2 Rwandan army officers charged over incitement

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Two Rwandan army officers have been charged with inciting the public against the government of President Paul Kagame.

Brig. Gen. Frank Rusagara and Col. Tom Byabagamba were also charged in a military court Friday with illegal possession of firearms and spreading falsehoods against Rwanda’s government.

The two were arrested last week.

Byabagamba, who once was the commander of the elite force in charge of Kagame’s security, is a brother to the prominent Rwandan exile and Kagame critic David Himbara.

Rusagara, who retired from the army last year, had recently served as the defense attache at Rwanda’s diplomatic mission in Britain.

Many senior army officers have fallen out with Kagame over the years, with some fleeing into exile because they believed their lives had been threatened.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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