Amnesty International and some allied media outlets latest round of smear campaign against Rwanda, alleging that Kigali used some sophisticated Israeli technology to spy on certain individuals, including Ugandan government officials, has handed anti-Rwanda organisations and elements, as well as their allies as another piece of propaganda hoax and they are happily running with it. This in spite of the fact that Amnesty International has never presented any evidence to support its allegations. And the government of Rwanda has categorically reaffirmed that the state doesnt use any such technology to spy on anyone. Amnesty International has, for years, thrown a lot of mud at Rwanda hoping that some of it will stick. Time and again the accusations have been debunked and proven to be nothing but slander. But like a bad smell, the organization is determined not to be ignored and will continue to invent all kinds of false allegations. And, this time it has upped the ante. Seeking to exploit Kampalas unfounded accusations against Rwanda, Amnesty International with a host of western media organizations listed Uganda government officials they claimed were targeted for espionage by Kigali, using the Pegasus spyware In its quest to promote anti-Rwanda propaganda, Amnesty International has decided to extend its campaign by attempting to draw regional countries into its efforts. However, even the governments which the organisation has purported to be victims of the alleged spying think Amnesty International and allied schemers have taken the joke a little bit too far. According to Ugandas minister of internal affairs, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, the accusation that Kigali used the Pegasus spyware to surveil government officials in his country is an allegation and rumour and goes on to tell the news media in Kampala that there is no way I can accuse a foreign country basing on hearsay. Espionage has always been captivating and sensational but often misrepresented, with some interest groups seeking to portray it as a sinister vocation that was invented to hurt society. They seek to project intelligence gathering as a malevolent and insidious activity that no upstanding state should carry out. It is in that context that anti-Rwanda elements, including Rwanda National Congress (RNC) terrorist organisation and similar groups, have seized on Amnesty Internationals latest fabrications to portray Rwanda as a malign actor, out to spy on everybody by any means. However, all attempts to mystify intelligence by those with vested interests, fly in the face of the history of espionage and statecraft. Intelligence gathering and analysis has been a vital part of state security and protection of nations dating back to ancient times and has, like any other human endeavor, adapted and evolved with time. However, the objective remains the same: states working to protect those who inhabit the jurisdiction they are responsible for. It sounds like a cliche, but every state does it, as they seek advantage over their enemies and even friends, as history shows time and again. No matter how much governments accuse those they regard as their adversary of spying on their territory, no one will believe that they are not carrying out similar activities on the neighbour next door. The regime in Kampala has, for years, attempted to cover up its support for terrorist groups targeting Rwanda, eminent among them being the RNC, by accusing Kigali, without ever producing any evidence, of conducting spying operations on the Ugandan territory. Yet, while authorities in Rwanda have never made public Kampalas spying networks in the country, Kigalis streets and bars are always teeming with Ugandas intelligence operatives. According to veteran journalist and columnist, Charles Onyango Obbo, Uganda has repeated an old accusation against Rwanda; that it has infiltrated our security, and so on. Yes, spying on other countries is serious business but it is one of those things that are like pre-marital sex. Even those who frown on it, almost all do it. And he points out that by 2003 he and other well-connected journalists in the region were convinced that the best intelligence network in Uganda was Tanzanian. Early this month, South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa suspended Robert McBride, his countrys chief of foreign intelligence. McBride had earlier stealthy dispatched a team of intelligence operatives with a range of sophisticated equipment and assets, including drones and computers, on a highly sensitive mission into neighbouring Mozambique. Soon, Maputos counter-intelligence services picked their trail and secretly monitored the operation in real-time. And when the South African spies thought they had successfully accomplished their mission and were winding up with satisfaction, the Mozambicans made their move. They shot down the drone, arrested all the operatives, and confiscated all their equipment, as well as their passports. The City Press of South Africa reported that the spooks had been caught and left stranded for nine days in Mozambique---and lost contact with the agency in Pretoria. In the world of espionage, loose ends cost jobs. Consequently, President Ramaphosa suspended his spy chief, not that he had launched the operation in a friendly neighbouring country, but because the bungled mission had embarrassed the government. Indeed, intelligence experts were not surprised when it transpired that Mozambique had kept the South African intelligence debacle under wraps. Maputo never issued any form of protest and Pretoria got to know about the mess from the news media. Even with such overwhelming evidence the Mozambicans had against the South African intelligence services which had violated their countrys sovereignty to conduct spying operations, Maputo didnt make a public issue out of it. Espionage is not a noisy business, and everyone does it.
