On Saturday, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) searched Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire’s house, the self-proclaimed opposition politician, hiding behind political activism to disguise her criminal activities, including the recruitment and operation of armed terrorist groups, whose main objective is to destabilize Rwanda.
It is highly likely that Ingabire will most likely find herself in the crosshairs with the law, less than two years after she was released on a presidential pardon in September 2018, from what law enforcers gathered out of the surprise visit. The Head of State commuted her 15-year sentence for the remaining portion.
Despite being granted a presidential gesture, Ingabire, who returned to Rwanda in 2010, with only presidential ambitions to end up on the wrong side of the law, has not reformed as anyone who is expected to benefit from presidential clemency.
Instead, the founder of the Union Democratic Forces-(FDU Inkingi) came up with new ways to disguise her criminal activities, quickly renaming her unregistered political outfit DALFA Umurinzi, after it became apparent that she could not cover up her organization’s involvement in terrorist activities after the group of experts of the United Nation confirmed that FDU-Inkingi was part of the P5 Coalition.
A report by the UN Group of Experts on the situation in the Eastern DRC, a few months after its release in December 2018, confirmed that fugitive Kayumba Nyamwasa, based in South Africa, was leading a terrorist outfit known as “P5,” which operated in the South Kivu province of DR Congo.
The outfit, which has since suffered enormous casualties in the hands of the FARDC operations of the Congolese Government, is made up of various terrorist organizations including Rwanda National Congress (RNC), Ingabire’s FDU-Inkingi, her criminal partner’s so-called PS-Imberakuri Bernard Ntaganda, convict Deo Mushayidi’s PDP-Imanzi and Etienne Masozera’s Amahoro People’s Congress (Amahoro-PC)
After realizing that she had been compromised and without any way out, Ingabire made a desperate tactical move, first by seeking to separate herself from the divisive and harmful propaganda fuelled on the internet by FDU-Inkingi networks and then by attempting to launch a new political organization in November 2019 under the names of DALFA Umurinzi.
Although many read in her frenzied movements to cover up her criminal activities, Ingabire was left to continue her activities, continually abussing the freedom granted to her, in total disregard of the President of the Republic’s mercy and goodwill, which gave her a second chance to correct herself.
Instead, she went on with her later motives, week after week, alleging a disappearance or some kind of harassment or even murder of someone dear to her or her follower, in an attempt to tarnish the image of the law enforcement organs and that of the government.
In addition to having to report regularly to the prosecution as required by statute, Ingabire was free, enjoying unrestricted liberty. Last October, she was summoned to RIB to be questioned about her ties with the terrorist groups. Her links to those communities were never in question. She was left to enjoy her independence nevertheless.
She conducts interviews with Western media outlets and all sorts of Youtube gutter channels week after week, endlessly tarnishing the government and its leadership while feeding hungry human rights watchdogs with all sorts of allegations aimed at mudslinging the government.
However, ‘Akabaye Icwende ntikoga’ as they say in Kinyarwanda. Criminal activities by Ingabire continued unabated. She was questioned in October last year about the October 5 attacks in districts of Musanze and Burera that were related to RUD-Urunana and P5.
The armed attacks stated that at least 15 people were arrested, and some of the attackers reported their ties to Ingabire.
It was no wonder that she hurriedly found a way to rename her political outfit as it became so overwhelming proof. A little too late.
Ingabire has pursued a persistent pursuit of her genocidal agenda, mobilizing people internally to support her criminal group. As they tell, reality inevitably comes to light.
When Gaston Munyabugingo, an individual given every opportunity by the Rwandan government like any other citizen, was caught trying to flee the country, it emerged that he was one of those Ingabire mobilized to join her criminal outfit.
Reliable sources say Munyabugingo ‘s arrest had opened a pandora box, revealing extensively the hideous subversive activities of Ingabire and all those involved.
Indeed, following RIB ‘s search over the weekend, it emerged that Ingabire and her camp went into panic mode, reaching out quickly to human rights watchdogs, asking them to issue statements condemning Rwanda’s government as they knew the evidence against her is so incriminating.
It is expected that the likes of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and others who have made it a habit of hounding the Rwandan government are already in arms trying to come up with more biased, one-sided reports accusing the Rwandan government of this and totally disregarding all the evidence that involves her out there.
The Ingabire situation was a puzzling one. It doesn’t matter how much proof is provided in court, it doesn’t matter all the paper and pictorial proof, submissions from her former country of residence and all the specifics of her visits to the DRC to meet the militia groups like the FDLR. According to the watchdogs the accusations against her are a political witch-hunt.
The groups shouted on the rooftops when she was first arrested in 2010 and sentenced to eight years by the High Court on charges of inciting the masses to revolt against the government, forming armed groups to destabilize the country and minimizing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Her sentence was later upgraded by the Supreme Court to 15 years after she lodged an appeal in 2013. The watchdogs still shouted, totally disregarding all the evidence against her. For them it doesn’t matter the evidence. What counts is their conviction that she is being persecuted for her political views.
When President Kagame granted her a presidential pardon in September 2018, along with 2,140 other convicts who were granted clemency, including the deceased singer Kizito Mihigo, there was no single report from the watchdogs recognizing the gesture. Ingabire is an Angel to them, clean and harmless.
Let us not forget that she was not released because she was neither guilty nor because there was no evidence to link her to those activities.
She was released because the Head of State claimed that Ingabire, like other Rwandans convicted of various crimes, could be granted a new life lease by writing to the President of the Republic asking for an early release, which she had done many times. Also it should be noted that being released on presidential clemency does not remove the fact that crimes have been committed. It is only a second chance that you get.
In addition to engaging in her criminal activities, Ingabire also tried to sanitize her mother Therese Dusabe by denying her role against the Tutsi in the 1994 Genocide. The former nurse is well known for their involvement in the Butamwa Commune genocide, now in the Nyarugenge District Mageragere Sector.
Ingabire deliberately gave interviews to local outlets and Youtube channels that have turned into her mouthpieces, where she explicitly denies the role of her mother in the genocide, but that’s another day’s story.
At this point, however, what Munyabugingo revealed in the course of investigations that prompted RIB to pay an impromptu visit to Ingabire could be a major turning point for her and many others that will be named in the file.
There are many people who will be challenged in the coming days as more of Ingabire ‘s actions come to light, according to the RIB spokesperson, Marie Michelle Umuhoza.
Would Ingabire’s presidential pardon be revoked to face justice once more? Your guess is as good as mine.
