Statement: As Kagame Seeks Peace with the DRC, He Must Also Declare Peace with Political Rivals

On June 27 in Washington, DC, leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo will sign a peace agreement to end a long running border conflict – fueled by Rwanda’s desire for access to vast mineral reserves – that has cost millions of innocent lives.  It remains unclear whether this peace can hold, but it is certainly a step in the right direction for this war-torn region. 

As Rwanda looks to make peace with its neighbors in the DRC, the below listed signatories of the human rights community urge President Kagame and his government to declare another kind of peace – peace with his political rivals and voices of opposition within Rwanda.

President Kagame’s regime has a long history of imprisoning, disappearing, or even murdering his critics with impunity. This must end. Democratic governments around the world should expect more from an ally that depends heavily on foreign aid – they must demand that Kagame respect the rule of law and stop his relentless campaign to silence dissidents both within and outside Rwanda.

The most recent example of the lengths to which Kagame will go to silence dissent is Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, a one-time opposition presidential candidate. She was imprisoned from 2010-2018, including five years in solitary confinement, in a case that the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights ruled had violated her right to freedom of expression and right to a defense. While she was later pardoned by Kagame himself and released from prison, Ms. Ingabire never had her civil rights restored. Since her release, she has been unable to leave the country to visit her family abroad, including grandchildren and her gravely ill husband, or to participate in elections.  In essence, she has spent the last seven years under a form of house arrest and has been closely monitored by Kagame’s government.

Last week on June 19, Ms. Ingabire was summoned to court to provide testimony in the trial of eight members of her political party and an independent journalist accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Although they had been arrested in 2021 and on trial since July 2024, Ms. Ingabire had never been arrested or charged in relation to their case. In reality, these individuals merely attended online training sessions on nonviolent resistance and discussed ways to promote human rights and democracy. In August 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called their detention unlawful and resulting from the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Under the guise that these were her party associates and she was therefore linked to their actions, Ms. Ingabire’s house was raided by the police later that evening and she was taken into custody.  She has been detained since that date, and on 24 June the Rwandan Prosecutor signed a warrant for her arrest.

The Kagame regime’s treatment of opposition figures like Ms. Ingabire should be a major red flag for any government or entity that seeks to do business with Rwanda in any form.  Whether it is a business investment, a cultural exchange, or a peace agreement, it is unbelievably difficult – perhaps impossible – to have confidence in any agreement made with a government that claims to be democratic, yet so routinely violates the rule of law, democratic norms, and basic human rights. 

For the people of the DRC, we hope to see a peace agreement with Rwanda signed this week. But for the people of Rwanda, we want President Kagame to declare peace with his political rivals and voices of opposition, starting with Victoire Ingabire. Free her, allow her to leave the country and reunite with her family, drop the spurious charges against her associates, and end this political witch hunt once and for all.  

Signatories:

African Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD Initiative)

Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (APDHE)

Human Rights Foundation

Katutu Civil Rights Center

Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice

Nicaraguan Freedom Foundation

NYC Bar Association's International Human Rights Committee

Rwandan Platform for Dialogue, Truth and Justice (RDTJ)

Vanguard Africa

World Liberty Congress