Rwanda: Ex-president pleads for mercy

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Monday he was considering a plea for clemency from the nation's first post-genocide president, in jail for crimes including inciting ethnic violence and embezzling state funds. Pasteur Bizimungu, who in February received a 15-year term for the crimes committed after his resignation in 2000, said his release would be "for the good of the nation" in a letter printed by local newspapers last week. “It is true that I received the letter of Mr. Bizimungu but I am yet to think about it and analyze its content," Kagame told reporters. "I will let you know if I make a decision," reports Reuters.