Rwanda – Open Letter Accuses Kagame of Plotting to Kill Opposition Leader Victoire Ingabire

Brussels, 30 June 2025 – The Centre for the Fight Against Impunity and Injustice in Rwanda (CLIIR), led by long-time human rights defender Matata Yozefu, has published a striking open letter addressed to the four children of Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The letter urges them to intervene and stop what is described as a state-backed plan to eliminate prominent opposition figure Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza.

In the letter, sent from Brussels and signed by CLIIR’s coordinator, Matata directly appeals to Yvan Cyomoro Kagame, Ange Ingabire Kagame, Major Ian Cyigenza Kagame, and Second Lieutenant Brian Kagame. He implores them to “halt the murderous scheme” allegedly orchestrated against Mme Ingabire, who was arrested on the night of 19 June 2025 and is currently held at Remera Police Station in Kigali.

CLIIR claims that Mme Ingabire is falsely accused of collaborating with the FDLR rebel group based in the Congolese forests—an accusation the organisation describes as politically motivated and reminiscent of earlier state-led repression. The letter points out that President Kagame had previously claimed never to imprison someone twice, suggesting that the current arrest signals a more dangerous intent: her physical elimination.

Victoire Ingabire, who heads the DALFA-Umulinzi political party, was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2012, following her return from exile. She was released in September 2018 under presidential pardon after serving eight years. Her arrest in June 2025 has sparked alarm among human rights groups and her supporters. Matata draws a disturbing parallel with the suspicious death in police custody of singer Kizito Mihigo in February 2020. “They claimed he committed suicide, but nobody believed it,” the letter says.

Included with the letter is the speech Mme Ingabire delivered at Kigali International Airport upon her return to Rwanda in January 2010. In it, she clearly rejected violence and declared her peaceful intentions. She called for national unity, recognition of all victims of the Rwandan conflict—not only the Tutsi genocide but also Hutu civilians killed outside the legal system—and the peaceful establishment of a democratic system. She stated she came “without an army, without weapons”, and only with the aim of helping Rwandans free themselves from fear and repression.

Matata recalls his own past engagement with President Kagame, including a meeting in August 1994 when Kagame was vice president. At the time, Matata says he warned Kagame about abuses committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Over three decades later, the letter accuses the regime of continuing to rule through violence, fear, and lies.

The letter calls for the immediate release of other political prisoners as well, including Yvonne Idamange (sentenced to 17 years for denouncing government policies during COVID), journalist Cyuma Hassan (7 years), journalist Théoneste Nsengimana (in detention without trial for nearly four years), and Déogratias Mushayidi (life sentence), among others. It also names Karasira Aimable, Abdul Rashidi Hakuzimana, and Marie Louise Mukamwiza Zubeda, the wife of political dissident Bicahaga Abdallah, who was sentenced in absentia.

The author ends the letter with a stark warning to the Kagame family: “Mme Victoire will be the one who stands up for you when power slips away, as it has for many presidential families in history.” He pleads with the Kagame children—now grown, educated, and in positions of influence—to act before irreversible harm is done.

This appeal comes amid increasing concerns over political repression in Rwanda, especially following the heavily criticised 2024 presidential election, which saw Paul Kagame re-elected under contested circumstances. The CLIIR’s intervention is part of growing international pressure on Rwanda to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law.

The Rwandan authorities have yet to issue an official response to the letter. Meanwhile, Ingabire’s legal team is demanding immediate access to her and transparency about the conditions of her detention, fearing for her life.