The Ugandan libertarian journalist argues that by responding to allegations about its involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo's rebel situation, Rwanda's leaders have allowed its international detractors to define the debate: "In Rwanda’s case, it cannot afford a mistake of ignoring a simmering security threat at its border. This is especially so given the experience it went through in 1994 when one million people were massacred in 100 days. Some people argue that Kigali has used the genocide to justify its involvement in Congo and that this is a tired cliché. There is a point there. But that does not reduce the legitimacy of the paranoia that Kigali suffers. Put yourself in Kigali’s shoes: the murderers and their recruits are a few kilometers from your border; armed, trained and belligerent, promising to return to finish the job [because the Congolese rebels are bent on exterminating Tutsis inside Congo and in Rwanda]. Assume even a 10 percent chance they can implement their threat. What do you do? The price of any mistake on such an issue can be catastrophic. So you have to be paranoid, especially so when you are an ethnic minority [as is much of Rwanda's leadership]."
More: "Small and densely populated with its ethnic schemes, Rwanda cannot afford a war on its territory. It can take two hours for the enemy to move from any border its core, Kigali. Thus, in both geopolitical (margin of error) and in military (strategic depth) terms, Rwanda has every reason to be hypersensitive about Congo. Hence the question for Rwanda is not (and cannot be) whether to be involved or not in Congo. It has to be involved. That is not a mere tactical or even strategic imperative. It is an existential necessity. The argument cannot even be on the extent or degree of this involvement. Rwanda has to be deeply and intensively involved in Congo. This is the argument Kigali should be making. Instead, Kigali has been frantically denying all involvement in Congolese issues. It is this denial that makes its case unconvincing and suspect as it ignores its vital security concerns."
Andrew Mwenda Op-Ed: Rwanda's Congo PR Failure
