The Daily - A Battle for the Soul of Rwanda

Episode Date: February 18, 2021

The story of how Paul Rusesabagina saved the lives of his hotel guests during the Rwandan genocide was immortalized in the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda.” Leveraging his celebrity, Mr. Rusesabagina openly criticized the Rwandan government, and is now imprisoned on terrorism charges.Today, we look at what Mr. Rusesabagina’s story tells us about the past, present and future of Rwanda.Guest: Declan Walsh, chief Africa correspondent for The New York Times; and Abdi Latif Dahir, East Africa correspondent for The Times.For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.Background reading: Paul Rusesabagina was mysteriously taken back to Rwanda late last year and arrested. His supporters say he has no chance of getting a fair hearing.In a jailhouse interview with Abdi Latif Dahir, Mr. Rusesabagina said he was duped into an arrest. He believed he was being flown to Burundi to talk to church groups.

From The New York Times, I'm Michael Bavaro. This is The Daily. Yesterday, inside a courtroom in Rwanda, an unusual trial began, charging a man once seen around the world as a humanitarian hero with being a terrorist. Today, my colleagues Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir on the improbable story of Paul Rusasabagina and what it reveals about the past, present, and future of Rwanda itself. It's Thursday, February 18th. Declan, when did you start covering Rwanda? 1999.

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 from my career as a foreign correspondent. And one of the first assignments I took was to go from my base in Kenya to Rwanda. It had only been five years since the genocide. And I went over there to report on the fallout from that genocide that was still taking place. And remind us about the Rwandan genocide. I recall it as a singular atrocity. Absolutely. Its roots really went back decades to the colonial period in Rwanda.

It was 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. The divisions between these two groups preceding the colonial period were quite fluid, but during colonialism, people have identity cards that identify them as either Hutu or Tutsi. And as the colonial period comes to an end in the late 1950s, the Hutus claim 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 1990, a small group of those Tutsi exiles form a militia. They return to Rwanda to try to seize control. form a militia. They return to Rwanda to try to seize control. Tensions build for two or three years, and suddenly in 1994,

they explode into this genocide. It is not like anything I've ever seen in 30 years as a reporter. This is the start of the bloodiest 100 days in human history. I've seen some of the most terrible things today that I've ever seen. Gangs of Hutu militiamen take to the streets of Kigali, the capital, and across Rwanda. They got the identity cards, national identity cards.

All those who were supposed to be Tutsi were seated in one line. And set about systematically attacking members of the Tutsi minority. They cut off the fingers, they cut off the arm, they take out the eyes and they start to kill, kill, kill. Hacking them to death with

machetes. We're exposed to death every day and night. Neighbors killed neighbors. Husbands even killed their Tutsi wives. Members of the security forces, the police, the army, they join in the slaughter. It is open season on Tutsis in Rwanda. It is, I think, the standard against which all future tragedies will be measured.

And at the same time, to the shame of the international community, there is silence. Reports about the slaughter are coming out, but nothing happens. And so this goes on for 100 days and eventually ends in July of 1994, when the Tutsi rebel army makes its way back to Kigali, and they're led by this person called Paul Kagame. And what do we need to know about Paul Kagame? I tell you, half of my life I've been living in the trenches, not sure of living to the next day.

So Paul Kagame is this Rwandan Tutsi who has been raised in exile in refugee camps in neighboring Uganda. So we mainly focused on the very fact that there was a need for change and that these stateless people, ourselves, needed to come back home. And he joins 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 his disposal and bring this conflict to a conclusion. And the genocide is over. And the genocide is over.

And so by the time I got to Rwanda a few years later, Kagame 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 and Tutsis. He outlaws any public mention of that distinction. He removes it from the government ID cards, and he rips it out of all school textbooks. So from then on, at least in public, Rwandans may no longer identify themselves as belonging to one group or another. And he capitalizes 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 were throwing aid at Rwanda to make amends for their own failings and also to help the country genuinely to move on. And Paul Kagame was 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, the country's economy starts to 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 Kagame. There are some signs that he is, for all of that, quite a harsh leader. But by and large, the international community turns a blind eye to these signs. As far as people are concerned, Rwanda has been through

a terrible time. And Kagame is really the country's best hope for a new beginning. And that's pretty much how the world understands the story of Rwanda. Until 2004, when a new story emerges in the form of a Hollywood movie. We need to help one another. That is the only thing that is keeping us alive. And Hotel Rwanda centers on the story of a man called Paul Rusesabagina. Yes, sir. Paul Rusesabagina, the house manager. Who was the manager of Kigali's best hotel during the genocide in 1994.

The Mikolin is an oasis of calm. And Rousse Sabagina, who is himself a Hutu, uses his wiles and his charm and the resources at his disposal to prevent militiamen from entering the hotel and killing his guests. I will give you 100,000 francs. I swear. 100,000 francs. I will get you the money. So he gives free beer to extremist commanders. He bribes them with cigars and bottles of expensive whiskey. He takes dollars out of the hotel safe and gives it to 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 Rousseau-Bagina that when the genocide ends, everyone inside the hotel makes it out alive. You are a good man, Paul Rousseau-Bagina. Paul Rousseau-Savagina. Right, and this movie, as I recall, was a very big event in Hollywood and in our understanding of Rwanda. Oh, absolutely. It is an instant success. At the premiere in Los Angeles, Paul Rousseau-Savagina is photographed

beside Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie and Harrison Ford. He goes on the media circuit in the U.S. He is celebrated by people like Oprah Winfrey. And then in 2005, Paul has insisted, quote, I'm not a hero. I'm simply a man who made a decision to hold on to my family, my life and my beliefs until the end. President Bush awards him America's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But the world came to know the story and people everywhere can recognize heroism. So here's this 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 the White House, telling his story to President Bush and being celebrated across the US. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. He arguably becomes the most famous Rwandan on the planet. Words can be the best or the worst weapon in a human being's arsenal. More famous even than the president. My message is to ask you to stand up. We have stood by for so long.

Let us all together, hand in hand, stand up. Thank you. And so how does Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, respond to all this? Well, in the beginning, Paul Kagame likes the movie Hotel Rwanda. He welcomes the director to Kigali, where they host a premiere of the movie. Later, he courts some of the stars of the movie, like the actor Don Cheadle, who he invites to his palace in Rwanda. But then things start to go wrong when Paul Rusabagina publishes his memoir, in which he sharply criticizes Kagame 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. Please. So he wrote, Rwanda is a country that has never known democracy. The current president, Paul Kagame, has exhibited many characteristics of the classic African strongman since taking power. He was re-elected with 95% 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 Tribunal for Rwanda recommending that war crime charges be brought against Kagame. Deccan, were these things that Paul Rusesabagina wrote, were they fair? Were they accurate? By and large, they were. During the 94 genocide, it wasn't just the Hutu extremists who were doing the killing. There were also credible and confirmed reports that some of President Kagame's soldiers, the Tutsi rebels, had also carried out violence against civilians. And after the genocide, when Kagame's soldiers took over the country, they also went into some of these camps that were filled with Hutus and slaughtered thousands of civilians. Wow. So many Rwandan Hutus fled across the border into neighboring Congo because they were afraid to come home. At the same time, back in Rwanda, Paul Kagame starts to take measures to tighten his grip on power.

He changes the constitution for more terms. He starts to win elections by improbable margins, like 99% of the vote. And some of his political opponents inside Rwanda start to come under incredible pressure. Rwandan police has arrested Dan Shima Rui Gara, a leading critic of President Paul Kagame, charging her with forgery and... Some people who stand against him for election are prosecuted. Andres Ruizereka was found murdered.

His head almost entirely severed from his body. Some start to disappear and even die. Critics of Kagame abroad also start 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 who's found dead in his hotel room. The Rwandan defence minister said in relation to that murdered former intelligence chief,

when you choose to be a dog, you die like a dog. In Kenya, a former Rwandan minister is found shot dead in his car. In Belgium, there's a fugitive Rwandan politician who's found floating 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 cannot escape the consequences. All of this seems to suggest that to cross President Kagame is a very dangerous thing to do. And I have to think that when Paul Vercesa Bagina is speaking out, writing what he wrote in his book, making these direct critiques of Kagame, he understands that he may be putting his own life at risk.

Absolutely. He knows that he's frontally taking on the most powerful man in Rwanda. He's attacking his reputation abroad. And he's also saying that Kagame should be prosecuted for war crimes. So in so doing, he's setting himself up as one of the most prominent and vocal critics of President Kagame. And he knows that he's playing with fire. We'll be right back.

Hi there. Hi, Michael. Nice to meet you. So, to introduce you, you are Abdi Latif. You are based in Nairobi. You're from there, and you have been covering East Africa for The Times for years. So, I wonder if you could pick up this story where Declan Walsh left off. Paul Rusesabagina is very quickly becoming a public enemy of Rwandan President Kagame based on speeches and the publication of a memoir. So what happens next? So in 2009, things start getting very hairy for Paul Rosessa Baguina.

First, his house is broken into. Pictures were moved around and sheets were removed from the bed. They stole his laptop and documents. And later he was almost run off the road while driving his car. And so Paul Rosessa Baguina and his family took that as a message from the government that we're watching you. We know that we can reach you anytime.

Don't think you're safe in Belgium even though you're so far away from Rwanda. So in the family's mind 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 Kagame. Yes, exactly. And he responds to these harassments by making a very big decision. He decides that Belgium is no longer safe and that he wants to move to the United States.

And so he and his family, they find a home in San Antonio, Texas, in this gated community. And living there gives him the space to continue his campaign criticizing the government of Rwanda. Welcome to the program. It's been 20 years since the genocide.

What are your feelings 20 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 20 years later, we see that all of those people who advocate for human rights are put in prison. People who have inflated the country went to exile, being followed into exile to kill them. And whenever Paul Ruses, a beginner, is calling for change in Rwanda, the only better future for Rwanda and the region would be to silence guns.

He's always calling for peaceful change. He's being true to the humanitarian figure the world knows him to be. By dialogue, we then find a lasting peace. So Paul Rosessa Bagina spends the next decade spreading this message, criticizing Kagame, calling for peaceful reform in Rwanda. But the facts on the ground remain pretty much the same. Kagame faces no serious challenge to his rule and continues to tighten his grip on power.

And all the while, thousands of Hutu refugees are still living in camps in the Congo and in other neighboring countries, sometimes in pretty tough conditions, decades after they left Rwanda. 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 agitating to come home, and now the roles have flipped. That's exactly right, Michael. And then in 2018, in the midst of all this tension... Fellow Rwandans, friends of Rwanda...

A video emerges online of Paul Rosese Baguena giving a speech, and he says something he's never said before. The time has come for us to use any means possible to bring about change in Rwanda, as all political means have been tried and failed. He says that the time for us has come to use any means possible to bring about change in Rwanda. It is time to attempt our 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 FLN.

Hence, I plead my unreserved support that National Liberation Forces launches against the Kagame Army in order to free the Rwandan people. This group was at the time being accused by the Rwandan government of killing innocent Rwandans, kidnapping people, looting property along the southern borders of the country. I wish all Rwandans, friends of Rwanda, a happy and blessed Christmas and a prosperous new year. Viva justice, peace and democracy for all of us. God bless Rwanda. What do you make of this drastic change in Paul Rusesabagina's messaging? You know, it just showed, for me, it just showed, like, the political reality in Rwanda and how exiled opponents who were very much tired or angry at the government of Paul Kagame basically turned to more extreme measures.

So to you, it was a sign of desperation. It was definitely a message that we have tried our best, but they're not listening to us. And so we're going to take the war to them. RIP statement on Paul Rusesabagina. And then in August of last year. Rusesabagina is suspected to be the founder or leader or sponsor or member of violent armed extremist terror. We get news that Paul Rusesabagina has disappeared from his home in Texas. Paul Rusesabagina was arrested

and he is currently detained at Rimera police station while his case file is being processed in accordance with Rwandan criminal procedure. And has actually been arrested in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. Wait, how did that happen? Why would he ever be back in Rwanda knowing everything? He knows he has moved as far away from Rwanda as humanly possible

to avoid the Kagame government. It was a shock. It was a huge shock. The government was basically using that 2018 video where Paul Rosesabagina pledges support for the FLN to justify arresting him on terrorism charges. Now, Paul Rosesabagina is a United States resident and a Belgian citizen, and you typically 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 Rwanda. Okay, heading to passport control.

So much hand sanitizer. So I flew to Rwanda in the middle of the night. Oh, great. I, of course, booked myself into the Milkaline Hotel. I'm standing at the balcony of my room. It's almost 8 a.m. in Kigigali the Rwandan capital and from my room I can see this beautiful view of Kigali

all these undulating terrains to my right below I can see the pool where in those tragic days in 1994 those who had lived in the hotel actually started drinking from it for survival. And it was just a surreal moment, like just, you know, being there to understand

what happened to the man who made history in that same hotel. history in that same hotel. Hey Ayub. Hello. Hi Cyril. How are you guys? A few days after my arrival, I have some very good news. We have Rosesabagina at 11. We got word that the government had approved our request to speak with Paul Rosasa Bagina.

So we have that. So my photographer Cyril and I head to the headquarters of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, which is kind of like their version of the FBI. Okay, are you with the RIB? Yes. Oh, okay, great. Nice to meet you. And it's at these headquarters where Paul Rusesabagina is being held. And we are brought inside. We are led to this room.

And suddenly... I'm just going to put these for recording. There is Paul Resebaguina. And how does he look? He looked really tired, but at the same time, he greeted me warmly. Great. Well, thank you so much for talking to us, Mr. Paul. I appreciate it. And I want to state for the record from the beginning that you are doing this out of your own will and out of your own volition. Is that right?

Yeah. Perfect. Okay. 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. At that point, I sort of like realized that, you know, he might not be able to talk to me freely, that he was definitely speaking under duress. How have you been?

How are you since the two weeks? Well, I'm doing very well. I've been doing very well. I had a warm welcome here. They even clean my room sometimes. They give me food. I eat sometimes. So give me food, I eat on time. So they are very kind.

Everything has been smooth. So far so good. Could you tell us a little bit about how you got here? How I got here, that is a surprise. How I got here, that is a surprise. He told me... I thought I was landing in Bajapura. He had been invited by a friend to speak in Burundi, but when he landed, he realized he was in Rwanda.

What did you feel like when you got out of the plane and the soldiers were surrounding you and you knew that you were in Kikali? Imagine how you would feel if you found 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, the FLN. Let's talk a little bit about the charges and the issues that you're facing in court.

What pushed you into a position, a political position? When you're not satisfied by what is going on, then you go to a position. Yeah? This is why I raised the voice. You'll notice that. But 2005-06, there was no talking, there was no politics. Many years when I just say, OK, maybe things are going to improve and be better. are going to improve and be better.

What about the FLN? The FLN is not a terrorist organization. They are people who are really tired to live outside the country, in refugee camps, without schools for children, without food, under the rain, under the sun. Those people they need attention and our main objective was to attract attention. They say in English that east-west, north-south, home is always best. Because I don't believe somebody should be a refugee forever. Just listening to him talk, it was interesting because I knew that he was under duress, but he was still finding a way to criticize the government

and highlight the plight of Hutu refugees and other exiles like himself. As I said, our message was a wake-up call to the international community, international organizations, foreign countries, and Rwanda itself, to remind that we also exist. People still exist. And I believe that one day my message will be heard and understood. And given how other critics of Kagame and his government have been treated, I just couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be his last interview 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're welcome. I appreciate it. Thank you.

Good luck. Thank you. So after the interview with Paul Rosasabagina, I was able to meet with two top government officials who had been behind his arrest. They were the country's chief spy, Joseph Zabamwita, and Johnston Boussingier, who is the justice minister. And they want to go actually on record in terms of how Paul Rousseff's a beginner,

go to Kigali. This one, we want music, right? And we go into a conference room. We bump elbows as a way of greeting, we all sat down and then the interview began. Thanks for taking the time, I appreciate it. Thank you. Maybe I should give you the chance first of all, so like if you want to say something

about it and then I can get on to my questions? Well, it was quite flawless. And I should say one of the best operations that any country can ever conduct. The thing that has stayed with me up until now

is how the intelligence chief was. That's why I told you that this was one of the best intelligence operations. He was just gleeful. His face was beaming. He was smiling. No, but you didn't manage to execute this. I actually executed it right from the planning to full execution when he landed in Kigali. He essentially admitted that the Rwandan government had been tracking Paul Rosesa Beginner's movements. He went for his COVID test, bought his air ticket.

And it suddenly became clear to me that the main reason the spy chief was giving me an interview was because they were very proud of what they had done and they wanted the world to know. So he delivered himself here. We got Paul Rusesabagina here. And as the chief spy was explaining and gloating about this elaborate process. What he has to account for is, one, he declared war.

The justice minister was there to basically say... Two, he made good on his promise. His forces attacked. This was all legal. This was all justified. And this was not a kidnapping. And he is like, any country in the world would do this and it would not be a problem. So it should not be a problem that Rwanda did this. him to come and answer for the things he was doing. There is no country that I know which will turn one cheek, you slap, then turn the other

cheek, you slap, then turn the other cheek, continue turning cheeks for you to slap. There's no country that I know. Certainly not here. And so what do you make of what the justice minister has just told you? of what the justice minister has just told you? Michael, what I make of that reaction is that the Rwandan government is going to go after anybody who is threatening its stability,

whatever they are, in the world. It was a scary message, honestly, to listen to. Particularly, I think it was being delivered to all the Kagame critics all across the world. Thanks. Wish you all the world. Thanks. Wish you all the best. Thanks. So, Abdi, it has now been many years of these two men

trying to establish these competing stories of Rwanda on the international stage. trying to establish these competing stories of Rwanda on the international stage. And given that Paul Rusesabagina is now inside a Rwandan prison for what could be a very long time, where does that leave them? Where does that leave Rwanda? Yes. Paul Rusesabagina, for now, he lingers in a prison in Rwanda. He's basically lost everything. And meanwhile, Paul Kagame and his government are still in tight control of the country. Since the genocide and under his leadership, for whatever tactics he's used, he's been able to bring back the country from the brink. But on the other hand, you have these Hutu Tutsi ethnic tensions that

have been there for decades and are escalating. So it all feels like a ticking bomb. Paul Kagame is trying to build this country where ethnicity doesn't exist and that Rwandans progress as one strong nation. On the contrast, like you have Paul Rusesabagina who's saying the system that you've created is not an inclusive system. It needs a lot of reform. And so Paul Kagame and Paul Rosessa Bagina, you can see them as symbols of the divisions in the country.

And these divisions at some point will have to be reconciled, they will have to be healed one way or another if Rwanda is going to move forward. Abdi, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Thank you, Michael. On Wednesday, Paul Rusesabagina, wearing a mask and a pink prison uniform, arrived at the Supreme Court of Rwanda for the start of his trial. Among other things, he faces the charge of being a member of a terrorist organization.

His prosecution has been roundly criticized by human rights groups and the international community, including the European Parliament and 37 members of the U.S. Congress, who issued a letter calling on President Kagame to release him. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. We'll be right back. Millions of Texans remained without power as brutally cold weather battered the state's electrical grid, freezing 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 Texans will be having to deal with here in the coming days. And that is the results of busted pipes.

During a news conference, Texas's governor, Greg Abbott, resorted to advising homeowners without power to manually turn off their water supply to avoid having pipes freeze, burst, and flood their homes. If you are a homeowner, there should be a location, typically outside, maybe near the curbside, where you have the ability to physically turn off the water supply to your house. You can turn it off at the time of your choosing. Today's episode was produced by Bianca Gaver and Daniel Guimet, with help from Diana Nguyen.

It was edited by Mark George and Larissa Anderson, and engineered by Chris Wood. That's it for The Daily. I'm Michael Bilboro. See you tomorrow.