The Africans in exile who live in fear of transnational repression
This opinion piece was written by Isabel Linzer. It was published by Mail and Guardian on 4 February 2021.
Just over six years ago headlines were filled with reports about the murder of Patrick Karegeya, former head of Rwandan intelligence, in a Johannesburg hotel room. Almost immediately, suspicion turned to Rwandan president Paul Kagame.
Since then, Rwandans around the world have been abducted, targeted with spyware, detained, assaulted, and seen their loved ones harmed. While high-profile attacks such as the one against Karegeya, the multiple assassination attempts against Lieutenant General Kayumba Nyamwasa, and the recent abduction of Paul Rusesabagina in the United Arab Emirates garner significant attention, the broader pattern has often gone overlooked.
Rwanda’s campaign against exiles abroad is not the only one in sub-Saharan Africa; what may appear to be isolated incidents are actually part of a growing global trend of “transnational repression.” This phenomenon refers to governments targeting nationals of their countries even after they have fled to safety abroad. [Read more here.]