Ingabire Victoire Umuhoza, a self-proclaimed Rwandan politician, has persistently accused the Rwandan government of violating human rights as well as principles of democracy. Western media made it easy for her to spread the propaganda since it fits in their agenda towards Kigali.

From the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Western media used each and every means to tarnish the image of the RPF-led government. Despite remarkable development made in different sectors, their narrative keeps portraying Rwanda as hell on earth.

Western media never bother to check facts on the profile of their ‘heroine’, Ingabire. Their standards and ethics remains questionable. How can they consciously provide a platform for someone with a criminal mindset to propagate dangerous lies, labeling her as an opposition leader despite being an advocate for genocide ideologues?

On December 14, The Guardian published an article claiming that Ingabire has received threats after saying Rwanda was not a safe place to send refugees.

The article quoted Ingabire saying: “I am alarmed that there appears to be a campaign to harm me for no other reason than the fact that I was given platform to share my views on the UK-Rwanda asylum deal by international media.”

One day before the publication, Ingabire told Voice of America that she is safe and free at her home in Kigali.

“Even visitors come and go freely. No security personnel around my residence. The information [about death threat] has only circulated on social media. That’s how I got to know it,” said Ingabire.

Ingabire’s contradicting statements highlight the duplicity of Western media, and their grand conspiracy with Ingabire to attract the world’s attention on her, as Rwanda’s 2024 general elections approaches.

Ingabire’s motive to being a politician is contrary to Rwandans’ interests given her criminal record.

Over the past three decades, Ingabire has participated in terror activities plotted by armed militias she co-founded. Those include ALiR, FDLR, and P5 coalition which aim at destabilizing her home country and fellow citizens.

She has maintained close ties with the FDLR militia, known for its genocidal activities. Ingabire’s alignment with their genocide ideology and intentions is widely ignored by Western media.

In 2013, Ingabire was tried and convicted for crimes related to genocide and terrorism. She was sentenced to 15 years in jail, but released in 2018, on presidential pardon.

But she responded to this generosity with disdain. She continued to tarnish the image of Rwanda’s leadership while associating with terror groups with genocidal intentions.

Any remorse that Ingabire had expressed in her plea for clemency to the president was not genuine.

In November, Ingabire declared that she is proud of the Wazalendo’s activities.

Wazalendo, a militia formed by Congolese youth to allegedly support the national army in fighting M23, has been involved in barbaric acts targeting Congolese Tutsi communities. They loot cows belonging to the Congolese Tutsi, burn their houses as well as kill them.

Ingabire’s declaration was not surprising, since Wazalendo operates closely with FDLR, a terror group that she is pinning her hopes on to overthrow Rwandan government.

Through Western media, Ingabire positions herself as a unity advocate while ruining the achievements made by the Rwandan government in the unity and reconciliation journey. She has repeatedly contributed to narratives aimed at promoting divisionism among Rwandans.

In 2010, Ingabire was recorded asking about when Rwandans will commemorate the “genocide against the Hutu.” This is a well-documented evidence of her support of the double genocide theory.

If Rwanda oppresses human rights and freedom of expression as Ingabire claimed to ‘prove’ that the country is not safe, why does she not face consequences for her anti-Rwanda rhetoric while living Kigali?

Ingabire thinks that tarnishing the image of Rwanda and its leaders will elevate her status. She is mistaken. Instead of causing harm, her statements serve as evidence that her accusations are groundless. Her very existence in Kigali, roaming freely in the clean city, is a proof to that fact.

She won’t succeed in deceiving Rwandans since they know her true colors.

The Guardian, Aljazeera, CNN, BBC, Channel 4, New York Times, among many other prominent Western media, give Ingabire space to talk about democracy and governance in Rwanda without checking facts, which would otherwise prove her to be an unreliable source.

They ignore the fact that she is a convicted criminal. They can never talk about her criminal life. They are busy shaping her into “Rwandan opposition leader” which will never happen.

Rwanda's law governing Political Organizations and Politicians prohibits anyone who has been sentenced to an imprisonment equal to or exceeding six months; or committed crimes of Genocide against the Tutsi, to be in the management of a political organization.

No matter how Western media whitewash her, Ingabire will never be a politician in Rwanda.