'Coming fresh to the story and with nothing to lose, I was confident that I could provide the necessary support'

'Coming fresh to the story and with nothing to lose, I was confident that I could provide the necessary support'

Frank remembers Trocaire being accused of genocide.

Frank Gaynor

Trinity College Dublin

2006

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Frank Gaynor

Work and Employment

Life Story

Rwanda, Africa

2000's

This contentious Report, endorsed by the government, was commissioned following the killing of about half a dozen genocide survivors in Gikongoro province, in the south of Rwanda, in October/November 2003. Most of those killed were scheduled to testify in genocide courts in different parts of the country. The killings were widely attributed to extremists keen to scare away genocide survivors and other potential witnesses from testifying in the on - going semi - traditional genocide courts known as Gacaca. The commission was also asked to assess the extent of 'genocide ideology' throughout Rwanda 10 years after the genocide.The Report was discussed by parliament and in the media in Rwanda in July 2004. Trocaire was named in this Report along with three other international NGOs and the Dutch Development Cooperation programme. Individuals were also named in the Report. The main accusations made were: promoting a 'genocide ideology', and promoting 'divisionism'. These two terms are frequently used by the Rwandan government but are not clearly defined. In the Rwanda context, they are serious accusations to make against any organisation or individual. One morning in August 2004 Justin Kilcullen, Director of Trocaire, called me to his office on Long Corridor. Justin proceeded to tell me that Trocaire's Country Representative (CR) in Rwanda, Juvenal, had come to Maynooth to discuss some difficulties that had arisen in the Kigali office. Juvenal, a Rwandan, informed Trocaire that he would not be returning to Kigali. It was at agreed with Trocaire that he would stay in Ireland on a one year study course. Justin then asked me if I would consider going to Kigali for a month while a new CR was being recruited. I knew little about the difficulties that might be waiting for me in Kigali but still decided to go. It seemed a good opportunity to get back to Africa for a while. Following further meetings with Justin and a meeting with Juvenal, I travelled to Kigali in mid - September 2004, accompanied by Justin and Colette - a Rwandan lady working for Trocaire in Maynooth. Members of Colette's family, including her mother, had been killed during the genocide of 1994. Justin was an excellent travelling companion, relaxed and entertaining. The purpose of our visit was to explore first - hand the reasons for naming Trocaire in the Report.Earlier in 2004 a new Papal Nuncio, Anselmo Pecorari, had arrived in Kigali. Keen to make an early impression he ran around upsetting the bishops before turning his attention to Trocaire. As he watched the news on TV one evening he saw Juvenal presenting a cheque to the Minister for Justice. This alarmed him, and he started to make enquiries about Trocaire among the catholic bishops. When six of the bishops told him they knew nothing about Trocaire he got excited and wrote alarming letters about Trocaire to The Vatican and to Cardinal Brady. Trocaire Rwanda was now in the semi - happy position of being accused by Parliament of working against the government, and accused by the Papal Nuncio of working too closely with the government. Justin was very keen to get the Papal Nuncio to calm down and stop complaining so loudly about Trocaire. Unfortunately we were unable to meet with the Papal Nuncio as he was in Rome during our visit.Over a period of three days we had about a dozen meetings, the most important of which were with the Dutch and UK ambassadors, the Minister of Local Government, the Vice - President of Parliament, representatives of CARE and NPA (both NGOs named in the Report), representatives of the Civil Society Platform, the Chef de Mission of Penal Reform International (PRI), the Archbishop of Kigali, and Trocaire/Rwanda staff. Our main findings were:The report was generally considered to be a necessary exercise, but was very weak in methodology, did not substantiate the allegations, and did not consult with the organisations or individuals named. Concerns about the Report were expressed at the highest levels in Rwanda by embassies and International NGOs, and a formal diplomatic letter (a demarche) was presented to the EU.Concern was expressed, especially by embassies and International NGOs, about the gradual closing down of space for Civil Society activities in Rwanda.LIPRODHOR (the largest human rights NGO in Rwanda, with a country - wide network for collecting information; some of its staff had recently fled the country in fear of being imprisoned or worse) was repeatedly mentioned by the Vice President of Parliament as an organisation that was acting contrary to the government's aim of building a united and peaceful Rwanda. Trocaire was mentioned in the Report because of its support for LIPRODHOR, and because its funding strategy was seen to support NGOs that opposed the government.The government minister was keen for Trocaire to continue to work in Rwanda, but stressed that it must accept some share of the responsibility for what its local partners did.The Vice Principal of Parliament described Juvenal's departure as a good move; the Minister was critical of Trocaire for assisting Juvenal to leave Rwanda.The Archbishop was keen for Trocaire not to withdraw, adding that International NGOs and the church were engaged in the same struggle.CARE had decided to pull back from 'the cutting edge', while NPA was keen to continue as before and risk the possibility of being asked to leave.PRI felt that a reformed LIPRODHOR would be lacking in independence and scared to play its traditional role. Trocaire should wait a while and see how the situation developed.Trocaire/Rwanda staff members were very apprehensive about the future as they anxiously awaited the next move by the authorities in Rwanda and by Trocaire's Head Office in Maynooth. Before Justin cut short his visit, to return to urgent business in Maynooth, I agreed with him that I would stay on in Rwanda for six months. I eventually spent 13 very interesting, and very satisfying, months there. The staff in the Kigali office had got the impression that Trocaire/Maynooth was blaming them for the problems that had arisen. They were adamant that they had done nothing wrong. They were fearful that the government would harass them further, or that Maynooth would decide to let them go. I was pleased to discover that there were good management and administration systems in place in the Kigali office. The staff members were experienced, capable and dedicated. Mention in the parliamentary Report, and the related departure of Juvenal, had a devastating effect on staff morale. They had experienced fear about personal safety, some panic, a lack of confidence in the ability of Trocaire to manage the situation in Rwanda, and uncertainty about their future. In September 2004 the priority was to support the staff by restoring confidence, keeping stress to a minimum, responding calmly to new information, and re - establishing good working relationships with the Minister for Local Government, Mr Musoni, and the Papal Nuncio, Anselmo Pecorari. Coming fresh to the story and with nothing to lose, I was confident that I could provide the necessary support.As I settled into my role as Country Director I soon realised that my task was much easier than I had anticipated. This was entirely due to the ability of the Kigali office staff members, and the cooperation that I received from all of them. The Office Admin Assistant, Eugenie, was invaluable in helping me to find my feet. She monitored all incoming mail, phone calls and visitors, and alerted me to what was potentially troublesome. We worked on the basis that all phone calls were being tapped into, and that there was a government informer in the office. Some staff members had received threatening letters and e - mails before my arrival, but none came after my arrival. One man came to the office a couple of times saying that he had access to files in the President's office that contained police information on a couple of our staff. He offered to copy part of the files and bring the copies to me. I suspected some ulterior motive and declined his offer. Representatives from two NGOs based in Belgium came to see me. They were keen for Trocaire to become more aggressive in its dealings with the government. I explained that Trocaire was not drawing back from the role it had been playing in Rwanda, nor was it going to play a confrontational role in its relations with the government. I suggested that NGOs like themselves, based outside Rwanda, were putting some local people in danger by urging their friends inside Rwanda to take action against the government. The Dutch ambassador had pledged his full support to Trocaire in relation to the Parliamentary Report on one condition - that Trocaire did not run to the world media with stories about human rights abuses in Rwanda before first giving the Rwanda government an opportunity to respond.We had our own Obama in the office in the person of Patrick, a Luo from Kenya. He had excellent networking skills and a high level of credibility in government circles. I followed his suggestion in getting to know as many government ministers as possible, and updating them on the good work that Trocaire was doing in Rwanda. Trocaire took the initiative in bringing together International NGO Network members and Civil Society Platform members to prepare a response to the draft Poverty Reduction Strategy Report, which had been prepared by the Ministry of Finance. Patrick prepared our written response to this Report. At a follow - up meeting of donors and the Ministry of Finance, George Mupenzi, as Platform President, and me, as Network Co - Chair, gave presentations that were very well received. George and me also participated in a meeting to consider the EC - Government of Rwanda Joint Annual Report. We also lobbied for and were given a place for Civil Society representation at regular meetings of the key development partners in Rwanda. All this helped to raise Trocaire's profile especially in the Ministry of Finance, UNDP, EC and the British Council. We could no longer be dismissed as a troublesome NGO that was just intent on embarrassing the government on human rights issues.The Twa people, or Batwa, number 33 000 in Rwanda. Because of the 'We are all Rwandans' policy they are not officially recognised. They are related to the Pygmy people of Central Africa, and can claim to be the original inhabitants of Rwanda. None now exist as forest dwellers, most work as potters, and some as labourers or porters. None own land or cattle. They have a rich cultural tradition of songs, dance and music. They have been neglected for many years, and exist at the lower end of society. In 2004 CAURWA, a Batwa NGO working to improve the lot of the Batwa, was declared unconstitutional by the Ministry of Justice and ordered to cease programming activities. Patrick and Sive, who is Irish, worked painstakingly for months with CAURWA in an effort to try and get the ban on their programming activities lifted. A compromise was eventually reached, with the government insisting on a change of name for the NGO. It is now called COPORWA. Modeste was our Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Programme Officer (PO). On a couple of occasions I accompanied him to the Chief Prosecutor's office to discuss details of a Trocaire aid package. The justice department was overwhelmed by a backlog of work in the courts. Many files had been lost, which meant that many of the 80 000 prisoners awaiting trial, some for many years, would never experience justice because, as far as the justice system was concerned, they did not exist. The aid requested was mundane but necessary - desks, tables, chairs, computers and other basic items for a number of district courts. I was very impressed by Modeste's professionalism as he went through the details of the offer, and Trocaire's expectations regarding accountability and reporting. He was in no way unnecessarily deferential to the Chief Prosecutor, who, in the recent past, seemed to be holding a hand of fear over some Trocaire staff members.Emmanuel was our Poverty Reduction PO, working on Food Security, Income Generation and Micro - Finance. I had a number of very interesting trips outside the capital, Kigali, with Emmanuel, Modeste and Richard, who was one of our drivers. During the six months that Monica spent in Rwanda she accompanied me on a number of these trips. On one visit with Emmanuel to the Southern Province we had stops in Gitarama, Butare and Gikongoro. There is a big catholic complex in Gitarama, including the Catholic University of Rwanda, a catholic radio station, a hospital, schools, and the headquarters of the catholic diocese. We called to see the Bishop of Gitarama. He promised to have us back for a meal one evening. We missed out on the meal because shortly after our visit, when the churchgoers learned that most of the Sunday collection money was going towards the upkeep of the Bishop's girlfriend, the bishop was forced to make a hasty exit from Gitarama. Before we reached Butare we called to see Sr. Genevieve, a trained doctor, who was in charge of the 'Tree of Life' project. This project was established by the MMMs to help vulnerable women and orphans. Most of the women being helped were sex workers who were HIV positive. Closer to Butare we visited Murambi genocide memorial center. This was a technical school up to April 1994 when up to 45 000 people were killed within its walls. Hundreds of bodies can still be seen preserved in lime in the rooms where they were killed. Butare hospital became infamous for the behaviour of some of its staff during the genocide. Wounded Tutsi who sought refuge there were left to starve, or were killed, by some of the nurses and doctors.Our next meeting was with Bishop Misago, bishop of Gikongoro. I was told that this might be a difficult meeting. In 1999 Bishop Misago was in court facing genocide charges. In particular he was charged with failing to protect two Tutsi girls who sought his protection during the genocide. In 2000, after spending 26 months in prison, he was acquitted of all charges. When a visiting group of Irish bishops called to see him a couple of years earlier he gave them a very cool welcome. Our meeting with him went very well. When we accepted his offer of accommodation for the night in his guest house he went to the fridge for a couple of beers. His first request was for funding for the shrine in Kibeho, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have made appearances in 1982 and 1983. When I told him that Trocaire was not into the business of shrines he just reached for another couple of beers, and went on to talk about the urgent needs of subsistence farmers in the area. Australian soldiers, who were serving with the UN, claim that in April 1995 up to 4 000 people, in a camp for displaced persons near Kibeho, were killed by RPF soldiers.From Gikongoro we travelled about 25km on very rough gravel road to Cyanika, where Fr. Nicky Hennity was parish priest. Because he was brave and outspoken the police kept a close watch on what Nicky was saying and doing. Over a glass of whiskey now and then with the intelligence boss in the area Nicky was kept up to date on what was on the police files. Nicky brought us on a tour of the area around his house and the church nearby. On the small patch of ground behind the old priest's house 400 people had been killed. In the attic of an old building four Tutsi priests hid until they were betrayed, taken out, and killed. There were other spots related to other killings involving different numbers; it was all fairly heavy stuff. Then, as the sun drifted downwards, the cook got busy preparing brochettes of goat meat, a few locals arrived, and Nicky produced the cans of beer. A phone call came to deliver the weekend's main GAA results. A great evening was had by all. By 6.30 am Nicky was on the altar ready to begin the morning mass. He was a busy hardworking man. He had succeeded in organising the construction or reconstruction of a number of schools and churches in the area. His focus was now on developing a football pitch in a rugged and very uneven valley between two schools. Only Nicky could see the potential for football on this patch. With financial assistance from Trocaire and a German NGO, 200 h
ndred local people with hoes and buckets got to work at moving around hundreds of tonnes of soil. A couple of years later, over lunch in Fagan's pub in Drumcondra, Nicky showed me photos of the finished job, which looked like centre court at Wimbledon - an extraordinary achievement. When we travelled with Richard to Kibuye, in the Western Province, for a weekend by the shore of Lake Kivu, our first stop was in the village of Nyange. It was here in April 1994 that a local priest ordered his church demolished by bulldozers, and pointed out to a driver the weak points in the structure, while 2 000 Tutsi sought refuge inside. When the roof collapsed militiamen rushed across the rubble to finish off the victims inside. In December 2006 the ICTR in Arusha convicted Father Athanase Seromba for his role in this atrocity, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.When we reached Kibuye we checked into Kibuye Guest House on the shore of Lake Kivu - an ideal location for a relaxing weekend. Relaxing by this lake you can see little bubbles coming to the surface of the water here and there. This is the only visible evidence of the high concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane that are present in the deep waters of the lake. The lake is up to 500m deep. If the deep water rose towards the surface the dissolved gases could be released into the atmosphere, causing a great hazard. Despite the hazards, methane extraction is seen as a good idea. It would both reduce the risks of a dangerous eruption and provide substantial energy reserves.When we travelled with Modeste to a catholic youth rally in Kibungo, in the Eastern Province, I somehow ended up dancing with the bishop on the veranda of his residence. That was a bit closer than I had intended to go with any of the bishops. By then I think all of them were aware of Trocaire's presence and work in Rwanda.As for the Papal Nuncio, I was left wondering whether it was better to have him as a foe or a friend. As Country Representative I was invited to cocktail parties by a number of embassies in Kigali. It was at these parties that I became friendly with the Papal Nuncio. He lacked social confidence, and his broken English did not help. He did not mix easily with the other guests. When I saw him standing alone I went to talk with him. He had spent three years as Papal Nuncio in Ireland. That was always a good starting point. After a couple of these outings he was glad to see me arrive. He invited me and Monica to his residence for mass a couple of days before Christmas. His assistant for mass that evening was a young Polish priest who tried so desperately hard to avoid making a mistake that of course he made many, and the perspiration bubbled out of his forehead. By the time Justin and Mary Healy arrived in January 2005 the Papal Nuncio was firmly on our side When I sat down with Justin and Mary to discuss the future of the Kigali office they told me that a decision had been taken in Maynooth to move from a Rwanda Country Programme to a Regional Programme covering Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the Regional office based in Kigali. I was asked to stay on until August 2005, when they hoped to have a Regional Representative in place. When they asked if now was a good time to let all the current staff in the Kigali office go, and start the Regional Programme with a new team, I was shocked. I then put forward my views. I remember feeling humbled in some strange way by the manner in which these two very experienced people listened carefully to what I had to say, and then followed my advice. The Kigali staff and office worked better than any other development office that I had experienced. The staff worked very well as a team. They were united, capable, and very committed to their work. Tensions would rise every time there were political elections; changing the staff would not alter that. What the staff needed most was an assurance that Maynooth had confidence in them. The office was a drop - in place for many local NGOs. Some came looking for money, but many came for advice and encouragement, and to discuss their difficulties. Patrick was always on the lookout for people from different backgrounds to come along and talk with us. One afternoon we had the head of the Rwandan Human Rights Commission in the office talking with us. We got his message clearly: any discussion on RPF behaviour during or after 1994 was off the agenda. Another afternoon Alison des Forges, from Human Rights Watch, came in to talk with us. Alison was a high profile human rights activist who had studied the Rwanda Genocide. I remember her saying that initially there was talk of tracking down and prosecuting about 10 000, who were the main architects and implementers of the genocide. That number could possibly have been processed through the courts. By 2005 the government was talking about 1.5 million - a number that was too big to handle. Alison strongly felt that this was a mistake. She also believed that it would help all Rwandans if the RPF government faced up to the crimes committed by some of its soldiers in 1994. In 2009 Alison died in a plane crash while travelling to her home in the US.I was invited to the opening of the Judicial Year in 2005. Towards the end of the ceremony President Kagame got up to speak. There was a great cut of business about him as he moved briskly, had brief handshakes, and then proceeded with his speech, which amounted to a declaration of war. He said that he was about to send the army into DRC to prevent further incursions into Rwanda. Most of the dogs on the street knew that the army already had a presence in DRC. Monica had talked about the number of army vehicles full of soldiers that had passed by our house in the early mornings during the previous couple of weeks. The following day I attended a meeting of government ministers and donors. The Dutch ambassador interrupted the meeting to read a message from the EU requesting Kagame not to invade DRC. Some hours later Kagame issued a statement to say that his speech the previous day had been misrepresented, and that at no time did he intend to invade DRC. When Orla Barry decided to travel to Rwanda to collect some material for her Newstalk radio show, I was asked to help coordinate her visit. One of the meetings that Modeste helped me set up for Orla was with a trauma counselling NGO that Trocaire had helped establish. Two women who had benefited from the counselling agreed to talk with Orla about their experiences. When I met with Orla and her producer, after they had listened to what the two women had to say, they were in a state of shock. Orla had prepared herself mentally for what she might be faced with during her visit, but she said that nothing could have prepared her for what she had heard that afternoon. As they drove back to Kigali they looked out at the green countryside, and the beauty of the hills all around them, and wondered why such awful deeds were done in this lovely country.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)