AfroAmerica Network
04.14.01
On April 6, 2001 from 10-noon, Ms. Cynthia McKinney, a democratic Congresswoman from Georgia, USA organized a roundtable discussion, by a team of international investigative journalists, concerning the link between the powerful in Washington DC and the crises in Africa. The meeting, held in Rayburn House Office Building, was attended by around 80 people. Participants included journalists, human rights activists, and people from academia, business, and the US administration. Africans, especially diplomats from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierre Leone, Morocco, South Africa represented a large portion of the audience. Among those diplomats, the Ambassador of Burundi stood out giving impression of someone out of place.
"The Clinton administration did not deliver what he promised Africa", the dynamic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney said, opening the roundtable. The speakers included the following people:
1- Mr. Wayne Madsen, Investigative Journalist and Author of "Genocide and Covert Activites in Africa 1993-1999".
2- Mr. Keith Snow, Freelance Writer, Photographer and Investigative Journalist.
3- Ms. Janine Roberts, Conflict Diamond Specialist and Author of "Glitter and Greed".
4- Ms. Ellen Ray, President of the Institute for Media Analysis.
5- Mr. Jim Lyons, Former Commander of Investigations for International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
6- Mr. William Schaap, Media Analyst, specialist of CIA media propaganda.
7- A special guest by Televideoconferencing, whose pysical identity was hidden to the audience for security reasons.
Following is the summary of the discussions by the speakers:
1) Wayne Madsen
He explained how, under Clinton Administration, the Rwandan Patriotic Army troops were trained by the US Administration along with the armies from Ethiopia, Uganda, Eritrea. He added that the preparation was conducted by the US Special Forces. The National Security Agency ( NSA) provided intelligence and helped in propaganda. He added that what Clinton said in Rwanda that the US Administration did not know about the Rwandan tragedy was not true. He gave the example of the US Ambassador in Burundi in 1994 who was declaring that Habyalimana's plane may have been shot down by the RPF while the Ambassador in Rwanda said the plane may have been shot down by the Hutus. He concluded that the major motives of the West in African conflicts are purely economical and that the perspectives for peace in Africa remain bleak.
2) Ms. Janine Roberts
She focused on the role of the multinational de Beers in conflicts in Africa. She linked the death of Lumumba and Nkrumah to mineral resources and questioned the link between former Secretary of State Ms Madelein Albright's wealth and diamonds.
3) Ms. Ellen Ray
She explained that Joseph Kabila's sins were to oppose the break down and looting of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by multinationals. She added that Kabila paid by his life for his nationalism.
4) Mr. William Schaap:
He went into detail on how the USA and international media are controlled by powerful interests. Most of so reputable media, according to Mr. Schaap, are tools for intoxication, propaganda and manipulation. The common public just cannot know the truth by reading or listening to the news. He gave the examples of articles published after Joseph Kabila's assassination such as: "Kabila's killing not harming diamond industry", "Kabila's war"; or "Kabila failed to work up to expectations". He pointed out that, contrary to what people believe, there are not many news organization in USA. Since the news organization are not affiliated with political parties, as it is inEurope or elsewhere, the US Citizens trust them and never question their motives. That is why they can manipulate the public opinion so easily.
5) Mr. Jim Lyons:
He said that in 1996, he went in Rwanda to investigate the killings of Tutsi. He added that he was not a politician, had no political agenda, and was determined to work closely with his boss, Hourigan. He and Hourigan found it necessary to investigate the death of Presidents Habyalimana and Ntaryamira since it appeared that the death started the killings. The popular hypothesis at the moment was that the airplane was shot down by Hutu extremists. Mr. Lyons confirmed that when Mrs. Louise Arbour, the Chief UN Prosecutor of the ICTR was delighted by the idea and encouraged them. In February 1997, Mr. Lyons and Hourigan identified three witnesses who accepted to give testimony on how the Rwandan Patriotic Army shot down the plane. Again, Ms. Louise Arbour encouraged them to go further and invited Mr. Lyons to come to New York to work out the strategy. Suddenly, they were surprised by the change of the heart by Ms. Louise Arbour when she declared the downing of the airplane was not a priority for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Rwanda (ICTR).
6- The Special Guest.
The Special Guest, the former Rwandan Patriotic Front official now in exile in USA, Jean-Pierre Mugabe, gave his testimony behind fuzzy images and distorted voice. He was video conferencing from the offices of the International Strategic Studies Association in Virginia. They confirmed that he may not exit the premises of the Association for security reasons.
Jean-Pierre Mugabe said the following:
a) Kagame himself gave the order to shoot down President Habyalimana's plane.
b) Kagame never stopped genocide in Rwanda. In the contrary he contributed, promoted, encouraged the genocide because:
(b.i) Kagame executed the plan to kill Habyalimana knowing and wishing that the death will leading to genocide.
(b. ii) Kagame prevented any international intervention for fear of interference in his plan to take power
(b.iii) Kagame never fought his way into Kigali to save people but to take power.
c. Leaders in the region who knew about the plan were President Kaguta Museveni of Uganda and Ali Hassan Mwinyi of Tanzania. President Kaguta Museveni coordinated with Mwinyi to call a meeting in Tanzania, push Ntaryamira, the President of Burund, i to be on the same plane and make sure the plane will reach Kanombe in the night. Major General Kombe, who led the Department of Military Intelligence in Tanzania at the time knew about the plan. Major General Kombe may have been later assassinated. The Burundian Army army may also have known about the plan. Burundians were arrested in Switzerland with the plans of the downing of the plane. Mobutu and Moi knew nothing about the plan, even though Mobutu felt that something was going on.
d. It is not clear why the International Criminal for the Rwanda (ICTR) stopped the investigation into the death of President Habyalimana and Nyaryamira. The ICTR wants the Hutu to be responsible for the crime, otherwise their trials ...
e. The US Administration and Army provided RPF with military training. However, Jean Pierre Mugabe said that he has no proof whether the US helped RPF to invade the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
f. The Invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was prepared in Uganda since 1993, even before the Rwandan genocide. Abanyamulenge (Congolese Tutsis) received special training and were told to wait until a better opportunity. Mugabe added that Kagame lies when he says he invaded Zaire to hunt down interahamwe, especially that he did not need to go all way to Kinshasa to achieve the goal. Mugabe insisted that the motive behind the invasion is mineral and other natural resources.
g. The war between Kagame and Kabila came from the refusal by President Kabila to allocate mineral concessions for Kagame to exploit. Mugabe said that he had on several occasions talked to Kabila who repeated that "I will never betray my country". Mugabe said that the sentence alone got Kabila assassinated.
h. Among crimes committed by RPF but attributed to others are:
(h.i) Spanish medical personnel killed in Ruhengeri and an American who was injured during the attack. Kagame attributed the killings by RPA troops to Interahamwe. The RPA wanted to intimidate and persecute NGO operating in the region;
(h. ii) 8000 people massacred in the caves of Ruhengeri/Gisenyi just before Ms. Albright visit. The international community and media condemned these massacres.
(h.iii) Massacres of Tutsis in Mudende refugee camps during Ms. Albright visit. Given that the massacres of 8,000 Hutus in caves had raised widespread international condemnation, the RPA massacred these Tutsis to push Ms. Albright to visit Mudende instead of visiting the caves. Mugabe said that he is very confident that these Tutsis were killed by RPF and cited the confirmation by an RPF senior military officer, Major Furuma.
7- Mr. Keith Snow
Mr. Snow said that he asked Boutros Boutros Ghali in Paris what he knew about the Rwandan tragedy. Boutros Ghali responded that Kofi Annan hid the reports from him. Dallaire's reports from Rwandan never reached the Secretary General's offices. Here, the Congresswoman made an observation that all of the people involved in the Rwandan tragedy (including Annan, Albright, Susan Rice, etc..) received promotion.
Mr. Snow added the Interahamwe were wrongly condemned for the death of tourists in the Ugandan Park. Mr. Snow said that he didn't understand why the FBI went to Uganda and the methods the FBI used.
Mr. Snow pointed out that in 1994, news organization, lied publicly and shamelessly. An example of young boy , who was fleeing to Tanzania, interviewed by CNN in 1994 was given. In the interview CNN asked the boy what he was fleeing. The young boy said in vernacular: " Inkotanyi (RPA soldiers) who killed my parents" The CNN reported in English: "the military (EX-FAR), they killed my parents".
Finally, the main speakers concluded that there must a hearing on the Rwandan tragedy. The hearing must include those US officials who were involved in the Rwandan tragedy. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney invited people to write to Bush and to the US Congress.
(c)AfroAmerica Network,April, 2001.
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