Kagame was invited to G20 Summit in Rome scheduled for 30–31 October 2021

By David Himbara

Kagame was invited to G20 Summit in Rome scheduled for 30–31 October 2021 where he will come face-to-face with US President Joe Biden. US-based human rights activists should amount a robust campaign to put the abduction of Paul Rusesabagina into Biden-Kagame bilateral discussion in Rome.

The G20 Summit will be the first time US President Joe Biden meets Kagame. Between now and then, human rights activists in the US should raise more robustly Rusesabagina’s abduction onto the attention of President Biden by any means possible. If a bilateral meeting between the US and Rwanda does not take place in Rome, or if it is held but does not raise Rusesabagina’s abduction, we will have missed a great opportunity to increase the pressure of Rwanda’s strongman to release Paul.

Paul Rusesabagina in a Rwandan prison

The G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will be held in Rome, Italy on 30–31 October 2021. Rwanda’s strongman General Paul Kagame was invited to the Summit in his capacity as chair of the African Union Development Agency, NEPAD. This upcoming event is an opportunity to raise awareness of Kagame’s abduction of Paul Rusesabagina, who was lured from the US where he is a permanent resident. The Rome G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will be the first time US President Joe Biden meets Kagame. Between now and then, human rights activists in the US should raise more robustly Rusesabagina’s abduction onto the attention of President Biden by any means possible. US-based human rights activists have one powerful tool at their disposal. A significant number of US Senators and Representatives have consistently pressed the Biden Administration on Rusesabagina’s abduction and illegal imprisonment by the Kagame regime. Put another way, President Biden is already aware of this grave matter. Between now and the Rome G20 Summit, US-based human rights activists should go into the overdrive in raising the Rusesabagina matter in the State Department and the White House. If a bilateral meeting between the US and Rwanda does not take place in Rome, or if it is held but does not raise Rusesabagina’s abduction, we will have missed a great opportunity to increase the pressure of Rwanda’s strongman to release Paul.