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Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina’s release and apology – a master stroke engineered by Kagame
Jonathan Beloff, King’s College London Rwanda’s ministry of justice recently announced the pardon and release of Paul Rusesabagina from jail. Rusesabagina was involved in events portrayed in the 2004 Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda. In September 2021, Rusesabagina was sentenced to 25 years in jail over his ties to groups opposed to Rwandan president Paul Kagame.…
Hotel Rwanda: a film that proved to be a double-edged sword for Kigali
Jonathan Beloff, King’s College London Paul Rusesabagina is perhaps one of the world’s best known Rwandans. His actions during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi were made famous in the 2004 Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda. The film was inspired by what happened inside Hotel des Mille Collines in the capital, Kigali. Here, 1,268 Rwandans, both…
Rwanda and DRC’s turbulent past continues to fuel their torrid relationship
Jonathan Beloff, King’s College London Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) make for very unhappy neighbours. Both sides claim the other is set on bringing down their government, and violating past agreements and international norms. Rwanda accuses the DRC of working with the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (Democratic Forces for the…
The US and Rwanda: how the relationship has evolved since the 1994 genocide
Jonathan Beloff, King’s College London One of the primary points of discussion between Antony Blinken and Rwandan president Paul Kagame in the US secretary of state’s upcoming visit to Kigali will be the renewed tensions between Rwanda and its neighbours, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to a US state department statement, Blinken’s…
The Foreign Policy Benefits of Refugees and Migrants: the United Kingdom, Rwanda and Refugees
On April 14, 2022, the Home Secretary for the United Kingdom, Priti Patel, alongside Rwandan foreign Minister, Vincent Biruta, announced an agreement between the two nations unlike anything before. The agreement contains a controversial arrangement that will see UK-bound refugees and migrants being transferred to Rwanda while their claims for refugee status are reviewed. Rwanda…
Rwanda seeks political gains from peacekeeping
A review for Oxford Analytica of Rwanda’s 2021 peacekeeping contribution in Mozambique. Link: https://dailybrief.oxan.com/Analysis/DB262950/Rwanda-seeks-political-gains-from-peacekeeping PDF:
The Rhyming of History: Rwanda and Afghanistan
For roughly a year between 2013-2014, I resided in the neighbourhood of Kanombe in eastern Kigali. After nearly every day of work, I would walked home. The twelve kilometer journey allowed me to clear my mind. It allowed me to think of the work I was doing at the time, but also of grander questions…
Rwanda genocide: Macron forgiveness plea resets historic ties
Jonathan Beloff, King’s College London French president Emmanuel Macron has just paid his first state visit to Rwanda. While many world leaders have visited the central African nation of 13 million, including past French presidents, such as President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010, this trip was going to be different. Sure enough president Macron would come…
Existing Narratives with their Pitfalls: Do Not Disturb
Wrong, Michela, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad. New York: PublicAffairs, 2021. For the last few months, I have debated whether I wanted to read Wrong’s new book, Do Not Disturb. In one aspect, the book advertises how it examines the dark underbelly of Rwanda’s political institutions and exposes the…
Magufuli’s Impact on Rwanda
On the 17th of March 2021, news came out from Tanzania that their fifth President, John Magufuli had died at the age of 61. It was his Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who delivered the announcement on national news broadcast. For Rwandans, they lost a great friend and supporter of their nation who not only…
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Jonathan R Beloff 