The release of Paul Rusesabagina from a Rwandan prison late on Friday was the result of months of negotiations between Washington and Kigali, with both eager to draw a line under what they described as an 'irritant' to their relationship.
Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda's 1994 genocide, walks in handcuffs to a courtroom in Kigali, Rwanda February 26, 2021. REUTERS/Clement Uwiringiyimana/File Photo
He was detained in 2019 and subsequently convicted on eight terrorism charges stemming from his leadership role in the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change , whose armed wing, the National Liberation Front , has attacked Rwanda. "The U.S. government made clear to the ... Rwandans that this would remain a bilateral irritant until we could reach a mutually satisfactory resolution," the Biden administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
When asked how the U.S. had engaged on these issues, Makolo pointed to a statement issued by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken after Rusesabagina's release, emphasising that political change in Rwanda should only come through peaceful means. As a Belgian citizen of Rwandan origin with U.S. residency, Rusesabagina's case did not "fit neatly in a box," the aide said.
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