Rwanda’s prominent opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been arrested and detained at a facility in Kigali, the capital city, on charges of inciting the public and creating a criminal organization.
According to the Rwanda Investigations Bureau, Ingabire is accused of “playing a role in creating a criminal organisation and engaging in acts that incite public disorder”.
Ingabire, who leads the unregistered opposition party DALFA-Umurinzi, was previously imprisoned from 2010 to 2018 for conspiring to form an armed group and minimizing the 1994 genocide. She was freed in 2018 after serving six years of a 15-year jail sentence.
Ingabire’s detention comes after she testified in a high-profile terrorism case involving nine individuals accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
The arrest has raised concerns about political freedoms in Rwanda, where opposition figures have long accused the government of using the judicial system to silence dissent. Human rights organizations have also expressed alarm about the crackdown on opposition and critics in the country.
Ingabire’s case is part of a broader trend in East Africa, where opposition leaders frequently face detention, surveillance, or prosecution.
Other regional leaders have also been detained or restricted, sparking concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions and civilian freedoms.
