The moment Mugabe told Museveni: 'Your intelligence is exaggerated'

The moment Mugabe told Museveni: 'Your intelligence is exaggerated'

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By Andrew M. Mwenda

EVENT: it is a cold November winter of 1998 in Paris and President Jacques Chirac of France is host of a large conference of African statesmen. The presidents are assembled to discuss continuing armed conflict on the continent and the ever-increasing economic crisis of the countries in the region.

In attendance at the French president's residence, the Eiles (sic) Palace are presidents Chirac, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pasteur Bizimungu of Rwanda and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania. There is also Yama Jame to Gambia, Abdu Diof of Senegal, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Joachim Chisano of Mozambique, Sam Nujoma of Namibia and Frederick Chiluba of Zambia to mention only a few.

The conversation finally settles down of the DRC. Uganda and Rwanda which had helped Kabila have turned against their proxy and organised armed resistance against him after a failed coup. However, Kabila has called in Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia to help bolster his fledging government and it has worked. Kabila accuses Museveni and Kagame of Rwanda of a hidden plot to build a Hima-Tutsi empire.

"That Bizumungu you see over there," Kabila spits the words with disdain "he is a Hutu and just a figure head. Real power lies with Paul Kagame, his vice president. So there is no reason for Bizimungu to even sit in this meeting with other heads of state when he is only a personal assistant to Kagame."

Museveni interjects saying the meeting should discuss more serious issues. But nobody is real listening; and as matter of fact he has too many contrary minds all over the place, does Museveni.

Mugabe is pissed at this talk of 'more serious issues' and says the threat of a Hima-Tutsi empire is a real and serious issue; in tones that suggest he is convinced it is even the only issue that should be discussed here today. "I have always heard that you are a very intelligent and popular man," Mugabe tells Museveni right into his face, "I now think your intelligence is quite exaggerated."

And with that, the old man walks out of the meeting in protest, wagging his finger at Museveni and vowing to "fight to the death" against the "creation of a Hima-Tutsi empire." Jameh of Gambia also interjects, telling Museveni that he thought the Ugandan president was a new hope for Africa, "not an ethnic chauvinist bent on re-creating obsolete pre-historic empires". In the cacophony of voices, one voice is quiet. Chirac is completely taken apart by surprise at this remarkable outplay by Africa's leading statesmen.
Monitor
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