Source: Simon Guillebaud, November 9, 2016
Cris Rwakasisi spoke at our Burundian National Prayer Breakfast [November 8]. Cris was Ugandan President Milton Obote’s main man back in the early 1980s. Obote gave him the choice of any post he wanted, and he ended up as Minister of Defense. He was young, powerful, rich, and arrogant. His caviar lifestyle and attitude alienated the opposition and many within his own party. He got things done, and created many enemies.
In earlier times, he and (now President) Museveni had been friends. In fact Museveni had worked under him. But their relationship had long soured, and when Obote was kicked out and Museveni came to power, they truly hated each other. Cris was imprisoned and condemned to death. When he was taken to solitary confinement, he wanted to kill himself, but there were no sharp objects in his cell. In the dark, in the corner, he thought he saw a stone. It was in fact a Bible. He used it as a pillow to begin with, but eventually began reading it.
He hated God. He picked out all the perceived contradictions and inconsistencies as he read it from cover to cover. By his third reading, however, his heart softened. This proud man was being humbled and broken. He surrendered his life to Christ in that cell. In his immature faith, he initially took Psalms in which David cursed his enemies, asking God to kill them, their children, etc. But the opposite happened, as they continued to prosper. When he changed his prayers to blessing his enemies, it was then that Museveni’s attitude softened towards him. In 2009, Musveni had signed execution orders for 28 people, and Cris was on that list, but Museveni later said to him that God spoke to him and forbade him to sign that decree. The others were all killed, whilst Cris survived.
When released out of solitary confinement into the main condemned section of the prison, he started a fellowship there which continues to this day. In total he spent a staggering 24 years in jail! Six years ago, Museveni formally pardoned him and invited him to join the cabinet. When he’d gone to prison, his children were in primary school; now they were in jobs or at university. Yet he has no bitterness. The old enemies are totally reconciled. Cris is a trophy of grace and, now 75 years old, serves as Special Advisor to the President.
Cris’s winsome manner and humor were thoroughly disarming in a room in which all Burundi’s key players sat. It was a message of reconciliation and humility we needed to hear. There was plenty of hatred between enemies in the meeting. But the strength of the [National Prayer Breakfast] movement is that our agenda is simply to get people to gather together around the teachings of Jesus, and leave politics at the door for a few hours.
» Read the rest of Simon’s story. Blessed are the peacemakers.