Man behind ‘Hotel Rwanda’ urges Clinton to rethink support for Kagame regime
The man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda has voiced concerns to Bill Clinton about the former US President’s support for a new cancer facility which he views as a political tool for the Rwandan government.
Paul Rusesabagina, who is renowned for his efforts in helping to save 1,268 people at the Milles Collines Hotel during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, sent a letter to President Clinton on 17 July urging him to take notice of what he describes as “human rights violations” perpetrated by current Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his regime.
“While [President Kagame] presents Rwanda as a shining example of progress and economic growth for others to emulate, this is a distorted picture of reality,” Rusesabagina writes. “Your mission to ‘build a world where people everywhere have the chance to support their families, uplift their communities, and live out their dreams’ is not a sentiment shared by Kagame’s administration, as evidenced by governmental actions in the DR Congo and the disparities and corruption present in Rwanda.”
Rusesbagina cites a UN report that accuses President Kagame of allegedly supporting conflict within the DR Congo in order to take advantage of the country’s resources. He also details what he views as egregious uses of the Rwandan healthcare system, highlighting “Kagame’s programme to slow population growth by implementing a mass sterilisation plan that has been widely criticized by human rights organisations for targeting poor Hutu citizens for coerced participation.
“This hardly seems like a healthcare policy to be lauded as a positive example for others to follow,” he writes.
Rusesbagina ends the letter by urging President Clinton to visit politician Victoria Ingabire, who attempted to run against President Kagame in 2010 but has since been imprisoned and is awaiting a verdict for what Rusesbagina describes as “trumped-up charges of genocide denial and divisionism”.
He adds: “Kagame has a history of using the legal system to stifle political opposition and maintain his power. This is not a democracy and should not be reinforced by aid organisations.”
President Clinton attended the opening of the Butaro Cancer Centre in the north of the country on 18 July. His charitable organisation The Clinton Foundation is co-funding the centre.
