The BBC and the West need to clean up their act on Rwanda

This post is part of a series of writings and blogs on Rwanda by Mr. Johnson. The views expressed are the author's own.

The famed and ostensibly high-minded BBC recently lent its prestige to Rwanda genocide denial and to a group plausibly alleged to be engaged in terrorist attacks to subvert the post-genocide Rwanda order. This fiasco should be corrected by strong action by the BBC as well as the UK and other Western governments. The West should expose and oppose rather than foster and condone violent external threats to Rwanda.

Many Western observers believe passionately that democracy and human rights are not well served by the way President Paul Kagames Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) has governed post-genocide Rwanda, and that a more Western interpretation of international norms on these issues would do better. It is legitimate for these critics to make their case, and when they do so with due diligence and respect for factual evidence it can be to Rwandas benefit.

However, it is not legitimate to seek to discredit Mr. Kagame and the RPF by misrepresenting the history of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, or by misrepresenting Rwandan opposition groups as benign when they are not. The BBC has done both these things, in a way which is sadly typical in Western discourse about Rwanda, and dangerous for peace, democracy and human rights in Rwanda and its region.

The BBCs Oct. 1 film Rwandas Untold Story strengthens the unrepentant and still active remnants of the Rwandan Hutu Power movement which carried out the 1994 genocide against the Rwanda Tutsi, by recycling the main themes of the movements longstanding genocide denial campaign. For details, see the Oct. 12 protest to the BBC from 47 prominent observers of Rwanda (as well as this author) led by Linda Melvern, and separate statements by Andrew Wallis, Alain Gauthier, Philippe Brewaeys, James Smith and Francois Sudan. The BBC has yet to admit any wrongdoing.

Equally grave, the BBC film also strengthens the Hutu Power movements newest ally, the migr Rwanda National Congress (RNC). It gave two RNC leaders (Kayumba Nyamwasa and Theogene Rudasingwa) a friendly platform to advance their cause, and effectively endorsed them as bravely dissident truth-tellers. In doing this, the BBC chose to stay silent about a considerable amount of credible evidence that the RNC aims to seize power by violently overthrowing the Rwandan government, by means that include targeting civilians in terrorist grenade attacks and targeting Rwandan leaders for assassination.

This looks like disinformation rather than accurate and unbiased reporting. It calls for an internal BBC inquiry, and for UK government review as well. It should also alert the international community that it is long past due to investigate and take appropriate action against groups identified by the Rwandan government as supporting or engaging in the violent subversion of Rwandas post-genocide order.

Publicly available evidence about the RNC is outlined below.

The RNC was formed in December 2010 in Washington DC by General Kayumba Nyamwasa, Colonel Patrick Karegeya, Theogene Rudasingwa, and Gerald Gahima (Mr. Karegeyas January 2014 murder in South Africa remains unsolved). These four men were senior military and political leaders of the RPF until they fled Rwanda between 2004 and 2010, and as such played important roles in creating the post-genocide order they now want to see overthrown. They claim they fled Rwanda to escape persecution for legitimate policy dissent. There does not appear to be any evidence of this beyond their own claims. The Rwandan government has long asserted they fled to avoid being held accountable for corrupt activities. This goes unmentioned in the BBCs film. But this is only its least egregious silence about the RNC.

Since 2010, RNC leaders have publicly declared war against Kagame and the Rwandan government, in scarcely veiled terms. Here are four such declarations, as reported in non-Rwandan media:

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The BBC and the West need to clean up their act on Rwanda