Police in Rwanda have confirmed the arrest of some members of the country’s two opposition parties on Thursday. The two parties, FDU-Inkingi and the PDP-Imanzi according to officials are not recognised officially and will now be questioned for their activities.
Senior officials of these parties have confirmed the arrests as well with FDU-Inkingi’s spokesperson, Justin Bahunga saying in a statement from exile in Britain that “This wave of arrest comes after that of the Diane Rwigara family and seeks to completely silence the dissenting voices of the democratic opposition in Rwanda.”
Diane Rwigara, a critic of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was prevented from contesting the August 4 Presidential elections for not meeting the electoral requirement.
She was arrested last week together with some of her relatives and questioned by police on the charge of forgery and tax evasion.
The PDP-Imanzi party also confirmed the arrest in Kigali of its vice-president, Jean-Marie Vianney Kayumba.
Police however said it was “holding seven individuals linked to armed groups operating in a neighbouring country” with four FDU-Inkingi officials among the names listed by police.
Rwanda has accused parties like Ingabire — of having links to the FDLR, a Rwandan rebel group exiled in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since 1994.
Source: Africafeeds.com
