Rwanda Podium -

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMEONE SMARTER THAN YOU VERCRUYSSE

Belgian journalist Stijn Vercruysse, from Flemish public broadcaster VRT, has been denied entry to Rwanda to report on the World Cycling Championships. The journalist was stopped at the check-in desk at Brussels Airport, VRT NWS reported on its website on Friday. He believes that his critical reporting on Rwanda in the past is the reason for this.

Politics

By MANZI

On samedi 20 septembre 2025

This article was viewed 1 times

Vercruysse was due to travel to Rwanda on Thursday to report for various VRT NWS media outlets. He had obtained accreditation from the Rwandan ministry of sport via the UCI, the international cycling union, with approval to travel to Rwanda.

Unfortunately, Mr Vercruysse who takes pleasure in boasting about having in the past produced critical reporting on Rwanda in the past. And he dare to add that “ We were again planning to report critically on the host country, which is ultimately a very authoritarian regime.

“ Despite this incident, VRT NWS will continue to report critically on the host country in the coming weeks, in addition to our coverage of the World Cycling Championships.”

It is important to note that Belgium will participate in Cycling World Championships in Rwanda. The Belgian Cycling Federation has confirmed its participation in the upcoming World Cycling Championships in Rwanda.

This is not the first time that a VRT journalist has been banned from Rwanda. Former colleague Peter Verlinden has not been allowed to enter the country for years. He has also published fake news aiming to destroy the Rwandan regime : “I suspect I am now also on the blacklist," Vercruysse stated.

Vercruysse, as well his colleague Verlinden, some years ago, wanted to come to Rwanda with bad intentions of publishing articles aimed at discrediting the regime. He proclaimed this loudly before boarding his plane to Kigali.

It should be noted that all the misfortunes Rwanda has experienced last hundred years, are the result of brutal, inhuman, and racist Belgian colonization, which led to the only African genocide committed by Africans.

Belgium has never accepted the fact that Rwanda was able to free itself completely from Belgian influence in many areas, such as politics and economics, which allowed the country to open up to the world and become part of the concert of Nations.