Those Guns in Kigali streets are not Toys.

A Rwanda Police officer on the street in Kigali, index finger on the trigger. Ready to shoot.

Yes! They are not toys. Even Toy, the prominent lawyer didn’t survive them.

I remember the days when I was leaving Rwanda. There was a heavy deployment of the police and the army patrolling the entire Kigali Capital City every day between 9 am and 5 am.

On top of my other problems that led to me to leaving the country, I particularly had another one related to that warrish armed forces deployment. I always asked myself the rationale behind that deployment and who was benefiting from it.

On my way from Kigali city center to my home in Kicukiro, I could easily count at least one police officer or Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) soldier at each half mile. Equipment was an AK47 rifle, a dagger, a rain coat. I could see the difference only around KBC roundabout and around Kacyiru near the Village Urugwiro, President Office as well as the airport and its surroundings where the equipment was the Israeli toy… The night vision equipped Tavor TAR-21, a dagger, a rain coat and sometimes a radio. That is the RDF special force…

There was something in common: Firearms carried on high put, index finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. Unfortunately it is still the case today; simply Rwanda currently looks like a country that is at war.

I left Rwanda with many unanswered questions about this military deployment… Now I can have hints to answers: These assault rifles were and are not toys, they are still there not only to threaten Rwanda citizens but also to kill them. RDF and Rwanda Police are terrorists.

I was not the only one to worry. On his blog, Rama Isibo expressed concern about these guns. He wrote:

“…It could have been anyone, in Rwanda I have guns pointed at me all the time, to direct me at the stadium, to stop me at a red light. Any minute the guns could have gone off and killed me, the shooter will go home and sleep well. We need to reduce the number of guns we see daily, let them be there but out of sight…”

Simply put, Rwandans are currently held at gun point wherever they are in Rwanda and If I am not mistaken we probably have reached the limit because even Kagame, seemingly no longer has confidence in his own people and his own defense forces, he is scared and he always wears an armor; sad news is that Kagame only got a bullet proof jacket for himself and forgot to provide one for each citizen.

RDF soldier in full combat uniform keeps watch over a street in Kigali, Rwanda.

My deep condolences go to many Rwandan families whom loved ones are being killed by these guns:

• 6 victims in north, extra judicial killings in Western & Northern provinces between November & December 2016. Victims include Musonera Samson (22), Bizabarimana J. Claude (25), Nshimiyimana Innocent, Balinda Elie (50) & Nzabonimana J. Claude (21). VOA reported this issue.
• The many prisoners who were shot in 2016, victims include Channy Mbonigaba, Nkundimana Clement, Olivier MBYARIYEHE, Theophile NAKABEZA, Muhammad MUGEMANGANGO
• Toy NTABWOBA NZAMWITA, 49, father of, 4 assassinated on 30th December 2016. In all the reports that we have read about this sad affair, they talk about the proximity to the Kigali Business Center (KBC) roundabout and the Kigali Convention Center (KCC), but there is no detail on the direction of Mr. Nzamwita’s vehicle or even where he was shot and where his vehicle stopped.

While the family of Toy is still mourning, help me to find answers for these questions:

1. Why didn’t the police use its various strategies and tactics to track him down as obviously it is not easy to run far from KCC. Mr. Nzamwita had only 3 escape ways: Heading to Kigali city center via Kimihurura or Kacyiru or heading to Kanombe.
2. Why did the police wait more than 24 hours to announce the incident?
3. Mr Toy NTABWOBA NZAMWITA was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV. Was he driving upside down head in tires? Why did the bullets targeted to tires fatally hit him on the head?
4. Did Mr. Nzamwita leave the KCC? Was he trying to come back at 3am in the morning after spending the evening with Koffi Olomide?
5. Where was the roadblock he forced into and the policeman he put in danger? Is this the same one that hit him at the head with the fatal shot?

The police officers who assassinated Toy NZAMWITA and other many victims were obeying the clear instruction they received from Kagame when he spoke in Nyabihu district 3 years ago, and in Kigali Convention Center 3 months ago.

While the colleagues of Mr Toy NTABWOBA NZAMWITA consider him innocent, a concrete action for justice to prevail turns into presenting the final culprit, Mr Paul Kagame, before a court of law… Something I said I will do at some point in the future. I am not alone, the Rwanda Bar Association is on my side.