From the New York Times. I'm Michael borrow. This is a daily yesterday inside a court room in Rwanda, unusual trial began, charging, and once seen around the world as a humanitarian Hugo with being a terrorist today, my colleagues decline Walsh and Anti Latif to hear on me, improbable story of how we assess Sabena and what it reveals about the past present and future of Rwanda itself. it's Thursday February eighteen

Declan, when did you start covering Rwanda, one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine? I had just arrived in Africa as a freelance reporter. It was the start of my career as a foreign correspondent, and one of the first assignments I took was to go for my base in Kenya to Rwanda It had only being five years since the genocide, and I went over there to report on the fall out from that genocide that was still taking place in Romania. About the rwandan genocide. I recall it as a singular atrocity. Absolutely its roots really went back decades to, the colonial carried in Rwanda is colonized by Belgium and there are two main ethnic groups. The Hutu who make up the majority of the population and the Tutsi who make up the minority

Between these two groups preceding the colonial period were quite fluid between colonialism, people have identity cards that identify them at either Hutu Tutsi. And as the colonial period comes to an end in the late nineteenth fiftys, the Hutus claimed power and effectively take over the country, pushing hundreds of thousands of Tutsis into exile abroad. So a few decades. Pass with the Tutsis living abroad in refugee camps and then in nineteen. Ninety, a small group of those Tutsi exiles form embellished they returned to Rwanda, to try to seize control tensions, build for two or three years and suddenly in ninety ninety four, the explode into this genocide.

It is not like any thing I've ever seen and thirty years as a rapporteur. This is the start of the bloodiest hundred days in human history had seen him in a terrible thing to say that I have ever gangs of Hutu militia men take to the streets of guarding the capital and across Rwanda big with the identical national aid integrated or do see we're supposed to be too, where she didn't one line and set about systematically attacking members of the Tutsi minority. Kara s they kept Amity, take out the eyes and ears tat. He can kill hacking them to death with machetes were exposed

Every day and night neighbours killed neighbours, husbands even killed there to see wives, members of the security forces to police the army they join in the slaughter is open season on Tutsis and Rwanda. It is, I think, the standard against which all future tragedy will be measured and, at the same time, to the shame of the international community. Their silence reports about the slaughter are coming out, but nothing happens, and so this goes on for one hundred days and eventually ends in July of ninety. Ninety four, when the Tutsi Rebel Army. makes its way back to Godaddy and their led by this person called Paul Gummy. And what do we need to know about park? Adami, I tell you half overnight.

I've been living in the trenches, not sure of relieving the next it so Cook army. Is this Rwandan to see who has been raised in exile in refugee camps in neighbouring Uganda? Silly mainly focused on the assumption that there is a need for change under the two is stateless people ourselves needed to come back home and he joined this Tutsi rebel group so that they can return after so many years in exile to their home. So I was fighting for my own rights and he's known as this very cool collected military commander who's been able to marshal the resources at its disposal and bring this conflict to account

John and the genocide it over, and so by the time I got her wonder a few years later, cacambo was in the throes of this effort to rebuild the country, and what did that? Look like one of the first things he does is to abolish the distinction between Hutus entities. He outlaws any public mention of that distinction. He removed it from the government, I D cards and he ripped it out of all school, Xbox so from then on, at least in public rwandans may no longer identify themselves as belonging to one group or another, and he capitalize on the collective shame of the international community. Western countries, in particular, were really gripped by a sense of shame that they had failed to intervene during the genocide, and so many countries.

Throwing aid at Rwanda to make amends for their own failings and also to help the country genuinely to move on and programme. It is proving to be a very efficient administrator and, in some ways, a model leader. He is engaging in these development projects, helping women helping the poor countries. Economies starts gradually pick up so very quickly. Rwanda becomes this country that, coming from this terrible tragedy, is this sort of unlikely african success story. Even at that point, Michael, there are some grumbles about KG army. There are some signs that he is for all of that quite a harsh leader, but by law,

The international community turns a blind eye to these signs. As far as people are concerned, Rwanda has been through a terrible time and kg army is really the countries best hope for a new beginning and that's pretty much how the world understands the story of Rwanda until Ireland and for independent when a new story emerges, there will be no risk form of a Hollywood movie. We need to help one another. It is due The thing is keeping us alive. who tell one and hotel Rwanda centres on the story of a man called Paul Rusesabagina Paul Rusesabagina has manager, who was the manager of congolese best hotel during the genocide and ninety nine for the Meek, Alene is in a waste of calm and Risa. Beginning

who is himself a Hutu uses, his wiles and his charm, and the resources at its disposal to prevent militiamen from entering the hotel and killing his guess. I'll, give you a hundred thousand francs, one hundred thousand francs. I will get you the money, so he gives free beer to extremists commanders. He, bribes them would cigars and bottles of expensive whisky. He takes dollars out of the hotel safe. Gives it the commanders to persuade them to go away and not to turn their machetes and their guns on his guests? And it's because of Paul Rusesabagina that when the genocide and everyone inside the hotel makes it out alive, for in this movie, as I recall, was a very big events

in Hollywood, and in our understand, Of Rwanda o absolutely, it is an instance success. Premier, in LOS Angeles, Paul Rusesabagina, is photographed beside Matt Damon, an engineer, Julie and Harrison forward. He goes on the media circuit. In the U S, he is celebrated by people like Opera, Winfrey and then in two thousand, and I've always insisted glowed, I'm not a hero, I'm simply a man who made a decision to hold onto my family, my life and my beliefs. Until the end President Bush awards him America's high civilian honour, the presidential medal of Freedom, but the world came to know. The story of people everywhere can recognize heroism. So here

guy who nobody knew about before the movie. At the time he was actually driving a taxi and living in Belgium where he and his family had fled as refugees after the genocide and now suddenly, he's in Dubai has telling his story to President Bush and being celebration across the. U S. Thank you. thank you. The morning, everyone he arguably becomes the most famous Rwandan on the planet. Words can be the best the worst weapon in the human beings, as in all more famous. Even then, the president, my message is to ask you to stand up. We have stood by for so long letters or together, hand in hand stand up. Thank you

If so, how does Rwanda's President Paca Gama respond? Tavis will in the beginning poker Gummy like the movie hotel Rwanda, he welcomes. The director took a golly where they host a premiere of the movie later he courts some of these stars of the movie, like the actor Don T it'll, who he invites to his palace and Rwanda. But then things start to go wrong when Paul Rusesabagina publishes his memoir, in which he sharply criticised KG army and the way he's governed the country since taking power, and if you like, I can read you a small extract from that memoir place. So he wrote. Rwanda is a country that has never known democracy. The current president pocket

It has exhibited many characteristics of the classic african, strong man since taking power. He was re elected with ninety five percent of the vote and there's nobody in the world that can call results like that. A free election and keep a straight face. Rwanda is today a nation governed by and for the benefit of a small group of Tutsis. We have changed the dancers, but the music remains the same, and then he does something even more confrontational. He writes a letter to the international criminal, uniform Rwanda recommending that war crime charges brought against gummy deck, and were these things that Paul Rusesabagina Route, were they

where were they occur it by and large they were doing the ninety four genocide. It wasn't just the who to extremists who are doing the killing. There were also credible unconfirmed reports that sum of President Mugabe soldiers. The Tutsi rebels had also carried out violence against civilians and after the genocide. When Karami soldiers took over the country, they also went into some of these camps that were filled with hutus, And slaughtered thousands of civilians, so many rwandan Hutus, flat across the border into neighbouring Congo, because they were afraid to come home. At the same time, back in Rwanda, Parker Gummy starts to take measures to tighten his grip on power. He changes the constitution for more terms he's dead.

to win the elections by improbable margins. Like ninety nine percent of the vote and some of his political approach, inside Rwanda, start come under incredible pressure. Rwandan, please, as arrested danish My duty, Gara, a leading, critical appraisal and pork gamete charged with a forgery, and some people who stand against him for election are prosecuted andreasen. Who is irregular was found more than his head, almost entirely severed from his body, some start to disappear and even die. Critics of the gamma abroad also to come under attack in a statement? Authorities said his body was found on the bed and there were signs he was strangled in South Africa. You have a former intelligence chief was found dead in this hotel room. The Rwandan French minister said in relation to that murdered former intelligent chief. When you choose to be a dog, you die like a dog in Kenya.

Former Rwandan minister is found shot dead in his car in Belgium. There's a fugitive rwandan politician, whose fund flows in a canal and in London, the metropolitan police, Come to a number of rwandan exiles and warn them that they are being hunted by rwandan government agents who are trying to kill them. The president is reported to have said it's a matter of time, whoever betrayed the nation, not escape the consequences. All of this seems to suggest that took ass. President Mugabe is a very a dangerous thing to do, and I have to think that when poverty has a beginner is speaking out, Writing what he rode in his book. Making these direct critiques of agony, he understood and that he may be putting his own life at risk. Absolutely he knows that he's friendly taken,

on the most powerful man in Rwanda, he's attacking his reputation abroad and he's also saying back. Army should be prosecuted for war crimes. So in so doing he setting himself up as one of the most prominent and vulgar critics of President Mugabe, and he knows that he's playing with fire all the way back. Verizon designed five g to make the things we do every day better. With the coverage of five g nationwide, millions of people can now work, listen and stream and Verizon five g quality and in parts of many cities, very

and has alter wide banned, the fastest five g in the world. This is the five g that's built for you. This is five g built right. Only from Verizon five g Alger White Band available only in parts of select cities, five g nationwide available in twenty seven hundred plus cities and towns global claim an open single, independent analysis, other high Michael most video. So do not use you! U r amp D Latif. You are based in Nairobi you're from there and you have been covering EAST Africa for the Times four year. So I wonder if you could pick up this story where DEC on Walsh left off Paul Rusesabagina is very quick, becoming a public enemy of Rwandan President Khatami based on speeches and the publication of a memoir. So what happens

next, so in two thousand and nine things start getting very Harry for Paul Rusesabagina. First, his house is broken into. Pictures are moved around, a sheets were removed from the bad. They stole his laptop and document, And later he was almost run off the road by driving his car and so Paul, Rusesabagina and his family took. That is a message from the government that we are watching you, We know that we can reach you any time, don't think you're, safe and sound, even though you so far away from Rwanda so in the families, mine and in his mind, these break ins and this attempt to run him off the road. feel like a coordinated campaign of harassment that they suspect can be traced back to president organic. Yes, exactly

and he responds to these harassments by making it a big decision he decides Belgium is no longer safe and that here to move to the United States, and so here family they find a home in San Antonio Texas in this gated community and live There are, gives him the space to continue his campaign criticising the government of Rwanda. Welcome to the programme. It's been twenty years sitting the genocide. What are your feelings? Twenty years later, he continues talking about how much the country that he loves has become an autocracy that he is not safe. Going back to so. Twenty years later, we see that all those people who advocate for human rights are put in prison people we ve been fled. The country went to exist.

Being followed into exile to kill them. One of them is, and whenever Paul Rusesabagina is calling for change and Rwanda, the only better future for one in the region would be to silence. ants, he's always calling for peaceful change. he's being true to the humanitarian figure. The wild knows him to be by dialogue. We then find a lasting peace so Paul. Rusesabagina spends the next decade spreading this message: criticising could gummy calling for peaceful reform in Rwanda, but the facts on the ground remain pretty much the same garbage. It is no serious challenge to his room and continues to tighten his grip on power.

And all the while thousands of Hutu refugees out still living in camps in the Congo and in other neighbouring countries, sometimes in pretty tough conditions decades after they left want and in these camps. Some hutus are actually forming militias and agitating to go home so before the genocide you had Tutsis outside the country added leading to come home, and now the rules have flipped, that's exactly right, Michael and then in twenty team? In the midst of all this tension fell. Women's rights of wonder, a video emerges online of Paul Rusesabagina, giving a speech and he says something he's never seen before the time has come for us to use

it is possible to bring about change in wonder, as all political means have been tried, and he says that the time for us has come to use any me it's possible to bring about change and Rwanda is to attempt a last resort and he pledges support for this armed rebel group made up of Hutu refugees called the National Liberation forces, also known as the echelon hers. I plead unreserved support that National Liberation forces launches a guess. They could get me in a border to free the London people. This group was at the time being accused by the rwandan government of killing innocent rwandans, kidnapping people, looting property, a law that

the borders of their country. I wish or London friends of wonder a happy and blessed Christmas and a prosperous new year evade justice. Peace Cinema What do you make of this drastic change? in Paul Rusesabagina is messaging. You know You showed for me to show that the political reality in Rwanda, and how exiled opponents were very much tired or angry at the government of pocket. Gummy, basically turn

two more extreme measures to you. It was a sign of desperation. It was definitely a message that we have tried our best but then are listening to us and so we're gonna take the war to them. written statement on Paul Rusesabagina and then in August last year, with the thought you might be suspected to be defined leader or sponsor a member of violent. Extra? Mr? We get news that poorer says. A beginner has disappeared from his home in Texas policies followed. You know that if the and is currently beaten at remit of police station, why he's got four is being processed in accordance with wonder and criminal procedure and has actually been arrested in the rwandan capital.

Golly with how did that happen? Why would he ever be back in Rwanda? Knowing everything he knows, he's moved his far away from Rwanda as humanly possible to avoid economic government, and it was a shock. It was that it was a huge shock. The government was basically using that two thousand eighteen video, where Paul Rusesabagina pledges support for the excellent to justify arresting him on terrorism charges in him. Now Paul Rusesabagina, Easy United States resident and a belgian citizen, and you typical. Need a formal extradition process for repatriating someone. So My colleagues and I are all trying to figure out. How did they get him to the Rwanda, passport, so much higher sanitizing. So I

to Rwanda in the middle of the night, I of course myself into the new clean hotel I'm standing at the balcony of my room It's almost eight, a m in Kigali, the rwandan capital. from my room, I can see this beautiful view of Kigali all these. Deleting terrains to my right I can see the poor way, those tragic decent maintenance for those who had lived in hotel action started drinking format for survival anyway,

as a real moment, like just you know, being there to understand what happened to the man who made history in that same hotel, how are you guys? A few days after my arrival, I have some very good news. We have received a beginner at eleven. We got word that the government had approved our request to speak with Paul Rusesabagina, So we have so my photography, Cyril and I had to the headquarters of their Rwanda investigation be route which is kind of like their version of FBI, are you with the right angry I submit and needs? he's headquarters where all risks Bulgaria is being held.

We have brought in side will lead to. wrong and suddenly I'm just gonna beat for recording. There is poor persistent bug you now and how does he? Luckily distance Annapolis to remove a map Jim I'm an old man and I need to be safe to try to be set, He looked really tired, but at the same time greeted me warmly. time. I appreciate it I want to stay Beginning that you are doing this out of your own girl and- and I don't want to listen that right

right after I sat in front of him is when I noticed that there was a camera hanging on top of the room where he was, Point is sort of like realise that you know he might not be able to talk to be freely that he was definitely speaking and direct Have you been? How are you sister to be willing do Welcome clean, my room, sometimes they give me a full diet, entire Saudi Arabia and so, and everything has been smooth so far, so good. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got here. how it was a surprise.

He told me. I was. he had been invited by a friend to speak in Burundi, but He landed? He realized he was in Rwanda. When you got out of the plane into soldiers or surrounding you, and you knew that you wouldn't imagine how are you. if your pencil yourself, where you're not supposed to be, and then I asked him about what brought him there, his political opposition to Kagame, including his support for the militia group? When was the charges what www satisfied by what is going on. Then you got a position:

I raised the boys. You will notice that the two thousand and six. There was no. Maybe without dusts does see. Ok, maybe things It will If it is not the people who are really tired to leave at seven refugees without we lived under the rain and others. the people there.

It wasn't a trend that is. they say in English, the EAST West, North South is best. Because I don't believe somebody should be urgently forever just Sending to him talk, it was interesting because I knew that he was under duress, but he was still finding a way to criticise the government and highlight the plight of Hutu refugees and other exiles like himself as I said, Missus swallowing up. To the indonesian community. International organisations, foreign countries.

It is true that we must insist, And I believe that one day, my message will be heard and understood. And given how other critics of Khatami and his government have been treated, I just couldn't help, but wonder if this was gonna be his last into view that he ever does I just kept thinking. Would this be the final message that he ever has to deliver to the rest of the world? Thank you. Thank you.

So after the interview in Paul Rusesabagina, I was able to meet with two top government officials who had been behind his arrest her. They were coming his chief spy Joseph, is about we tab and John on passenger, who is the Justice Minister and they wanna go actual on record in terms of how it That's a beginner gotta Kigali and we go into a conference we barnhill both as a way of greeting, we all sit down and then they do begun. Maybe I should give you the chance if you want to say something about it, and then I can get onto my questions or was quite flies,

one of the best suppression and me The thing that has stayed with me up until now is how the intelligence chief Was this way to one where it was one of the business ages, abrasion hugest gleeful? He was his thesis, He was smiling executed. It's late from the beer from the planet for execution, in London to get He essentially admitted that their rwandan government had been tracking Paul Rusesabagina movements where he's going this body's etiquette and it suddenly came clear to me that the main reason, despite chief was giving me an interview, was because they were very poor, of what they had done and they were the world to know her

he delivered himself here. We God Paul Rusesabagina here and as the chiefs, was explaining and gloating about this a lab process to account for one, he declared the judge. As minister was there to basically say to him from his forces. this was only go. This was all justified and This was not a kidnapping. We were at war with ease. Doesn't it We were so, and he is like any country in the world would do this and it would not be a problem. So we should not be a problem that one did this. We will need to grab some one we expect the.

a partner with whom we will launch a resource of women because of this one, for he was doing. There is no doubt that I know what you have done well, on the other to use what do you don't sleep is not under the table. Such a move, and so what do you make of what the Justice Minister has just told you Michael make of that report, one is that there are one and government is gonna go after anybody who is threatened. its stability. What They are in the world. It was a square message honestly to listen to a particular. I think it was being delivered to all the economic critics all across the world

We wish you all the best So I did. It has now been many years of these two men trying to establish these compete, stories of Rwanda on the international stage and given that Paul, we saw a beginner is now inside of rwandan prison, for what could be a very long time? Where does that leave? then where's that leave Rwanda, yes Paul Rusesabagina. For now, he lingers in a prison in Rwanda, he's secondly lost everything and meanwhile poker, Gummy and his government are still in tight control of the country since the genocide and under his leadership, for whatever tactics used. He's been able to bring back the country

from the brink, but on the other hand, you have these Hutu Tootsie ethnic tensions that have been there for decades. and are escalating suit. All feels like a ticking bomb porter Gummy is trying to build, she wear. Ethnicity doesn't exist and that rwandans progress as one strong nation on the contrary, what you have told us at the beginning, we see the system that you ve created is not an inclusive system. It needs a lot of reform. and so Paca Gummy and Paul Rusesabagina. You can see them as symbols of the divisions in the country These divisions at some point will have to be reconciled that they will have to be healed

One way or another if Rwanda is going to move forward, Thank you very much appreciated that on Wednesday, Paul a beginner wearing a mask. A pink prison uniform arrived at the summit In court of Rwanda for the start of his trial, among other things he faces, charge of being a member of a terrorist organisation. His prosecution has been. Roundly criticised by human rights, and the international community, including the European Parliament, And thirty: seven members of the: U S, Congress,

issued a letter calling on President Mugabe to release him we'll be right back. Why is the best way to send, spend and receive money internationally, if you son, any abroad. Think twice before you in your bank thanks and their providers, usually markup the exchange rate to make extra money with wise you always give the real mid market exchange rate when you send money to eighty countries, whilst also has a multi currency account the lets you hold and convert up to fifty four currencies: joint ten million customers and try wise for free at wise dot com, slash the daily here's. What else you need today, a dangerous new winter. Storm was headed for taxes on Wednesday night, even as the stage struggled to restore electricity from the last storm millions of since remained without power, as do

the cold weather battered the states electrical grid free, natural gas pipelines, wind turbines and power lines? I want to address an issue that some Texans are already beginning to deal with, but many taxes will be having to deal with here in the coming days, and that is the results of busted pipes, a new conference Texas, is governor. Gregg abbot, resorted to advising homeowners without power. to manually turn off their water supply, to avoid having pipes, freeze, burst and flood their whole if you are a homeowner, there should be a location typically outside, maybe near the curbside. We have ability to physically turn off the water supply to your house, and you can turn it off at the time of year. Choosing tidies

was produced by Bianca, gave her an Daniel key met with help. from Diana when it was edited? By more George and the recent Anderson and engineered by Chris would. that's it for the daily I Michael borrow see tomorrow. You know you could be listening,

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