali after weeks of street protests.

Most of the 300 hundred people who gathered in Zevenhuizen, not far from the Hague, were wondering if Tunisia had not opened a new era in the way Africans will have to change their leaders where democracy is nonexistent.

Rwanda is one interesting case: any opposition is harshly repressed, whether it comes from the Tutsi or the Hutu side. Whoever has dared to challenge former rebel leader and current president Kagame, has paid either with a neck cut, heavy prison sentences, a bullet in the head of the stomach, or, for the lucky ones, exile.

One then understands why the Tunisian case, where the street forced the president out, is fascinating for Rwanda, where power has always changed in violence since independence and even before. Is the street perhaps another option to explore? The future will tell.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Rwanda
• Victoire Ingabire
• Olivier Nyirubugara
• Paul Kagame

[kirundo1]

@wirungari Hey Kikuyu, stop being fed by Westerners like dogs. Next time you mention Kikuyu, mention your achievements too. Rwanda is Rwanda, of Banyarwanda of Kinyarwanda. you are talking about switching sides? What are you going to add or diminish? My country does not want stupid losers like you.

[kirundo1]

You are not in Rwanda of cause, and you should not think of Rwanda as Netherlands unless you are crazy. What happens in Rwanda does not happen in Netherlands. Genocide does not happen in Netherlands too.

[wirungari]

I'm a Kikuyu Kenyan, I'm fucking tired of these nilotes-tutsi's oppressing my bantu hutu people's, don't kill the tutsi's again, let them multiply enough to serve hutus in future, because they will be made slaves to hutus. this is a promise from God, God bless the Hutus forever, God bless Vicky Ngabire. when the kikuyu's learn tutsi's are really nilotes oppressing their fellow bantus, they will switch sides very fast. kikuyu's do not allow nilotes or cushites to rule over them,they are below us

[Wadhato1]

(On Jan 16, 2010, "Rwanda's Opposition Leader" Vicky Ngabire left Holland for Rwanda TO REGISTER her party... THE UNITED BLA BLA BLA)

That statement is an exaggeration. A woman who has left Rwanda 17 yrs ago returns to her country & start from scratch. No one knows her or her party. Suddenly she is dubbed as THE OPPOSITION LEADER!! Heheh!! She starts off by denying the Genocide of the Tutsis of 1994... And finds herself under house arrest.

These are the remnants of the genocidaires,

[scobbey]

your journalism is poor.....end offf.

[Clemequerry]

Now,you are contradicting your self in your reporting.One moment you are accusing the Rwandan president for ethnic discrimination ie being against the Hutus but then how do you explain the Generalls issue-Nyamwasas? are they Hutus? why are thy opposition? Ths is to show that your argument of discrimination agains one ethnic race doesnt hold any credence.

All those in opposition have different reasons some being personal grudges.As for Ingabire is has the past embeded in her.

[sunnyrwego]

hahahahaha. come on man, do you think that your lies and shoddy journalism will put people on the street? rwandans are happy, other than ingabire and her friends, and they are moving forward. all the while you stay in europe enjoying welfare. come to rwanda and talk to REAL rwandans.

[8732bmf]

why is that white woman reading her speech? who told her what to say?