michelawrong
@michelawrong
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Journalist and author of four non-fiction books on Africa, plus a novel.
Usually london
Joined August 2008
Je suis extrêmement reconnaissant à MaxMilo Éditions et Lucie Delplanque, ma brillante traductrice, d'avoir publié la traduction française de mon livre sur Mobutu Sese Seko, l'inoubliable président de la République Démocratique du Congo pendant 32 ans. 1/2.
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I finally got to visit the final resting place of Mobutu Sese Seko, in the Christian cemetery in Rabat, Morocco, where he died in exile. I've spent a long time thinking and writing about this man, it was oddly satisfying to be there.
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Braverman seems unaware Rwanda is responsible for a massive ongoing humanitarian crisis, with 600,000-800,000 displaced, just four hours drive from Kigali. She should try reading the Foreign Office briefs, and visit the border.
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J'ai eu le plaisir de rencontrer les étudiants de l'Université de Kinshasa hier et de répondre à leurs questions sur mon livre, "Rwanda" : Assassins Sas Frontières". La salle était pleine, les questions nombreuses.
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The Times seems to be the only British newspaper interested in how this Rwanda asylum deal is going down in Congo. Every other British media outlet has shown extraordinary parochialism, with the focus entirely on what it means for the UK.
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A damning FBI report on how Rwanda abuses Interpol's "Red Notice" arrest warrant system and feeds false information about exiled dissidents to law enforcement agencies in the US has been leaked.
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Rwandan backing for the M23 is THE issue the Commonwealth should be debating in Kigali this week. Given Rwanda's long track record of destabilising Democratic Republic of Congo, this speech is a classic, cynical example of a perpetrator blaming the victim.
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So Paul Kagame did not join the group photo at the US-Africa Leaders summit after failing to win a bilateral meeting with Biden, something DRC's Felix Tshisekedi, in contrast, enjoyed. The US delivered a pointed message. "Pull the M23 out" and "Free Rusesabagina", at a guess.
▶️ U.S. President Joe Biden poses for photos with African leaders Thursday on the final day of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington.
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La traduction française de mon livre sur le Rwanda ("Do Not Disturb" en anglais) vient de paraître. C'est formidable de pouvoir toucher un public francophone. Un grand merci aux éditions MaxMilo.
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Hurrah! The US edition of "Do Not Disturb", my book about Rwandan President Paul Kagame's campaign of extraterritorial assassination and intimidation, is available in paperback as of tomorrow. I love publisher PublicAffairs' film noir cover.
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Every time I see a photo of the M23 the same thought occurs: I have never, ever seen "rebels" or "insurgents" or "guerrillas" who are kitted out like this.
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Rwandan journalist John Williams Ntwali is dead. He joins a long list of reporters, opposition politicians and human rights activists who died after criticising the govt. THIS is the country where Britain proposes to send asylum seekers.
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Ce soir je vais presenter mon livre "Rwanda: Assassins Sans Frontières" au Festival Buku, Kinshasa, Académie des Beaux Arts, a 1830 heures.
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"We cannot keep hosting refugees," says the man who has agreed to host thousands of refugees rejected by Britain. Yup, that's consistent.
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Gabon and Togo, two countries with no historic links to Britain, each run by families who have been in power for over half a century, are joining the Commonwealth. It tells us all we need to know about the organisation's "values".
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In a significant military escalation, the Rwandan army fired a SAM missile at a UN drone in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwandan army which really, really, really ISN'T supporting the M23 rebel group, you understand.
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According to the Telegraph, Kagame told Braverman "Rwanda will always have capacity for more refugees." In January he said Rwanda would no longer be a dumping ground for refugees from DRC (created by his own M23 rebel group). Which is it, please?
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Rwanda relies on foreign donors for an astonishing 74 per cent of government expenditure. Yet the US and other donors behave as though they have no influence whatsoever over Rwandan policy, including its military interventions in DRC. Truly bizarre.
Paul Kagame has committed myriad abuses in #Rwanda and beyond its borders. Despite this, total aid to his regime has increased by 400% since 2003. This week, he returns to Washington for the #USAfricaSummit. My @TIME op-ed on why US policy needs a rethink:
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I'm delighted to announce that having sat my viva in June, I've been awarded a PhD for the work I did on "Do Not Disturb. The story of an African murder and a political regime gone bad" by the University of Cambridge, my old alma mater. Very gratifying.
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Is this an early April Fools joke?.
Rwanda has rich natural resources, which can help bring prosperity to the local population and advance global green transition. I’m glad to have signed #GlobalGateway Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable raw materials with Minister @Vbiruta today in Brussels.
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Ramaphosa is skipping CHOGM. Aides says he's busy, but the question of whether he's avoiding Kigali because 1. Rwanda hasn't extradited two men wanted for Karegeya's murder and 2. last time he visited his phone was infected with Pegasus, obviously arises.
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That interesting moment when you are told that the three years of online harassment you've experienced was both state-organised and professionally contracted out.
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What on earth has happened to @AJEnglish editorial vetting process? Anyone who follows the African Great Lakes knows Bojana Coulibaly is a hardline Kagame propagandist, not a neutral "researcher". This is either shameful naivety or stunning ignorance.
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My piece on Rwanda and the M23, published in Foreign Affairs magazine.
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Rwanda, President Paul Kagame claims, has no military presence inside Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet its young soldiers keep dying there, as Forbidden Stories established:
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HRW pointing out what should be obvious to the British government, that an African leader whose military adventurism creates refugee influxes, then publicly rails against the arrival of said refugees, can never be a trusted partner or safe pair of hands.
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Two Rwandan troll accounts I reported have been suspended over the last few days -- very cheering. As long as Rwandan intelligence keeps abusing people like me on Twitter via fake accounts, I'll keep reporting them, and every now and then, Twitter will act. Please do likewise.
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I only used it as a title for my book as I had heard the sentiment voiced so many times in Kenya. and that, clearly, hasn't stopped.
Kenya's Daily Nation @NationAfrica's front page headline comments on the latest ethics and graft scandal in President William Ruto's administration by borrowing the title of @michelawrong's acclaimed book on the tale of Kenya's former anti-corruption czar @johngithongo
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Extraordinary story in the EUObserver about Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame's use of poison to target exiles abroad, and the measures taken by various security services - Belgium's and Italy's in particular - to thwart those plans. 1/2
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Je me réjouis de participer à ce debat sur l'est du Congo à Bruxelles le 26 juin. L'occasion d'approfondir le rôle du Rwanda et les raisons du silence de l'Occident. Et de lancer la traduction française de mon livre sur Mobutu Sese Seko.
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My new book, "Do Not Disturb" will be coming out end March in the US and start of April in the UK and Africa. It's both a (real) murder thriller and a critical examination of Rwanda's RPF regime. My website has some details:
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The US government is in no doubt about Rwanda's military involvement in the fighting in eastern DRC. It would be good to see the UK showing a similar level of honesty.
Nous sommes extrêmement préoccupés par les récents combats dans l'est de la RDC et par la présence signalée de forces rwandaises sur le territoire de la RDC. Les comportements provocateurs et les propos incendiaires doivent cesser. 1/2.
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Reading endless posts gushing about Kigali's cleanliness, I ask myself when it was that the world developed this level of OCD. I live in a shabby, dirty city. I wouldn't trade the right to vote in free elections or complain about my president for neatness. Would most Rwandans?.
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AJEnglish just lost its media accreditation in DRC for presenting this well-known Rwanda propagandist as a journalist and neutral researcher. Hopefully this will encourage the editorial board to use its network of real, excellent journalists to cover the Great Lakes in future.
M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa has told Al Jazeera that the rebel group’s fight in eastern DR Congo is one for survival and insists that it is looking for dialogue to end the decades-long conflict.
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My profile of Eritrean president Isaias Afewerki, published today in the Economist's 1843 magazine.
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The UK's silence on Rwanda's intervention in eastern DRC is a disgrace. Human Rights Watch telling it like it is.
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Western media outlets seems to have largely missed the story of Rwanda's biggest bilateral donor - the US - reviewing its $145m aid programme because of the country's human rights violations, assassinations abroad and support for a renascent M23 rebel movt. Summer dozing?.
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Demain soir, à Bruxelles. Je serai ravi d'être rejoint par Mme Cyrie Sendashonga.
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Belgium joins Germany, France and the US in telling Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 rebel movement. Kigali is looking ever more isolated.
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The latest UN Group of Experts report reveals 4,000 Rwandan troops are now engaged in combat inside DRC. They may be even more numerous than the M23 they support. This is the same army the EU supports financially for its role in Mozambique. Not smart.
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It would be funny if it weren't so tragic. Back when Fred Rwigyema and his brothers-in-arms created the RPF, dreaming of a new Rwanda, did they ever imagine Kagame - the skinny guy no one liked or trusted - wd end up president for life, claiming to win 99.15 pct of the vote?.
BREAKING. Partial results from Rwanda's presidential elections show Paul Kagame leading with 99.15% of the vote. Opposition candidates Frank Habineza and Philippe Mpayimana have received 0.53% and 0.32% respectively. #RBAnews #Amatora2024
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Alex de Waal examines the recent peace deal. The fact that fighting is still going on does not send out an encouraging message.
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Really important piece from Bloomberg exposing the military reality of Rwanda's deployment in DRC. Good to see, also, the EU's indefensible minerals treaty with Rwanda held up to critical scrutiny.
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10 years ago today, a death squad strangled Rwanda's former head of external intelligence in a South African hotel. In 2019, SA's National Prosecution Authority issued two warrants for the suspected killers. They have never been extradited from Rwanda. 1/3
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I'm always delighted when this moment arrives: my Rwanda book "Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder and an African regime gone bad" is available in affordable, less chunky paperback as from today, in Britain and the Commonwealth.
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Awful stories from Tigray. Well done, Channel Four, for shedding some light on what's going on.
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Rwanda is named as one of the worst perpetrators of transnational repression in the world. Just as Britain prepares to send asylum seekers there, claiming they will "thrive and prosper".
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HRW a publié un nouveau rapport sur la répression extraterritoriale du Rwanda. Ce que je décrit dans "Rwanda: Assassins Sans Frontières" se poursuit, visant non seulement des dissidents à l'étranger, mais aussi les membres de leur famille restés au pays.
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As a teenager, I used to pore over Paris Match in the school library to improve my French. I never thought I'd one day feature in it myself. Bit of a career high.
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So that's that. The Rwanda asylum project is essentially over. First flights will go off after the election IF the Conservatives win, and not a single poll predicts that. One of the stupidest policies ever dreamt up by a British govt just imploded. 1/2
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Grande satisfaction de voir Figaro accorder autant d'espace à mon entretien avec Yves Thréard, spécialiste de l'Afrique. Je me demande quand le régime rwandais reconnaîtra qu'accuser quiconque ose le critiquer de nier le génocide fini par le décrédibiliser
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I wrote a book about Patrick Karegeya's murder because it was a story that needed telling, not because I "loved the man". And no country, whether "in the region" or "far away" sponsored me to write "Do Not Disturb". I sold it to publishers in the US and UK, as authors do. 1/2.
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J'ai été vraiment ravie d'être interviewée par Christophe Boisbouvier sur RFI ce matin:
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Paul Kagame is one of the most fascinating - and deeply sinister - figures in African contemporary history. Some thoughts from me (but there's so much more to be said):.
This week’s episode concerns Rwandan President Paul Kagame. I spoke to the fabulous @michelawrong about his career, the 1994 genocide, the UK’s asylum policy, and much more. Enjoy!. Spotify:. Apple:.
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The French translation of "Do Not Disturb" comes out on April 11. My thanks to Max Milo Éditions, Stephen Smith and translator Lucie Delplanque for allowing me to reach francophone readers. It can be ordered online and there'll be an e-book, too.
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So while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tells us all that Rwanda is safe, Britain keeps on granting political asylum to Rwandan nationals with a "well-founded fear of persecution". Because, hey, they're in danger. Yeah, that makes sense.
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Africans deserve better than the Kagame model of "democracy", argues Tafi Mhaka.
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This is the part of the Rwanda asylum story no Conservative MP is ever interested in discussing: what Rwanda is doing in eastern Congo, where its puppet rebel group has created a massive humanitarian crisis. Human Rights Watch's latest report on the M23:
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It was a great pleasure to be on Radio New Zealand's Saturday Morning programme, talking about Rwanda and President Paul Kagame:
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How Rwanda abuses the Interpol system to hunt down potential government critics. And the current Rwandan ambassador to the UK oversaw it all during his time as Justice Minister.
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I filed this piece to the Guardian after spending the morning in court:
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What a shame Cleverly, like his predecessors, couldn't find the time to drive four hours west of Kigali to the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, where he could see what Rwanda's army is doing, creating hundreds of thousands of Congolese refugees.
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As a journalist, I've often reported on campaigns to get loved ones freed, policies changed, inquiries launched. I've never seen one waged with this level of sustained determination. Respect to the Rusesabagina family and its many friends and supporters.
PAUL RUSESABAGINA IS FREE 🤩🤩🥳🥳❤️❤️🛬🛬🛬 Dad has just arrived in San Antonio, Texas🛬🛬🛬 . Thank you to EVERYONE who worked soooo hard to bring him home. 🙏❤️🙏 Our Family is finally reunited today. 💞💞#FreeRusesabagina @freethehero #TheHeroIsFree #FreedHero #HotelRwanda
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My heartfelt thanks to the Cafe Politique team, chair Olivier Fado and fellow panellist Norman Ishimwe for taking part in tonight's Rwanda discussion in Brussels, despite all the threats. So important not to give in to state bullying. And thank you to the brave audience, too.
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Lors d'un récent voyage à Rabat, j'ai eu l'occasion de visiter le tombeau du président Mobutu Sese Seko. Mort en exil, il a été enterré dans le cimetière chrétien en 1997. Une discussion est en cours sur son rapatriement éventuel.
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I played a small part in this documentary on the much-ignored conflict in eastern Congo. Every member of Britain's Conservative party should watch it and ask themselves whether they are really happy for their country to be in partnership with Rwanda.
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My piece about Rwandan gospel singer Kizito Mihigo's death in police custody, published in today's Observer. One of the saddest of many sad events to take place in Rwanda last year.
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The capital of North Kivu in DRC could fall at any moment to the M23 rebel movement, Rwanda's proxy. No mention of this from the British government, of course, as it's busy pretending Rwanda is a respectable international ally. Ye Gods.
Goma surrounded by the M23 and the price of food has skyrocketed. It remains unclear whether the rebellion and Rwanda’s ultimate goal is to take the city but it is within grasps and there’s never been such complete silence internationally. #DRC.
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Sorry, but why on earth is Kagame bothering to "start campaigning" for an election in which all the key leaders of the opposition have been barred from running??? Why bother? Why not just stay at home and have lie-in? Who on earth does he think he's fooling?.
Noord-Korea in Africa = #Rwanda.
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La torture en détention au Rwanda. Nouveau rapport de HRW:
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If this goes ahead it will be a gob-smacking example of EU tunnel vision. The Rwandan army doing such a great job in Moz is the same army which is inside DRC, supporting the M23 and creating 2m Congolese displaced. Help one, and you help the other.
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Comme prévu, le nouveau premier ministre britannique Keir Starmer n'a pas perdu de temps pour supprimer le projet de loi sur l'asile au Rwanda, qu'il a qualifié de "gadget" inutile lors de sa première conférence de presse
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Comme je raconte dans mon livre "Rwanda: Assassins sans Frontieres": voilà une tentative d'assassiner un dirigeant de l'opposition à Bruxelles, lancé par le gouvernement du Rwanda. Le manque d'interêt de la communité internationale est étonnant.
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UN Group of Experts report spells out in embarrassing detail Rwanda's support (equipment, uniforms and troops) for M23 rebels in DRC. And this is the country the UK is planning to send asylum-seekers to.
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Confirming what we wrote in the Observer a month ago. The British government, nonsensically, insists Rwanda is safe while granting political asylum to Rwandan nationals.
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Il y a 25 ans aujourd'hui, l'ancien ministre de l'intérieur du Rwanda, Seth Sendashonga, a été abattu à Nairobi sur ordre du FPR. Au lieu de s'excuser, Kagame s'en est publiquement vanté. La fille de Sendashonga se souvient de ce jour bouleversant.
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Germany's Der Spiegel lays out the tactics Rwanda uses to cozy up to the West, including sportswashing. Part of the @FbdnStories investigation:
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The dirty tricks campaign Rwanda wages on social media to buff up its image and silence critics like me - Forbidden Stories investigates.
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How does the EU expect anyone to take its rhetoric on human rights seriously when it gets into bed with one of Africa's most repressive regimes? Stunningly inappropriate announcement at a time when Rwanda's intervention in DRC is displacing thousands:
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As Britain gears up to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, France joins the US in condemning its support for the M23 rebel movement committing atrocities in DRC.
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Absolutely delighted to see "Do Not Disturb", my book on Rwanda, shortlisted for this year's Orwell Prize. It's a prize that holds a very special place in the heart of any non-fiction writer. Very chuffed.
Featuring reportage, history, essays, economics and anthropology,.many of these often in the same book, the finalists for #TheOrwellPrize for Political Writing 2022 are a mixture of established names and debut.authors. Congratulations to all those on this year's shortlist!
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These individuals - Rwandans living on British soil who have been explicitly warned by British police their lives are in danger - have been largely forgotten since London signed its asylum deal with Kigali. Good to see the Guardian highlighting this.
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As expected, the House of Lords takes apart the Rwanda Bill.
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Rwanda has, until now, won mostly admiring comments on its military intervention in Mozambique. But it's one thing sending peacekeepers to tackle a jihadist insurgency, it's another to send them to crack down on citizens protesting a deeply suspect election. 1/2.
The Mozambican politician #Venâncio #Mondlane is demanding people to go to the Facebook page of @PaulKagame and ask him to "remove your soldiers who are killing Mozambicans who are only peacefully protesting as ordered by President @filipe_nyusi .#Eleições2024 #protests
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Human Rights Watch has published a new report on Rwanda's use of extraterritorial repression. What I described in "Do Not Disturb" continues, targeting not only dissidents abroad but Rwandans anxious to keep out of politics, and relatives back home.
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Bullying shouldn't pass unremarked. I'm grateful to the Spectator for giving me the chance to highlight the Rwandan regime's systematic intimidation and harassment of critics well beyond its borders. 1/3
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Such sad news. I remember interacting with Keith Muhakanizi for the many Uganda investment surveys the Financial Times ran in the late 1990s. He was quiet, self-effacing, incredibly bright, allergic to the limelight.
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"Evidence including photos of Rwandan soldiers in an M23 camp, drone footage showing hundreds of soldiers marching near the Rwandan border, photos and videos showing M23 fighters with new uniforms and equipment similar to those of the Rwandan army".
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How Rwanda floods Twitter with AI-generated messages to create the impression of massive support for Paul Kagame in the run up to the elections. Foreign editors and correspondents take note: none of this is real. Stop falling for the lie in your coverage.
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I spent two weeks in New Zealand talking about Rwanda . it proved a very strange experience. Thank you to the Listener for recounting what happened.
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Journalist Eleneus Akanga explains why he fled Rwanda, and in the process makes clear why it isn't an appropriate place for Britain's asylum seekers:
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Kagame can't help displaying his insecurities. Leaders who know they won elections fair and square don't bother announcing who sent congratulations. They take it as read. (And, by the by, what's noticeable about this list is who is missing.).
My sincere gratitude for the messages of congratulations and support from the friendly leaders of countries around the world, notably Barbados, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bisseau, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia,.
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Mozambique's Justice Minister admits what human rights groups already documented: high profile Rwandans are being executed in her country. 'It's no secret to anyone that there have been executions and that they tarnish our country."
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So Gatete is an "independent political analyst", Al Jazeera? What planet are your producers living on?
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Britain's Supreme Court says its unlawful to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
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