Rwanda: Image of Rwanda’s President Kagame Kneeling Before Tanzanian Counterpart Hassan Is Manipulated
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Rwanda: Image of Rwanda’s President Kagame Kneeling Before Tanzanian Counterpart Hassan Is Manipulated

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Image of Rwanda’s president Kagame kneeling before Tanzanian counterpart Hassan is manipulated

IN SHORT: An image circulating on Facebook appears to show Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame kneeling before Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan. But the image shows signs of manipulation, and official photographs from a 2023 meeting between the two leaders show no such incident.

An image circulating on Facebook appears to show Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame kneeling before his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan at an official event.

Kagame has led Rwanda since 2000, while Hassan became Tanzania’s president in 2021.


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In the image, Kagame appears to be on one knee, with his hands clasped in front of him, facing Suluhu, who is standing. Both leaders wear dark blue suits, while Hassan wears a light green hijab. Other people can be seen in the background.

Text across the image reads: “Forgive me.”

The image has circulated amid regional tensions over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where United Nations experts have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group. But Rwanda denies supporting the rebels.

Tanzania has participated in regional peace efforts to end the conflict.

This image has also been posted here and here. But did Kagame kneel before Hassan? We checked.

Signs of manipulation

Several details raise questions about the image’s authenticity. Some background figures appear slightly blurred or lack clear facial detail, a common feature of images generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Some individuals also appear to have distorted body features and unnatural posture.

We also found no credible news reports, official photographs or verified videos showing Kagame kneeling in front of Hassan. Such an unusual gesture between two heads of state would likely have attracted considerable media attention.

A Google reverse image search led us to an April 2023 state visit by Kagame to Tanzania. The two leaders held bilateral talks in Dar es Salaam followed by a press briefing and state dinner.

Some photographs from the visit show the presidents wearing outfits similar to those in the circulating image. However, neither the official photos nor news coverage show Kagame kneeling before Hassan.