Please remove my name from your maling list. Thanks. JWO --- sharangabo rufagari <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > > sharangabo rufagari <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On 1 October 1990 Rwandese soldiers invaded > Rwanda. > They had rallied round Rwigyema, 'Commandant Fred', > who'd created the Rwandan Patriotic Army, > and crossed the sparsely populated Mutara into > Rwanda. > > RPF REFUGEES INVADE RWANDA > > Rwigyema was known as a fearless fighter, > a commander who always led from the front. > His death caused immediate fears for the morale of > the troops. > It was Paul Kagame who saved the RPF. > > excerpt from A PEOPLE BETRAYED > by Linda Melvern, pages 27-30: > ...When Yoweri Museveni and his National > Resistance Army (NRA) took Kampala by force in > January 1986, it was the first insurgent movement > effectively to take power from an incumbent African > government. Uganda was a country shattered by the > brutal rule of Idi Amin and his successors. Museveni > re-established an effective central government. > The original decision by Museveni to resort to > guerilla warfare against Amin's successor, Milton > Obote, was taken in 1981 when, with only thirty-five > men and twenty-seven weapons, known as the Popular > Resistance Army, Museveni attacked the police > military school at Kabamba. There were two Rwandans > in this small group. One of them was the popular and > charismatic Fred Rwigema, and the other, the > secretive, sober and intelligent Paul Kagame. Both > fighters would be instrumental in Museveni's > ultimate success and both learned that it was > possible for a small group of insurgents to launch > an armed struggle with few resources and overthrow a > government. > The Rwandans were natural allies of Museveni. > During the Obote regime the Rwandan refugees had > been persecuted, a reason enough to help him. In > 1982, when the refugee crisis occurred and Rwandans > were trapped on the border between Uganda and > Rwanda, many young Rwandans, rather than remain > powerless and persecuted refugees, joined the ranks > of the NRA. By the time Museveni took Kampala by > force in January 1986, a quarter of the soldiers in > the 14,000-strong NRA were Rwandan, up to 2-3,000 > Tutsi fighters, the sons of exiles. Many of > Museveni's top commanders and officers were Rwandan, > and during his campaign the regime of Obote had > sought to discredit him by claiming falsely that he > was Rwandan and was interfering in Uganda's affairs. > After his victory in 1986, Museveni consolidated > his power, and his army and the NRA began a military > recruitment campaign in western and southern Uganda, > from the Banyarwanda and Buganda areas. This > increased still further the number of Rwandans in > the ranks of the NRA as even more refugees took up > the opportunity of military training. Thousands > signed up hoping that what had successfully occurred > in Uganda could now be repeated in Rwanda. Joining > the NRA was a first step along the road leading > home. > Over the next three years these recruits would > gain much military experience for they took part in > NRA campaigns to secure eastern and northern Uganda > then in almost constant insurrection... > While the Rwandan officer corps was an asset for > Museveni, the Rwandans themselves were a problem. > There were increasing complaints among Ugandan > officers that they were discriminated against in > favour of Rwandans in the army. The most famous > Rwandan, Rwigyema, was now a major-general and > promoted to the NRA's deputy army commander-in-chief > and deputy minister of defence in Uganda. Then in a > reshuffle in November 1989, and perhaps to appease > the anti-Rwandan camp. Rwigyema was removed from > office. There was deep resentment among Rwandans and > some of those who believed Rwanda to be an old story > began to revise their opinion. In August 1990 two > members of Rwanda's political elite fled to Kampala, > Valens Kajeguhakwa, a Tutsi businessman, and Pasteur > Bizimungu, a Hutu and relative of Habyarimana. These > two described Rwanda as being on the edge of > collapse, split north and south, drained by > corruption and ready to welcome anyone who wanted to > overthrow the regime. > On 1 October 1990 Rwandan soldiers in the NRA > invaded Rwanda taking their weapons and supplies. > They had rallied round Rwigyema. 'Commandant Fred', > created the Rwandan Patriotic Army, and crossed the > sparsely populated Mutara into Rwanda. > Museveni immediately denied supporting the > invasion and claimed that the soldiers had stolen > their Ugandan uniforms and equipment. International > observers chose not to believe him. The soldiers in > the RPF had almost unlimited access to NRA hardware > and Museveni was accused of playing a double game, > of professing friendship with neighbouring Rwanda > while allowing the preparation of an invading army. > The American-based Human Rights Watch Arms Project > was told by a senior Ugandan officer that Uganda > provided heavy weapons, including artillery, and a > steady stream of ammunition, food and logistics for > the RPF, and that the two armies shared > intelligence. > According to senior RPF sources, Musevenni had > been told about the invasion plan but had rejected > it, saying it would never work. Habyarimana was far > too popular in the West and he warned that if the > RPF did organize an invasion, Habyarimana would > receive a great deal of outside help. Museveni > promised the RPF that if they would wait he would > see to it personally that Habyarimana would let the > refugees return. According to the RPF leadership, > they only ever mentioned the invasion once to > Museveni. They did not share Museveni's certainties, > and believed that the racist regime in Kigali would > never allow the refugees home. 'There would never be > a political settlement, we were in no doubt of > that,' said Patrick Mazimhaka, vice-president of the > RPF. 'We knew that the repression in Rwanda could > only get worse.' > The RPF published an eight-point programme that > included an end to Rwanda's ethnic divide and the > system of compulsory identity cards. The RPF wanted > democracy for Rwanda, a self-sustaining economy, an > end to the misuse of public offices, the > establishment of social services, democratization of > the security forces, a progressive foreign policy > and the elimination of a 'system which generates > refugees'. The RPF was a multi-ethnic movement > seeking to depose a corrupt regime. > The invasion was a disaster. Nothing went to plan. > Although the RPF managed to capture the tourist > resort and barracks of Batiro and the town of > Nygatare, they were beaten back. Fred Rwigyema was > killed on the second day, and so shocked were fellow > officers that the news was not announced for two > weeks. Rwigyema was known as a fearless fighter, a > commander who always led from the front. His death > caused immediate fears for the morale of the troops. > On 7 October there was a counter offensive by the > Rwandan army. This army was only some 5,200 strong > but, when the invasion occurred, it had received > immediate help from France. At the end of October > the RPF fell back to an area where the Rwandan army > would not follow, into the Virunga, the heavily > forested volcanic mountain range in the north-west. > The RPF soldiers were badly equipped and some of > them died of cold. > It was Paul Kagame, one of Museveni's original > 1981 guerilla group, who saved the RPF. Kagame, who > had fled Rwanda in 1959 as a young child, had become > the NRA's deputy head of military intelligence, and > when the invasion occurred he had been on a military > training course at the US Army Command and General > Staff College at Forth Leavenworth, Kansas. With > Kagame as the RPF commander, Colonel Alexis > Kanyarengwe a northern Hutu and former Rwandan > minister of internal affairs was appointed > president. Kanyarengwe had fled Rwanda in 1980 after > accusations that he was plotting against Habyarimana > and his appointment signified a link between the RPF > and the Habyarimana opposition in Rwanda. > Kagame had combat experience dating back to 1981 > and when he took control of the RPF he quickly > realized that he would be fighitng a protracted war. > From a rag-tag band of fewer than 2,000 men, he > created a 15,000-strong disciplined force. His > soldiers had high endurance levels and strict > discipline. If the RPF could managed to increase > pressure points in the northern part of the country, > Kagame believed, then the contradictions whithin > Habyarimana's rotten regime would cause it to > self-destruct....[end quoting from 'A People > Betrayed' by Melvern] continued at RWANDA ARMS > AGAINST RPF > KAGAME'S HERO FRED RWIGEMA and KAGAME'S ARMY > RWANDA'S HEROES > Jackie Jura > ~ an independent researcher monitoring local, > national and international events ~ > website: www.orwelltoday.com and email: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > email: Orwell Today > [input] > > Sharangabo > Rufagari > > > > > === message truncated ===> _______________________________________________ > Ugandanet mailing list > [email protected] > http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet > % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM > http://www.infocom.co.ug/ > > > The above comments and data are owned by whoever > posted them (including attachments if any). The > List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. > --------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
