Paul Rusesabagina, arrested in Rwanda’s capital Kigali at the time. September 25, 2020. SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP
Paul Rusesabagina, fierce opponent of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and hero of the film Hotel Rwanda, arrived in the United States after his release on Friday, the White House said Wednesday, March 29.
“I am pleased to welcome Paul Rusesabagina to the United States. We are pleased to have him back on American soil and to be reunited with his family and friends who have long awaited this day,” said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
I am pleased to welcome Paul Rusesabagina back to the United States. We’re excited to have him back on US soil and to see him again… https://t.co/Az76uZ6oFW
“I am grateful to those with whom we have worked closely in the Rwandan government to make this possible,” he added.
After more than 900 days in detention, Mr Rusesabagina was released under an agreement between the US and Rwandan governments with the help of Qatar, where he arrived on Monday, before departing for the United States.
Convicted of “terrorism”.
Mr. Rusesagabina, formerly the manager of a hotel in the Rwandan capital, rescued hundreds of people during the Tutsi genocide in 1994. His story was made famous by the film Hotel Rwanda, released in 2004. He later became a bitter opponent of President Paul Kagame, and formed his own political party.
Paul Rusesabagina honored by President of the United States George W. Bush at the White House in Washington on November 9, 2005. ALMOND NGAN / AFP
Talks over his release began in late 2022, and last week there was a breakthrough in talks between President Kagame and the Emir of Qatar, a source familiar with the matter said. After long years in exile, he was arrested in Kigali in 2020 when a plane he believed was bound for Burundi landed.
Also read the archive (2019): Article reserved for our subscribers In Rwanda, the slightly too beautiful story of the Hôtel des Mille Collines
The opponent was tried from February to July 2021 on nine counts including “terrorism” for attacks by the FLN, a Kigali-designated terrorist organization that killed nine people in 2018 and 2019.
Paul Rusesabagina admitted helping found the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD) in 2017, of which the FLN is an armed wing, but has always denied any involvement in the attacks.
In an October 2022 letter published by the government on Friday, he promised to stay away from political life from now on.