Paul Kagame “won” the “election” in Rwanda last week with a 99% majority. This is just another great step in his dictatorship, and he should be congratulated appropriately. As with most of the best dictators before him, Kagame effectively used the charade of elections to further entrench his power. Unfortunately for the Rwandan people, Kagame’s power has never translated into benefits for any but the few who Kagame trusts (fewer every day) who benefit from his regime.

We should note that this victory was even greater than his last two elections, where Kagame only won 96% of the votes in 2003 and then a tiny 93% majority in 2010. The latter was after criticisms from the US and other countries that past elections might be a bit too skewed, so in 2010 Kagame created a couple of new political parties to run hand picked (by him) candidates against him. This time though, Kagame gave up all pretense of democracy and just coasted to the easy 99% victory.

I took my time reporting on this election because frankly, it’s not “news” in any meaningful way. Everyone knew who was going to win. The only question was whether any other candidates would receive any votes.

So how is this a victory for dictatorship? Let’s count the ways:
– any real political parties that may oppose Kagame are not allowed to register, are declared illegal, or are harassed until they flee the country.
– the Constitution was changed to allow Kagame even more terms in office; this is both a sign of dictatorship, and a violation of the African Union charter
– anyone speaking in opposition to Kagame and his government inside of Rwanda is harassed, tortured, imprisoned, reeducated, or summarily executed (note that the death penalty is technically illegal, so these are all extra-judicial executions, either done in secret, or by “patriotic” groups who just can’t tolerate the opposition voices.
– anyone speaking in opposition to Kagame outside of the country, whether Rwandan ex-patriots or non-Rwandans, is harassed, pilloried, and attacked if opportunity presents itself, including multiple assassinations and assassination attempts.
– the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF, Kagame’s party) has complete control of society within Rwanda, and any form of dissent is quickly punished — to the point that the people self-censor and almost never speak against the government
– reporters, newspaper owners/editors and even foreign media outlets like the BBC are censored, harassed and banned at the whims of the government
– complete repression of Hutus (and many Tutsis) within the country by a small group of ruling Tutsis. While the government claims that ethnicity no longer matters in Rwanda, this is simply not true. Hutus are still blamed for the genocide, this is used as a rationale to keep Kagame and the RPF in power, and this appears in a variety of ways in law from the constitution on down.
– human rights violations are frequent and largely ignored by the international community. While rights monitors (including the US government) regularly report on these abuses, nothing is ever done

Paul Kagame has created a Rwandan society that is completely focused on eliminating all forms of dissent, at home or abroad. And they do a very good job of accomplishing this.

Meanwhile at home, Kagame himself is one of the richest human beings on the planet, with net worth estimated between $500 million and $2+ billion US dollars. All while his people are still among the poorest on the planet, with a 2016 GDP of US$723 (170th in the world) and HDI that is 159th in the world. When Kagame’s personal wealth, along with the wealth of a small number of his advisors are taken out of these numbes, this leaves Rwanda at the bottom of the poorest nations. So much for any “economic miracle” for any but the few elites at the top.

And internationally, Kagame’s government continues to fuel an ongoing conflict in the neighboring DRC that has taken more lives than any war since WWII, with no end in sight. All in the name of profiting off of the minerals coming out of that country and going to market legally through Rwanda.

On a personal note, I have not written as much about Rwanda lately as I used to, and I sometimes feel badly about that, as the Rwandan people continue to need our voices. I continue to closely follow Rwanda, but sometimes find it hard to keep energy and focus. Part of the problem is that very little has changed in the past 10+ years, other than a few specifics of the dictatorship and repression. Sadly, I could have written this blog months before the election. As Rwandans say, the dancers may change, but the song remains the same. The Rwandan people are not free. And the world is still largely ignoring them, profiting off of them, or just doesn’t care.

Many others still write about this, from individuals to human rights groups, and the truth about Rwanda still sees the light of day. But we absolutely still need more people to hear, and learn and be ready to take action when called for. And a new “election” for the sitting dictator is a good time to remember that.