Prominent Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been arrested on charges of inciting public disorder and forming a criminal organization. Ingabire, who leads the unregistered DALFA–Umurinzi party, spent six years in prison after being barred from contesting the 2010 presidential election. Her lawyer, Iain Edwards, called the arrest politically motivated, describing it as a tactic to silence dissent and intimidate critics of President Paul Kagame’s government. Kagame, internationally praised for Rwanda’s post-genocide economic recovery, has long faced accusations of authoritarianism and human rights abuses—claims he denies. Meanwhile, Ingabire’s arrest, just months after Kagame’s landslide re-election, raises new concerns about political freedom and the safety of opposition voices in Rwanda.
Reuters
