Kagame’s opponent held over genocide

By Josh Kron  (email the author)

Posted Friday, April 23 2010 at 00:00

Daily Monitor

Kigali

A vocal opposition leader who is seeking to challenge President Paul Kagame in Rwanda’s presidential election in August has been arrested and charged with crimes linked to genocide. Ms Victoire Ingabire was arrested on Wednesday in Kigali and was yesterday charged with promoting genocide ideology, ethnic division and collaborating with the Interahamwe rebels who carried out atrocities during the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 Rwandans died.

The politician, who leads the unregistered United Democratic Forces Party, was later transferred to an undisclosed location outside the capital. Rwandan media quoted the public prosecutor, Mr Martin Ngoga, saying it would not be wise to release Ms Ingabire on bail because of an attempt she made earlier in the year to leave the country. He did not say why the case had been moved outside of Kigali City.

Ms Ingabire says the allegations against her are baseless. Ms Ingabire’s arrest comes after months of investigations and questioning by the Rwandan police over allegations of propagating ethnic divisionism and collaborating with the FDLR rebel group that is present in eastern Congo. She has repeatedly denied the allegations. Ms Ingabire, an ethnic Hutu, was living in Europe during the genocide and returned to Rwanda early this year.

Soon after her return, she sparked off controversy when, during a visit to the country’s largest genocide memorial, where more than 250,000 Tutsi genocide victims are buried, Ms Ingabire said Hutu who had been killed during the genocide were not being officially remembered.

Ingabire’s arrest came shortly after two senior military officers were suspended and arrested on Monday. Rwanda Defence Forces spokesperson Jill Rutaremara, said Lt. Gen. Charles Muhire was arrested “due to serious charges of corruption and misuse of office” while Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Karenzi Karake was accused of “serious charges of immoral conduct that contravenes and undermines the values and ethos of the Rwanda Defence Force”.

Rights groups criticise Rwanda for planning August elections without a meaningful opposition to President Kagame’s ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The emerging opposition groups say they face harassment, intimidation, legal and administrative barriers to registration, adding they may form one bloc to oppose the RPF.