Debunking Claims of President Paul Kagame's Disappearance
Debunking Claims of President Paul Kagame's Disappearance
Fact-Checked: No Credible Evidence Supports Claims of Rwandan President Paul Kagame's Disappearance
During the week of 23 to 30 August 2020, discussions surrounding the health and alleged disappearance of Rwandan President Paul Kagame resurfaced with increased intensity.
Various photos of a sick person, a death certificate, articles, and social media posts have circulated since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, fuelling speculation about Mr. Kagame’s well-being. What’s the fact and what’s the fiction?
The Background
“He insisted that it was the responsibility of the Rwandan judicial authorities, specifically the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), to prove him wrong and for President Kagame himself to demonstrate that he has not disappeared.”
Thomas Nahimana, a former Catholic priest turned political opponent in exile in France, has been actively involved in promoting these claims since the start of 2017. His self-proclaimed government in exile has sought to raise doubts about President Kagame’s status.
Recently, a 55-minute video in Kinyarwanda was published on YouTube by Mr. Freeman Singirankabo Bikorwa, whose real identity remains unverified despite our attempts to confirm it.
The video claimed to delve into the alleged disappearance of President Kagame. We thoroughly watched the video, hoping to find evidence supporting these claims.
Lack of Evidence
Disappointingly, Mr. Singirankabo’s video failed to provide any substantial proof of President Kagame's disappearance. Instead, he engaged in photo and video editing exercises, attempting to suggest that official images released by the Rwandan authorities were manipulated.
We reached out to Mr. Singirankabo via WhatsApp, where we introduced ourselves, explained what we do at Ukuri, and expressed our intent to verify his claims regarding President Kagame’s disappearance.
However, Mr. Singirankabo did not present any evidence to support his claims. He insisted that it was the responsibility of the Rwandan judicial authorities, specifically the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), to prove him wrong and for President Kagame himself to demonstrate that he has not disappeared.
We clarified that the burden of proof lies with the person making the assertion, not the accused. We provided the example of legal trials where the prosecution is responsible for presenting evidence.
Doctored Photos
Regarding the alleged doctoring of photod, we pointed out to Mr. Singirankabo that his exercises did not involve live footage, despite President Kagame’s frequent appearances in high-level meetings via videoconference over the past six months.
Mr. Singirankabo suggested that even live broadcasts could be manipulated based on his expertise.
Global Controversy
A few days later, VoxAfrica, a pan-African television network, conducted an interview with Thomas Nahimana, the former Rwandan Catholic priest, regarding the alleged disappearance of President Kagame.
Although the video clip from the interview was widely shared, it is no longer accessible today. VoxAfrica’s management released a statement explaining that the full interview would not be published on their site due to the guest’s failure to provide evidence to back his claims.
However, no further details were provided regarding the circumstances or reasons for the decision. It is worth noting that the interviewer began the discussion by stating, “Everyone knows he is sick,” without himself providing any substantiated information about the illness.
Our Verdict
The Rwandan authorities have chosen not to react to the controversy and have continued their regular activities.
We spoke with a former spokesperson who confirmed that the Rwandan government maintains this position, allowing the facts to speak for themselves.
Based on the available evidence, or rather the lack thereof, there is no credible support for the claims that President Paul Kagame has been missing for several months. The assertions remain unsubstantiated and lack verifiable proof.