A Rwandan man, Innocent Ruzibiza, has been sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of collaborating with “enemies of the state.” The ruling was handed down by a local court in Gatsibo District earlier this month, following months of detention.
Ruzibiza, a father of two, was accused by prosecutors of facilitating his sons’ involvement with armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The state argued that he had knowingly “sent his children to join rebel movements seeking to destabilise Rwanda.”
The allegations referenced his eldest son, Joseph Bazirushaka, who disappeared in 2012 and is believed to have died in Congo, and his younger son, Eric Nambajimana, who left Rwanda in late 2022 after being recruited under a controversial youth employment scheme. Authorities claimed the father had played an active role in encouraging both sons to join armed groups, charges he strongly denied during proceedings.
Family members insist that both sons were victims of forced recruitment by state-linked military programmes, not participants in voluntary rebel activities. “Eric was taken under the pretext of a job programme and later discovered he was being trained for operations in Congo,” a relative told reporters. “When he escaped, they punished his father instead.”
Human rights observers have raised concerns about the case, calling it an example of collective punishment and intimidation. A local lawyer, speaking anonymously, noted that the court proceedings were brief and lacked substantive evidence. “The verdict seemed intended to pressure the missing son to surrender rather than establish genuine culpability,” he said.
The conviction highlights long-standing allegations that Rwanda continues to recruit or coerce young men into military activities linked to the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC. Kigali denies direct involvement in M23 operations, though multiple UN and international reports have accused the government of providing support.
Ruzibiza’s jailing has deepened fears among families in Gatsibo and other districts, where youth recruitment drives have intensified in recent years under the guise of employment schemes. For his relatives, the outcome was devastating. “We already lost one son, Joseph Bazirushaka, in Congo in 2012,” said a family member. “Now the father is in prison for crimes he did not commit. This is not justice.”
The government has not commented publicly on the details of the case.
Therwandan
