Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s government has been accused of targeting opposition members abroad with poison, creating fear among Rwandan dissidents, particularly in the diaspora in Belgium.

Renowned figures like Paul Rusesabagina, who gained prominence as the real-life inspiration behind "Hotel Rwanda" took extensive security measures when he traveled to Brussels for a family wedding in 2024, as advised by his Belgian and U.S. security teams. “The Rwandans are master poisoners,” noted a Belgian security source, describing how Rwandan agents are known to use poison administered through handshakes.

Carine Kanimba, Rusesabagina’s daughter, shared how her father’s visit stirred fear in the family, remarking, “My family was really worried about my father coming to Belgium because it’s like a playground for them [Kagame’s services]. This is where they have full access. They can hurt you. They’ve killed people here before.”

Her own wedding in Italy also saw heightened security concerns due to the perceived threat from Kagame’s agents. Kanimba expressed the dread that accompanies life under such threats: “It might sound like a movie, but it’s not—there have been a lot of people who dropped dead because of poisoning by the regime.”

Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Congolese Nobel laureate and critic of Kagame’s military, experienced similar fear in Brussels. When he traveled to Belgium, he noticed the unusual behavior of a Rwandan embassy staff member posing as his driver, who persistently attempted to gift him a tie a gesture reportedly laden with potential danger as Belgian sources indicated the item might have been laced with poison.

According to one source: “He [Mukwege] got into a car with a driver who he didn’t know, and the guy said to him: ‘Dr. Mukwege, you’re my hero! Please accept this tie as a humble gift. It would make me and my family so proud if you were to put it on.”

Another prominent dissident, Natacha Abingeneye, lost her father in a suspected poisoning incident. He had testified against the Rwandan government at the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, only to be found dead in a Brussels canal.

Abingeneye herself continues to experience harassment, often seeing “suspicious behavior” near her home. Discussing the persistent threat of poison, she remarked, “It’s not mythology. It’s reality. It’s a method that they have used so much in Rwanda that it even has a name in Rwandese: ‘Utuzi twa Munyuza,’ which means ‘droplets of Munyuza’s waters.’”

Kagame's agents employ a variety of methods, such as embedding poison into small items like neckties or utilizing toxins transmittable through skin contact. Even as Rwandan dissidents take extra precautions, Belgian authorities have begun to take some measures in response to the rising fear and potential threats. source [ euobserver ]