Rwanda on the Brink of the Abyss, American Political Experts Say
Steven McDonald, Consulting Director, African Program at Woodrow Wilson Center for Scolars in Washington, DC is a rare breed of experts on Africa. A former press assistant to Senator Stuart Symington, he served as a foreign service officer in several U.S. Embassies in Africa, especially in Uganda, South Africa Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe and has worked on and lead several initiatives on Africa, including African Great Lakes Region. His career started, well.., more than 40 years ago. He is a veteran expert, and as an expert, he knows what he is talking about. Hence, when he talks, people listen. Especially those in Washington.
Steven McDonald recently returned from Rwanda with a load of bad news. As a diplomat he prefers to call the news: disturbing. The “disturbing” news include brutal repression against journalists, the opposition, and other suspected dissenters. That would be disturbing enough. But there is more: assassination attempts on exiled Rwandans, assassination of journalists and decapitation of opposition figures. So, Steven McDonald must have been … shaken!
“The fear is palpable, the nervousness, the feeling that there is no freedom of speech and association and gathering in the society and I think this could be disastrous,” he told the press, before quickly defending
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