Victoire Ingabire arrested over alleged role in criminal conspiracy

By The Inspirer.

Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, a former convict and prominent opposition figure, has been arrested by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) over allegations that she was involved in mobilizing a group accused of plotting to disrupt national security.

The arrest was announced late Thursday via RIB’s official X (formerly Twitter) channel, just hours after Ingabire appeared before the High Court, where her name had been repeatedly mentioned in an ongoing criminal trial involving multiple defendants.

“At the request of the prosecution, RIB has launched an investigation against Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza as part of the implementation of a High Court order in a case involving Sibomana Sylvain and his co-accused,” the RIB said in a statement.

According to RIB, Ingabire is under investigation for allegedly participating in the creation of a criminal network and engaging in acts that threaten public order.

She is currently being held at RIB’s Remera Station, pending the transfer of her case file to the National Public Prosecution Authority.

Her arrest follows her appearance in court in connection with a criminal case involving nine other individuals, including YouTuber Theoneste Nsengimana. The group is accused of conspiring to destabilize the government.

In the ongoing trial, prosecutors allege that the co-accused worked together in efforts aimed at undermining state authority.

This is not the first time Ingabire has faced legal trouble. In 2013, she was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges including threatening state security and inciting divisionism. She was released in 2018 following a presidential pardon granted by President Paul Kagame to over 2,100 prisoners.