Rwanda, a small landlocked country in east-central Africa, is trying to recover from the ethnic strife that culminated in government-sponsored genocide in the mids. In the genocide, an estimated , ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by dominant Hutu forces in days. The country has struggled with its legacy of ethnic tension associated with the traditionally unequal relationship between the Tutsi minority and the majority Hutus. Rwanda is striving to rebuild its economy, with coffee and tea production among its main exports.
The World Bank has praised Rwanda's "remarkable development successes", which have helped reduce poverty and inequality. But Paul Kagame, who became president in and has effectively run Rwanda since , faces criticism at home and abroad over his political and human-rights record. President: Paul Kagame. Paul Kagame has run Rwanda since his rebel army ended the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people in He was sworn in as vice-president and defence minister in the new, post-genocide government in July , but was widely seen as the real power in Rwanda.
Thank you for submitting. Which of the following best describes you? What is your main purpose for visiting globalEDGE? My main purpose is In October, a Financial Times investigation revealed that Israeli software developed by the NSO Group was used to spy on political dissidents and critics living abroad. The spyware targeted individuals through WhatsApp calls and allowed hackers to access personal data on the phone, such as messages and location.
Although lack of access to the country and detention centers to conduct research posed challenges to documenting violations, reports continued that prison guards used threats, beatings, and intimidation against detainees, including to extract confessions.
Detention at Gikondo is arbitrary and conditions are harsh and inhumane. Police or others, acting on the orders or with police assent, often ill-treat and beat detainees. Children are detained in deplorable and degrading conditions. Authorities often do not provide basic necessities, such as a regular supply and reasonable quantities of food and clean water for detainees, who are often held in cramped conditions.
Detainees sometimes sleep on the bare floor. The Rwandan Parliament adopted a law on rehabilitation services in March In February, the National Commission for Human Rights published the findings of its investigation into the February killing of at least 12 people , when police fired live ammunition on refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwandan police arrested over 60 refugees between February and May and charged them with participating in illegal demonstrations, violence against public authorities, rebellion, and disobeying law enforcement.
Most of the refugees, ethnic Banyamulenge from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, have been in Rwanda since Rwanda has agreed to receive and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers who are currently being held in detention centres in Libya, where they face abuses and insecurity. Under the agreement, they will be transferred to Rwanda on a voluntary basis. Read more: 25 years on, Rwandan genocide still reverberates throughout the region. While many Rwandans revere their president for the progress their country has made during his 20 years in office, others criticize Kagame for suppressing dissenting views.
Across Rwanda, Kagame is seen as a benevolent dictator, who pursues unselfish goals for the development of the country. One of his toughest policies — that of Umuganda — forces Rwandans to commit a few hours of their time to community service on every last Saturday of the month.
In , after the genocide and the civil war, Pasteur Bizimungu officially became President of Rwanda. However, Bizimungu was commonly seen as a placeholder for Kagame, who at the time assumed the joint titles of vice president and minister of defense. Himbara is not simply a dissident; he's a former insider who was once a senior aide and economic adviser to Kagame before falling out with the president, like many other former close confidants of Kagame.
Himbara then fled to Canada, where he had grown up. Kagame previously commanded the Rwandan Patriotic Front RPF , a Ugandan-based Tutsi militia, which ended the Hutu slaughter of Tutsis by defeating the authorities responsible for the killing campaign. Although the RPF is regarded by the majority of Rwandans as saviors, they are also accused of massacring Hutus. Himbara believes that Kagame's military past is still visible today: "Kagame became socialized in the war.
He is a very aggressive person, uncontrolled and violent. Rights organizations have also made serious allegations against Kagame. Human Rights Watch, for instance, claims that since Kagame took office, people have been prosecuted for doubting the official government's explanation about the genocide.
The rights body lists a long series of murders, disappearances, politically motivated arrests and illegal arrests of critics, opposition members and journalists.
Kagame himself has, at times, unashamedly commented on such allegations, as in the case of former secret service chief and dissident Patrick Karageya, who was strangled to death at a hotel room in South Africa: "Rwanda did not kill this person.
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