Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been arrested and is being held at a detention center in the capital, Kigali, on accusations of inciting unrest and helping to establish a criminal organization, the Rwanda Investigations Bureau (RIB) announced in a statement released late Thursday.
The RIB stated that Ingabire is suspected of “playing a role in creating a criminal organization and engaging in acts that incite public disorder,” but did not provide further details about the alleged activities or when she is expected to appear before a court.
Ingabire, who heads the unregistered opposition party DALFA–Umurinzi, has had a longstanding and fraught relationship with the Rwandan authorities. Her arrest adds to a history of legal battles and political restrictions. In 2012, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted on charges of forming an armed group and attempting to minimize the 1994 genocide. She served six years of that sentence before being released in 2018 through a presidential pardon.
Before her initial imprisonment, Ingabire returned to Rwanda from exile in the Netherlands in 2010 with the intention of running in the presidential election. However, her candidacy was blocked after she faced accusations of genocide denial—a charge frequently used by the government against its critics.
Since her release, Ingabire has continued to be a vocal government critic, although her party, DALFA–Umurinzi, has not been granted legal registration. Her latest arrest has raised fresh concerns among rights groups and political observers about the state of political freedoms and space for opposition voices in Rwanda.