'Hotel Rwanda' hero returned to country of own accord: Kagame

What you need to know:

Paul Rusesabagina, who became the most famous Rwandan in the world after the Hollywood blockbuster, had been living in exile until he surfaced in Kigali last week under arrest and accused of financing rebels.

His family argued he had been kidnapped and forced to return to the country where his image is more complex than in the famed movie, where he is credited with saving the lives of more than 1,200 people as they sheltered in the hotel he ran during the country's 1994 genocide.
In a speech to the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, Kagame said Rusesabagina had himself returned to Rwanda, where he now stands accused of murder, arson, kidnapping and terrorism.
"Let me eliminate the word kidnap because that was not the case. Rusesabagina will attest to that himself. There was no kidnap, there was no any wrongdoing in the process of his getting here," said Kagame.
"He got here on the basis of what he believed he wanted to do and he found himself here."
His niece and adopted daughter, Carine Kanimba, told AFP Rusesabagina was in Dubai for meetings before suddenly being paraded handcuffed in Kigali.
"I don't know how he got to Rwanda... however he would never have done that by his own free will, because he knows that in Rwanda they want him dead," she said.

'Hotel Rwanda' hero returned to country of own accord: Kagame

What you need to know:

Latest

Why producers need to learn the business behind the beat

Abigail Chams urges artistes to turn talent into impact

Former UDSM VC Kuhanga buried, remembered for dialogue and conflict resolution

Why real development means changing lives, not just finishing projects

Tanzania pushes private sector funding to curb HIV in Geita mining areas

Ruto: Africa must make talent portable across borders

In the headlines

Tanzania’s Rhino population rebounds after poaching nearly wiped them out

Mwinyi, Othman vow to make Zanzibar reconciliation work

Poor waste management puts Tanzania’s markets and abattoirs under growing business pressure

Why Fatma Karume's legacy lives beyond First Lady title