Rwandan opposition leader Frank Ntwali blasts “bogus” terror claims

Frank Ntwali has lived in South Africa for more than two decades, long enough to build a career, raise his children, and root himself in a country far from the one his family once called home.

Yet Rwanda’s political orbit continues to pull him into its storms. This month, that pull came with force: his name appeared on a list of 26 individuals accused of terrorism financing by Rwanda’s Financial Intelligence Centre.

For Ntwali — chairman of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), a long-standing opposition group — the allegations were not just shocking. They were, in his words, “entirely unfounded” and deeply political.

“I believe they reflect a broader pattern in which the Rwandan government labels political critics or opposition figures as security threats,” he said in an interview in Johannesburg, speaking with the measured cadence of a lawyer who has had to explain himself too many times.

The sanctions arrived at a delicate diplomatic moment. South Africa was preparing to host the G20 Summit, with Rwandan leadership expected to attend. To Ntwali, the timing was no coincidence.

“Given the timing,” he said, “the move appears intended to create a narrative portraying critics abroad as security threats.”

It’s a familiar accusation in East Africa, where governments have long been accused of projecting domestic political battles onto diaspora communities — a practice human rights groups increasingly refer to as transnational repression.

Ntwali believes the sanctions fit squarely within that trend. Once a government labels an opponent a security risk, he warned, it becomes easier to pressure host countries, restrict movement, or tarnish reputations abroad. His frustration was palpable.

“Raising concerns about governance, political freedoms, and due process should not be equated with terrorism,” he said.

Ntwali’s critics have pointed to alleged links between the RNC and armed opposition groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a claim Rwanda has repeated for years when confronting its opposition abroad. But Ntwali dismissed those allegations with unusual force.

“I have never had any connection— direct or indirect—with the FDLR or with any group involved in violence or unlawful activities,” he said.

“My work has always been rooted in peaceful advocacy.” Accusations that he coordinated recruitment for the RNC’s P5 coalition or served as a liaison with the FDLR were, he insisted, “baseless” and “entirely fabricated.”

He described his work as “public, peaceful, and focused on democratic advocacy,” a stark contrast to the narrative he says Kigali is trying to construct. Born in Uganda to Rwandan parents, Ntwali says his political consciousness was shaped not by armed struggle but by questions of governance, rights, and accountability.

Those questions are the foundation of his work today — and, he argues, the real reason behind the sanctions.

“This is an effort to criminalize dissent and silence government critics,” he said. “Not a legitimate security measure.”

Whether the sanctions will gain traction outside Rwanda remains to be seen. South African authorities have not yet issued a formal response. But Ntwali worries less about the legal implications than about the broader political message: that the Rwandan government’s reach, and its willingness to label opponents as threats, continues to extend far beyond its borders. For now, he remains defiant.

After more than 25 years in exile, he says he has learned that speaking out carries risks — but silence carries greater ones.