The rebel victory in Rwanda is turning into a human catastrophe. Propaganda by the now-defeated government has led two million people from the majority Hutu ethnic group to flee the country, fearing that the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) will massacre them. The two million refugees are dying of starvation and disease. Persuading Hutus to flee the country was the last grisly act of the military regime, whose defeat is well-deserved. Here FRANCIS CAZALS explains the background to the War, and the role which France, whose troops are now in Rwanda on a "humanitarian" mission, played in keeping the old regime in power. AFTER THE DEATH of Rwandan dictator President Juvenal Habyarimana on April 6, his regime descended into blood and barbarism. But these events were not simply tribal clashes.
As the RPF army, composed mainly of troops from the minority Tutsi ethnic group, moved into the country, the government army and presidential guard launched a huge massacre. They killed a large part of the Tutsis in the capital Kigali, and hunted down anyone supporting democracy.
In order not to fall into the government's ethnic trap, the RPF leaders tried to impose strict discipline on their troops to ward off reprisals against Hutu civilians.
President Habyarimana was in power for decades, opposing all attempts democratisation. But a 1990 RPF insurrection forced his regime into tolerating civilian opposition and negotiation with the RPF.
Originally the RPF was formed by Tutsis who had fled to Uganda, fleeing massacres in their own country. Uganda they enroled in Yawewri Museveni's National Resistance Army which captured power in Uganda in 1985.
Since then many of them have held leadership positions in the Ugandan army.
Hardened by years of fighting in the rebel movement in Uganda, the RPF launched its offensive in October 1990 against an army which had until then confronted only civilians. The regime was saved from falling only by French military support.
The rebels were pushed back into northern Rwanda, and then into Uganda. But their action had destabilised the Kigali regime and opened the way for the appearance of a democratic opposition, which also included Hutus. Rwanda regime was forced to accept the entry of some oppositionists into the government, and to negotiate with the rebels.
Sabotage
However behind the scenes the government sought to sabotage this liberalisation process through a strategy of terror aimed at all democratic forces.
Meanwhile the RPF kept up military pressure in the north, while the French army trained and organised the government army. In these conditions, long and difficult negotiations led finally to an agreement in August 1993 providing for a ceasefire and the entry of the rebels into the government. But the projected government of national unity never happened.
On the way back from a negotiation meeting in Arusha, President Habiyarimana's plane exploded as landed, probably shot down by a missile.
The plane had been carrying several hard-line military commanders and quite accidentally the president of neighbouring Burundi.
Following this attack, massacres and looting were unleashed by the army, mainly by the presidential guard.
Rumours were widespread that the president had been killed by Hutu military officers and not by the RPF. In any case, his death was the excuse for the launching of massacres and a descent Thus the into chaos of history". •Kigali WANDA BURUNDI Habyarimana regime racist death squads.
The media has tried to present the war as purely an ethnic conflict, without trying to figure out the political conflicts involved. Stephen Smith commented in the April 11 issue of Liberation "It is wrong to reduce every clash between Hutus and Tutsi to 'tribal slaughter', an umpteenth expression of an atavistic hatred whose motives are lost in the mists He pointed out correctly that these bloody days "show that in the midst of looting and the settling of all sorts of accounts, the violence is being directed. without regard for their tribal affiliation, against all the supporters of sharing power with the Tutsi minority." Before massacring Tutsis, the presidential guard went after liberal and democratic figures who were challenging the Thus a minister was killed who belonged to the oppositionist PSD. She was a well-known human rights activist who had contributed to the December 1992 report exposing the "Zero Network"
Others assassinated were the presid ing judge of the Supreme Court, church leaders who defended democratic rights. and a liberal Rwandan businessman In the light of facts about this war. what is the justification given by France for backing the regime? It is clear the French government was tempted to use its troops in Rwanda for their "humanitarian" mission to intervene against the RPF, but that their intervention was too late, in the light of the rapid collapse of government forces.
France claims that they backed the Habyarimana military regime because only representatives of the ethnic majority could ensure stability.
In persuing this policy France went along with the most extreme Hutu fac tion, which originated in the president's home region of Gisenyi. When the Socialist Party came to power in France it made no change in this policy.
Arms sales
In reality France's links with the regime were about consolidating its influence in the region and carrying out lucrative arms sales. The Rwandan military chiefs responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands were all trained by France or Belgium.
However the French government ministers deeply involved - including the current defense and foreign aid ministers - can sleep peacefully. The scream of the dying in Kigali and on the Ugandan border will not reach them, and no court will charge them with crimes against humanity in Rwanda
WARSAW-The recent election victories of ex-Stalinist parties are the direct result of the misery inflicted by the dismantling of welfare provisions, and the slump in living standards, which has accompanied the project of restoring capitalism.
Voters chose the only path open to them of registering their rejection of this course.
Yet the assumption of governmental power immediately throws up huge contradictions for these parties. They are totally committed to continuing the programme of capitalist restoration. But their victory represents a major popular protest against that programme.
That contradiction immediately became clear after the recent victory of Hungary's Socialist Party (SP). though they have an absolute majority in parliament, their overwhelming desire to demonstrate their pro-capitalist credentials has led them to form a coalition government with the Free Democrats, the most fervent enthusiasts of laissez-faire capitalism.
Hungary's reform Stalinists justify this by saying that "there are no basic differences in economic programme" between the two parties. This is quite true. AlStooge of Catholic hierarchy GIALIST OUTLOOK No. 67, August 1994, Page 19 not exist.
This means that the limits of "peaceful" restoration have been reached, although even this has been accomplished at the cost of tremendous suffering. Any qualitative advance in capitalist restoration would involve a new and massive onslaught on the working class.
An onslaught of such magnitude would certainly trigger all-out workers' opposition. For the moment, none of Poland's pro-capitalist politicians are prepared for that.
In this situation the reform Stalinists are totally unable to deliver the goods they have promised the West.
Incapable of accelerating privatisation they are ensuring that the state sector continues to nourish the existing private companies.
Payroll tax
All the previous mechanisms for this have been retained, including the above mentioned payroll tax on state enterprises, which private firms are exempt Plans for a progressive real estate tax which would hit