Kagame's Priorities for Rwanda: First Prosperity, then Freedom of Expression

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Kagame does not dispute the fact that there has been a heavy price to pay for his success and that Rwanda is still far from a functioning democracy. "Of course we are operating under a principle of 'trial and error'" he says in his presidential palace in Kigali. He speaks quietly, with concentration and self confidence. "But we have a particular history. Perpetrators and victims live close together. And reconciliation takes time."

He rejects those abroad who try to tell him what to do. "Where was the West, where was the United Nations, when the genocide began in 1994?" As rhetorical as that question may seem, the message is clear: Rwanda does not need the West and donor countries lecturing it. Instead, he defends his restrictive policies by pointing to his country's past. He believes that the continued differences and animosities between the Hutu and Tutsi people can only be overcome through growth and prosperity. While democracy, human rights or freedom of opinion are important, Kagame has other priorities: First peace and growth, then freedom of expression and human rights.

Hutus and Tutsis Have Not Forgotten

And there are indeed still deep rifts in Rwanda. The state-ordered reconciliation, a term neither the Hutus nor the Tutsis use, has not really worked almost a generation after the mass killings led by Hutu militias of over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994.

Neither the victims nor the killers have forgotten. During commemoration events in April to mark the anniversary of the start of the genocide, a film was shown in a packed stadium in Kigali, showing the killing of youths who had opposed the selection of Hutus and Tutsis. Dozens of hysterical screams could be heard from the crowd. Meanwhile, not so long ago an anonymous caller to a radio station commented that: "It is a pity that we did not finish our work." There was widespread outrage across the country and the caller was later identified and arrested.

The Tutsis still remember how marginalized they had been before 1994. It was difficult for them to attend schools and they were forbidden from going to university or working for the state. They remember the first wave of violence against the Tutsis in 1959 and the subsequent discrimination they suffered.

The Hutus, for their part, have not forgotten how Kagame's rebel group the FPR (Rwanda Patriotic Front) displaced hundreds of thousands of Hutus during the civil war of 1990 to 1994, or that the FPR also committed massacres, which were neither punished nor even described as such. And, of course, moderate Hutus are not pleased when the "genocide against the Tutsis and moderate Hutus," as it was long known was renamed "genocide against the Tutsis" around a year and half ago by the government. There is seldom any mention by officialdom of Hutus as victims, despite the fact that tens of thousands were also killed.

There are other ways that the government has eroded its popularity. It replaced French with English as the country's official language. A lot of teachers are not able to educate their students properly because they are not used to speak the new language. And a great number of cities and districts were renamed, in particular those with large Hutu populations. Farmers have been forced into collectives in order to increase production. And while the harvests have improved, this has not gone down well with the rural population, which is predominantly Hutu. Nor are they impressed by being told how to use their own land. For example, an order not to plant bananas in some districts enraged small farmers who had been able to earn quite a bit of extra income by brewing banana beer.

Tensions Within the Army

"The strict regulations are of no use to the people," says Faustin Nyombayire, the rector of the Catholic University in Byumba. "People mostly live from what they grow themselves," he says. Now while there is more production and more exports, "hunger has increased."

There are also tensions within the army. For many years the military was Kagame's main backer. But the president now senses danger and treachery within its ranks. He demoted several generals shortly before the election, while others have fled abroad. One Rwandan general, who is also head of the country's football association, was arrested as he was about to travel to South Africa to attend the World Cup. He was accused of having failed to give notice of his departure. Another two former military officials were accused of masterminding a string of grenade attacks in Kigali earlier this year. One of them was shot and seriously wounded in Johannesburg in June.

Kagame may have won the election convincingly but he is still not completely certain of the loyalty of his people. The fact that a bomb blast killed six people in Kigali on Wednesday night during election victory celebrations points to just how unstable Rwanda's future might be.

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• Part 1: First Prosperity, then Freedom of Expression
• Part 2: 'We Have a Particular History'