Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has announced that he will run for a fourth term in office in presidential elections scheduled for next year in the East African country.
"Yes, I am indeed a candidate," Kagame, who has ruled over the country with an iron fist for decades, told Jeune Afrique, a French-language news magazine, in an interview published online on Tuesday.
"I am pleased with the confidence that Rwandans have placed in me. I will always serve them, as long as I can," he was quoted as saying.
Kagame, 65, rose power in 1994 after he successfully led his Tutsi-led rebel forces to take the capital, Kigali, and brought to an end a genocide that killed some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Presidential limit
He became president in 2000 after serving as the defacto leader under President Pasteur Bizimungu.
Kagame won the last election in 2017 with 98.8% of the vote following a controversial referendum that abolished constitutional two-term presidential limit.
He had previously not made his intentions clear about running and could potentially stay in power until 2031 if he wins the next elections.
Rwanda under his leadership is often hailed as an African success story.
