Paul Kagame, the former general turned president of post-genocide Rwanda, is waging war again. His regime’s new enemy is no warlord, or experienced opposition politician, but rather, a 35-year-old businesswoman and accountant.
Kagame’s ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) party seems hellbent on destroying Diane Shima Rwigara at all costs. The daughter of a prominent Kigali businessman who died under mysterious circumstances, Rwigara has been critical of Kagame’s authoritarianism, just as her father was. She announced her intent this year to challenge Kagame in the presidential elections; just a few days later, fake nude photos of her appeared online and spread all over Rwandan social media. She pressed on with her political efforts nonetheless, until the government barred her from formally becoming a candidate, claiming she had forged the signatures needed to get her name on the ballot. After her disqualification, she announced that she wanted to start a youth movement. She was punished for that, too: Fake nude photos of her were spread on the Internet all over again. FULL STORY