Operation against illegal immigrants in kagera: The Truth

Use of derogatory term Haram
The Tanzanian government, human rights organisations and the media are united against 'Illegal Immigrants'. the government, including Kikwete himself and the media call these people Wahamiaji Haramu This is one of the most dehumanizing derogatory term against any human being. Haram is an Arabic word, used to describe pig and other things one cant touch. Children in schools, whose parents have foreign background, are getting it rough. They are teased by fellow kids as Haram!
When doing his mapping report of immigrants in Karagwe, sponsored by International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Prof. Boneventure Rutinwa, head of faculty of law at the University of Dar es Salaam, refused to use the word Haram in his report when referring to the immigrants. Kagera regional Commissioner Col. Fabian Massawe also said haram is something you cant touch, so not fair to call fellow being Haram. But this derogatory term is persistent, and as a result nobody with mercy for them, including human rights organisations such as Legal and Human Rights Centre.

Kikwete's ultimatum and Mtikila's dossier
kikwete's order to flush out Wahamiaji haram was given while in Kagera. He said Cattle should be returned where they came from, those in forest reserves should be driven out, and wahamiaji haram without papers should be deported while those who possess papers issued by local government authorities should also be deported, and unauthorized issuers be arrested. Kikwete's's order came in the aftermath of the most scathing dossier circulated by a controversial politician Rev. Christopher Mtikila, who is also the chairman of opposition Democratic Party (DP). Mtikila's dossier alleged that Paul Kagame had tactically and strategically inflated into Tanzania 35,000 Rwandese cattle keepers with herds of cattle. He used dehumanizing and most racist language against Tutsi people. Part of his dossier reads in Swahili: "Lakini apartheid ya Makaburu haikuweza kuufikia ushetani wa Watusi, jinsi wanavyowadhalilisha Wahutu na Wabantu wengine, kwa imani yao chafu sana kwamba wao eti waliumbwa kwa ajili ya kutawala tu, na kwamba Wahutu waliumbwa kwa ajili ya kuwa watumwa wao! Ni makufuru yanayojulikana wazi ya Watusi kuwatema mate Wahutu au Wabantu wengine kwa kinyaa kama vile ni mavi mbele zao. Na imani yao hii ya kishetani ndilo chimbuko la mbinu na mikakati yao yote ya kutawala siyo tu Maziwa Makuu bali hatimaye hata Afrika yote ya ‘watumwa’ wao! Tabia ya Watusi ya kula wao kwanza, halafu kuwatupia makombo watumwa wao (Wahutu), tena baada ya kuyatemea mate na makohozi, ni historia inayojulikana na kila mzawa wa Maziwa Makuu. Hata maendeleo yalipozidi kutowesha giza hili, bado wanawake Watusi walilazimika kudumisha udhalili wa Wabantu kwa kuolewa na wale wenye mali lakini mimba wapate kwa Watusi wenzao, ikibidi hata kwa ndugu zao wa damu kama hakuna Watusi wengine karibu. Historia itamuenzi shujaa Gregory Kayibanda wa Rwanda "

This hate speech, although it did not make its way into mainstream media, was discussed and moderated by Jamii Forum, the most popular social platform in Tanzania. Many commentators concurred with Mtikila, openly expressing hatred and hostility against Tutsis. And Kikwete's expulsion order was in way informed by Mtikila's ill-informed and racist comments.

Who is Mtikila
Mtikila is a jobless quasia politician/cleric, who is notorious for making hate statements. He has also been in jail for comments against Nyerere and Mkapa. But nowadays he is a gun for hire, i.e politicians use him to attack each other. It is not known who planted Mtikila to issue the hate speech against Tutsi yet.

Truth about the genesis of presence of Immigrants in Kagera
It is true in Kagera there are many immigrants who have survived several campaign of terrors, including the most dreaded of all campaigns in 2006, that left Tutis/Hima women raped for the first time.
But all their animals never came from outside, except a few from Uganda. It is hard to bring in herds from Rwanda, because in Rwanda because of scarcity of land, large herds nolonger exist.

According to Prof. Rutinwa, most of these people came long time ago, settled, raised their families, restocked and some were naturalized or given residence permits.
But the use of the worh Haram, media campaigns and campaigns by people like mtikila has created tensions and fear. With Kikwete's order, all was set for mass ethnic cleansing.