Rwanda's leader, who has been in power for two decades, has said he would consider remaining in office for another 20 years.

Paul Kagame told a French TV channel he would stand for president again at the next election in 2024.

In 2015 he changed the constitution, allowing him to stay until 2034.

In the last presidential election five years ago, official figures showed he won 99 percent of the vote, which many outside the country dismissed as a sham.

President Kagame however has fiercely defended Rwanda's record on human rights, most recently at a Commonwealth summit in the capital Kigali in June.

Months earlier, in April, the UK announced controversial plans to send some asylum seekers who reach its shores to Rwanda for processing and potential asylum there instead.

That was condemned by the UN who likened it to "trading commodities", Rwanda's leader, who has been in power for two decades, has said he would consider remaining in office for another 20 years.

According to the trusted sources said Rwandans already live in a climate of fear, and alleges that more than one minister has told him that they remain in government because they fear being assassinated if they leave.

Since then he has positioned himself as a champion of development, but his critics say he maintains a tight grip over what is an authoritarian regime.