Governance

Paul Kagame, the U.S.-backed warlord and dictator of Rwanda, last week accused France and Belgium of complicity in the mass killings in his country 20 years ago.

One of the most enriching and life-long learning experiences that happened to me was my trip to Rwanda at the beginning of this year. I went to Rwanda as a part of a small study group to learn about the genocide and see how the people and the country have done in terms of recovery.

The 21st Century has been touted as Africa’s to claim. In fact, at the risk of sounding like an Afro-pessimist, many times there has been an encomium such as ‘Africa Rising’, a narrative notably fostered by Western publications [1].

To paraphrase a biblical passage, I would like to start this piece by writing that “for Congo’s sake I will not keep silent, for Kinshasa’s sake I will not remain quiet, till the Democratic Republic of Congo’s vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch”.

African leaders have just concluded a mini summit in Luanda, Angola, to discuss the conflict in DRC and the diplomatic showdown between South Africa and Rwanda.

On 25 February, the Republic of Chad announced that it had lodged a complaint against Hissène Habré before the Extraordinary African Chambers. This initiative had no legal basis.

A story is told of two Somali women who visited Kijabe hospital for medical treatment. At the gate, they met a uniformed watchman. They underwent the usual security check up and proceeded to finish their business in the hospital.

Despite scholars and human rights crusaders agreeing that repatriation should be voluntary, governments have defined and carried out repatriation in different formats.

In an opinion article entitled ‘Courts can’t end civil wars’ by former South African president Thabo Mbeki and Professor Mahmood Mamdani of Makerere and Columbia Universities (published in the New York Times on 5 February 2014) the two argue that civil wars can only be ended through peace talks w

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