Friends again: US, Rwanda patch fragile ties after Rusesabagina freed
Former US President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hotel Rwanda 'hero' Paul Rusesabagina on November 9, 2005. PHOTO | MANDEL NGAN | AFP
The US is facing a difficult balancing act as it moves to mend relations with Rwanda following the release of Hotel Rwanda hero Paul Rusesabagina, who had been sentenced to a 25-year jail term on terrorism charges in a trial that his family and supporters dismissed as a sham.
Rusesabagina, a Rwandan who was portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda as a hero who saved lives during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is a permanent resident of the US and also a Belgian citizen.
