Presidential candidate is arrested in Rwanda

(AFP)

Rwanda's main opposition leader was arrested under the country's controversial genocide laws yesterday. Victoire Ingabire is the leading challenger to Rwanda's long-serving President Paul Kagame in elections due in August.

An accountant who until recently lived in Europe, Ms Ingabire has been questioned several times since she returned and declared she would run for president. The government says the laws are designed to prevent a repeat of the 1994 genocide but rights groups say they are used to harass political opponents and other critics.

Mr Kagame, who has been in power since the genocide, has become increasingly intolerant of his critics and is accused of seeking to strengthen his already tight control of the country ahead of voting.

The former guerrilla leader has been accused of using international guilt over the 1994 killings to silence critics and establish an authoritarian state. Earlier this week there was a reshuffle among senior figures in the army followed by the arrest of two generals on charges of corruption and immoral conduct.