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Real life ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero, Paul Rusesabagina’s 25-year jail sentence stands despite appeals

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Renowned Rwandan government critic and real-life hero of ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ the 2005 award winning movie on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Paul Rusesabagina, has had his 25-year jail sentence on terror charges upheld by an appeals court.

Rusesabagina, 67, was a worldwide acclaimed hero in the movie where he was portrayed sheltering hundreds of people during the genocide that killed more than one million people, mostly of the Tutsi ethnic group.

However, the Rwandan government accused him of promoting the genocide and in September 2021, Rusesabagina was convicted on eight terrorism charges “related to the activities of an organisation opposed to President Paul Kagame’s rule,” and has been in a Rwandan prison.

Though Rusesabagina has continued to deny all the charges and refused to take part in the trial which he and his supporters have denounced as a politically motivated sham, his 25-year sentence was confirmed by a court in Kigali on Tuesday by Judge Emmanuel Kamere.

“The 25-year sentence is equal to the severity of the crime he committed,” Kamere said, while delivering judgement.

On different occasions, Rusesabagina has acknowledged having a leadership role in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), which has been accused of the 1994 genocide, but denied responsibility for attacks carried out by its armed wing, the National Liberation Front (FLN).

Who is Paul Rusesabagina?

For those who do not know him, Paul Rusesabagina is a celebrated Rwandan hotelier, politician and staunch critic of President Kagame.

He shot into the limelight with his portrayal in the Hollywood movie, Hotel Rwanda, and has been hailed for his role in providing shelter to 1,200 people in his hotel, Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, during the 1994 Hutu extremists attack.

Rusesabagina is also an inspiration behind the Oscar-nominated Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda where his part was played by Don Cheadle and was awarded a US Presidential medal and is a green cardholder for his role during the genocide.

Politics

Equatorial Guinea bans sex in govt offices after tapes leak

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Following the release of private recordings on social media that seemed to show a senior finance ministry official having sex with multiple women in a variety of locations, including his office, Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday announced a crackdown on sex in government offices.

The administration claimed that because the recordings had damaged the reputation of the small Central African nation, it was taking action.

Since the videos first surfaced last week, the controversy has been rocking the government of Equatorial Guinea, which has had the same president for decades.

Hundreds of amateur films were discovered at the finance official’s residence during a raid related to a corruption inquiry, according to local media sources.

According to local media, the women in the films seemed to be family members and the spouses of other influential government officials.

According to a government statement, Vice President Nguema Obiang Mangue issued fresh directives on Tuesday to stop ministry and court workers from committing crimes at work.

These included increased security and the installation of security cameras in every workplace.

“The executive is taking this decision following the videos of a sexual nature that have gone viral on social media in recent days and that denigrate the country’s image,” the state information agency said in the statement.

According to the statement, the measures were decided upon in emergency sessions with the attorney general, the Supreme Court, and other parties.

It stated that individuals featured in the sex tapes would be suspended without being given their identities, and those in charge of guarding the buildings where the videos were purportedly shot would receive reprimands for their negligence.

The longest-serving president in history, Teodoro Obiang, has led Equatorial Guinea, a country of around 1.7 million inhabitants on the west coast of Central Africa, for 45 years.

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Chad threatens to leave international security force

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Mahamat Idriss Deby, the temporary president of Chad, has threatened to withdraw the Central African nation from a multinational security force, claiming that the force has not been successful in combating rebel groups in the Lake Chad region.

During his tour of the area, which includes parts of western Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, Deby made the declaration on Sunday. In late October, suspected Boko Haram militants attacked Chad, killing about 40 soldiers.

Deby declared that an operation against the invaders had begun and that he was thinking of leaving the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which is composed of troops from the nations that border Lake Chad.

 

Although disagreements and a lack of coordination have made the joint force’s job more difficult, Chad’s withdrawal would be a significant setback because its military is one of the most reputable in the area.

Deby cited “the lack of joint efforts against the common enemy, which is unfortunately always observed on the ground. This force – created to pool efforts and intelligence – seems to be in a slump.”

Insurgencies have frequently attacked the Lake Chad region, notably Boko Haram, which began in northeast Nigeria in 2009 and expanded to the west of Chad, and Islamic State terrorists in West Africa.

Moreso, an estimated 910,000 people have crossed into Chad since the onset of the crisis in Sudan, of which 222,743 are Chadian returnees as of the end of September 2024.

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