Citation
The film investigates evidence of Kagame's role in the shooting down of the presidential plane that sparked the killings in 1994 and questions his claims to have ended the genocide. It also examines claims of war crimes committed by Kagame's forces and their allies in the wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo and allegations of human rights abuses in today's Rwanda.
Former close associates from within Kagame's inner circle and government speak out from hiding abroad. They present a very different portrait of a man who is often hailed as presiding over a model African state. Rwanda's economic miracle and apparent ethnic harmony has led to the country being one of the biggest recipients of aid from the UK. Former prime minister Tony Blair is an unpaid adviser to Kagame, but some now question the closeness of Mr Blair and other western leaders to Rwanda's president.
DURATION: 1 HOUR
Twenty years on from the Rwandan genocide, This World reveals evidence that challenges the accepted story of one of the most horrifying events of the late 20th century. The current president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has long been portrayed as the man who brought an end to the killing and rescued his country from oblivion. Now there are increasing questions about the role of Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front forces in the dark days of 1994 and in the 20 years since.
The film investigates evidence of Kagame's role in the shooting down of the presidential plane that sparked the killings in 1994 and questions his claims to have ended the genocide. It also examines claims of war crimes committed by Kagame's forces and their allies in the wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo and allegations of human rights abuses in today's Rwanda.
Former close associates from within Kagame's inner circle and government speak out from hiding abroad. They present a very different portrait of a man who is often hailed as presiding over a model African state. Rwanda's economic miracle and apparent ethnic harmony has led to the country being one of the biggest recipients of aid from the UK. Former prime minister Tony Blair is an unpaid adviser to Kagame, but some now question the closeness of Mr Blair and other western leaders to Rwanda's president.
This World - "Rwanda - The Untold Story" | BBC2
Summary:
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Main interviewees: Theogene Rudasingwa, Kayumba Nyamwasa, Filip Reyntjens, Allan Stam, Christian Davenport, Marie (Peter Verlinden's wife), Col Luc Marchal (UNAMIR), Jim Lyons (FBI).
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Main topics: Plane crash, RPA stopping the genocide, RPA killings at Kibeho, Congo war, President Kagame and his relationship with the west, assassination attempts in South Africa and Karegeya.
Key arguments:
o President Kagame is responsible shooting down Habyarimana's plane.
o The RPA caused the genocide by shooting down the plane.
o The RPA did not actually stop the genocide.
o 200,00 Tutsi were killed while 800,000 Hutu were killed.
o The RPA committed war crimes in Rwanda and the Congo.
o President Kagame used his influence to stop international investigations into war crimes by the RPA.
o Rwanda is a volcano that is ready to erupt at any moment.
Description:
The documentary begins with a short recap of the Kwibuka20 commemoration event on April 7. It describes Kigali as a bustling city and discusses Rwanda's free healthcare and WiFi on buses. The presenter, Jane Corbin, talks about the genocide and then says that she has come across a number of people who used to be part of the "inner circle" who question the "official account" of what happened in 1994.
The first person featured is Kayumba Nyamwasa. He is described as living in exile under tight security for fear of his life. They also interview Theogene Rudasingwa who says that Rwanda is a repressive state and that people survive by keeping silent. He says that there is a mood of fear in the country.
The presenter then says it's important to understand the history of the ethnic conflict. She says that the colonials favoured Tutsi and that Hutu were denied basic rights. She says that after independence in 1962, the Hutu came to power and hundreds of thousands of Tutsi were driven out, fleeing to Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda.
Jane Corbin interviews Filip Reyntjens who describes how the Tutsi living in exile create the RPF. The presenter says the President was a young major in the RPF and that by the 1990s, was commanding the RPF.
The President is then quoted as saying, "We felt we had the right to return to our country."
The presenter says that one million Hutus fled from their homes when the RPF launched the liberation struggle. This included Marie -- who is described as someone who was a Hutu school girl at the time: "People started to get scared of the RPF."
Jane Corbin then says that Rwanda had been ruled for 30 years by Hutu and that in the early 90s, Habyarimana came under pressure to embrace democracy and share power. In 93, the Arusha Peace Accord was signed. She says that when RPF agreed, they were represented by President Kagame.
They then turn to Reyntjens who says: "RPF realised that they could not take power by the ballot, so would instead take power by the bullet."
The presenter describes how a small UN peacekeeping force arrived and discusses how the Tutsi killed the President in Burundi around the same time. She says that when the RPA troops arrived, many more troops had been smuggled in, quoting Theogene Rudasingwa who says that 2,000 soldiers had infiltrated the country and installed arms. The presenter says that the RPA was represented by President Kagame who talked peace but who was alleged to be preparing for war.
The documentary then describes the Habyarimana plane crash and says that Rwanda was ready to ignite at the slightest pretext. They interview Col. Luc Marchal who says he heard explosions and who goes on to describe the crash. The presenter says that more and more evidence has come to light that questions the assumption that Hutu shot down the plane.
They interview Aloys Ruyenzi in France who says he was in a meeting with the President when he discussed the crash and that he was with President Kagame when the plane was shot down. He went on to say that the RPF smuggled in anti-aircraft weapons and that when the news came that the plane has crashed, all those there were happy.
The presenter says that the air crash was used by the RPA as a chance to start a full scale war and was a trigger for the RPA to take the country. They then interview Jim Lyons (a former FBI officer) who say that they interviewed a number of informants who said that there was a network of RPF soldiers directed to shoot down the plane.
They then quote Theogene Rudasingwa who claims to be repeating the President when he says: "If you take out the head in a system, then the system will come crumbling down." The presenter goes on to say
that a French judge Indicted 9 Rwandan officers.
The next part includes footage from the President speaking to BBC NewsNight in 2007, saying: "If we have shot down the plane, we would have taken responsibility for it. If France says I shot down the plane, well I don't give a damn."
Then then return to Kayumba Nyamwasa who says the President was behind the attack. When asked how he knows, Nyamwasa says: "Well I know. I was in a position to know. He knows that. If investigations implicate me that's ok. The truth is what matters."
Theogene Rudasingwa then says: "If Habyarimana's plane hadn't been shot down, would there have been a genocide."
The presenter asks what responsibility the President should take for this, suggesting that he and the RPF bare responsibility for starting the genocide. They return to Kayumba Nyamwasa who says, "Hutu planned to exterminate Tutsi but Paul Kagame's plan is also to blame."
They then show old footage of the President saying: "Massacres are still continuing but on a lower scale, but only because they have already killed those they were meant to kill."
Jane Corbins then introduces the next section which focuses on the number of people killed in the genocide. She introduces two Americans (Christian Davenport and Allan Stam) who came to Rwanda in 1998 and "conducted extensive research -- up and down the country. Stam says that everyone had the same story which made them suspicious. It shows the two looking at maps they created of the killing.
Stam said that their work showed that Tutsi were already dead or had fled by the time the RPA arrived: "The killing began and ended before the RPF arrived. Holding on to power depends of all of us believing that Kagame saved rwanda, rather than conquering it".
The documentary then goes on to describe atrocities committed by the RPF and they took over the country. They return to Hutu school girl Marie who describes how Hutu fled through roadblocks and says that the RPF made no distinction between innocent and guilty. When the RPF arrived the wrought havoc on everyone, even the innocent.
Kayumba Nyamwasa says that there was anger from the soldiers and that revenge killings took place.
Jane Corbin says that the UN knew RPF were killing Hutu civilians -- and estimated 30,000 killed in a of the country. But the report was suppressed. She then describes the apathy of the international community and describes how Belgian troops killed by "vengeful Hutu". They return to Luc Marchal who says: "The international community didn't do any thing but that's no reason to stay silent."
The presenter then goes to the Murambi memorial where she interviews Gaspard -- a guide. She says "Murambi is a place where I'm told 50,000 people were killed".
The next part has some of the most serious genocide denial claims. They interview Allan Stam who say that "random violence" happened in 1994 and around 100,000 people died for no particular purpose. The presenter goes on to discuss the figures of how many people were killed. Stam says that if one million people died, there's no way that the majority of them could be Tutsi. He says that there weren't enough Tutsi in the county. The presenter says that the academics calculated that if there were 500,000 Tutsi in Rwanda and 300,000 survived then only 200,000 could have died. And that means that 800,000 were Hutu.
Jane Corbin says that the government asserts that more Tutsi were in the country. Stam and Davenport left Rwanda and were accused of being genocide deniers.
"We don't deny that the genocide happened but that's only part of the story. It's like saying that. In WW2, the only thing of interest that happened was the Holocaust." -- Stam
The documentary then turns its attention to the Kibeho massacre, showing some footage and presenting different figures for the number of people who were killed. The presenter says that the government claims 338 refugees were killed. The UN counted 2,000 while others counted 5,000. They return to Reyntjens who says: "Someone accuses the RPF of human rights violations is automatically accused of the denial."
The next aspect of the documentary says the international community has allowed the President to commit war crimes with impunity and that after first saying "Those who were involved in rights abuses, including from our side, should be held accountable" retreated and told the ICTR judge Carla Del Ponte not to investigate Tutsi killing Hutu because she was busy enough.
The documentary then focuses on Rwanda's invasion of the Congo. They quote Nyamwasa who says "While the principle objective was right -- to stop attacks were being launched from Congo -- what happened there could not be justified and I told Kagame that." By interviewing Marie and sharing her story, the documentary contends that hundreds of thousands were killed in the violence -- many by the RPF and Tutsi militias in the Congo. It says that a UN report concluded the systematic and widespread killings.
The President is quoted as saying: "Thinking there was a genocide in Congo is flawed. We know where the genocide happened."
Filip Reyntjens and Nyamwasa then say that the President has been emboldened by the impunity and can now get away with anything because he has powerful friends. The presenter then says that the
President has close powerful friends like Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and other world leaders. She says that on the surface Rwanda seems like a role model but that the country is really an oppressive state. She says the 2003 election was rigged.
The documentary ends with most interviewees describing Rwanda as a kind of volcano ready to erupt at any moment. It also says that the President was given the opportunity to respond by declined.
