A politician from Rwanda’s opposition party, who publicly spoke out against the UK’s deportation agreement this week, is concerned for her well-being after a presidential adviser accused her of “declaring war on her fellow citizens”.
Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza expressed her concerns about her country’s treatment of refugees in a column published by the Guardian on Tuesday. She has since become worried about the backlash she may face after an aide, who is a supporter of Paul Kagame, accused her of damaging Rwanda’s reputation in the global media.
Umuhoza, who was imprisoned for eight years following a trial deemed flawed by human rights organizations, has reported receiving warnings of a potential threat to her life. Her opinions have been criticized by supporters of the government on social media.
She expressed concern over a potential effort to harm her solely because she was given a platform by international media to share her opinions on the UK-Rwanda asylum agreement.
A friend alerted me two weeks ago about a potential danger to my life, but I dismissed it as mere speculation. However, yesterday I was informed that there is a plot to cause harm to me.
Whether these allegations are accurate or not, it remains a reality that individuals in Rwanda, including those who support me, have been inexplicably murdered or gone missing in the past.
Umuhoza, a resident of Kigali, has been interviewed by multiple media outlets following the announcement by Rishi Sunak last week that the UK government will intensify efforts to transport refugees to Rwanda.
Following a critical decision by the supreme court stating that Rwanda cannot guarantee the safety of refugees, the prime minister has declared a new legislation stating that Rwanda is a secure nation. This move aims to prevent legal challenges from obstructing flights from departing.
Umuhoza grew increasingly worried on Tuesday after reading a piece in a media outlet that supports Kagame, written by Joseph Rwagatare, who is an advisor to Kagame. The article stated that she was seriously ill and accused her of being ungrateful.
“She is actively fighting against her own country and fellow citizens,” he stated. “People with such severe disorders and illnesses believe they are highly intelligent. Ingabire is now portraying herself as a unifier and criticizes the Rwandan government for not promoting unity and reconciliation. This is only portrayed in foreign media, of course.”
Rwagatare commented on Umuhoza’s appearance on the BBC’s Hardtalk show on 7 December. He stated that she portrayed her country as unclean, impoverished, and unsafe for both its own citizens and foreigners, including asylum seekers. This may have been what some people in the United Kingdom wanted to hear, as it confirmed their prejudiced beliefs about Rwandan politicians.
“Despite loudly voicing her support for the preservation of fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech, her actions are contradictory as she continues to make extreme anti-Rwanda statements on Rwandan soil without facing any consequences.”
Rwagatare’s LinkedIn profile states that he serves as an advisor to the president of Rwanda. A June 2022 article in the Daily Mail referred to him as an education advisor to Kagame.
Umuhoza has been targeted with social media threats. One of these threats, written on X, accused her of committing “sedition” in her article for The Guardian. The threat also added that there is no worse reputation than being known as a Rwandan who collaborates with colonialists.
Someone else commented: “You should express gratitude to Kagame… I might shoot you.”
It has since emerged that £290m has been pledged in total to Rwanda between 2022 and 2024, while two other as yet unknown tranches will be paid in 2025 and 2026.
In 2010, a Hutu named Umuhoza was apprehended in Rwanda upon his return from exile as the leader of the United Democratic Forces party. He was arrested after expressing concern about the lack of recognition for moderate Hutu victims during a memorial for the 1994 genocide. He faced charges of collaborating with a terrorist group and downplaying the severity of the genocide, resulting in a 15-year prison sentence.
In 2018, she was granted clemency from Kagame and released. During her eight-year imprisonment, she spent five years in isolation. Amnesty International and other human rights groups criticized her trial as unfair.
Kagame has faced allegations of plotting to murder and abduct his political rivals.
Kagame is accused of being responsible for the death of his former intelligence chief, Patrick Karegeya, who was killed by strangulation in a hotel room in 2013 while residing in South Africa after fleeing the country.
Former Rwandan army leader Kayumba Nyamwasa, who fled to South Africa, has narrowly escaped two assassination attempts believed to be ordered by President Kagame.
The Rwandan government has been contacted for a statement.
Source: theguardian.com
