2 December 2011 Rwandan journalist Charles Ingabire killed in Uganda A Rwandan journalist living as a political refugee in Uganda has been shot dead, police say. Charles Ingabire was gunned down in a bar in Kampala on Wednesday, but details are only now emerging. He was editor of Inyenyeri News, an online publication critical of the government of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Several critics of Mr Kagame have been attacked or killed in recent years. The government denies any responsibility.

Police say he had two bullet wounds and they are questioning a security guard and barmaid who worked at the bar.

“They’re helping with investigations,” Ibn Senkumbi told news agency Reuters.

Police say Mr Ingabire was drinking with an unidentified man at the bar near Makerere University when has killed.

They say they have recovered Mr Ingabire’s phone, which they say should tell them who he made contact with prior to his death, says the BBC’s Joshua Mmali.

Well-known Rwandan exiles were quick to point the finger at Rwandan security forces in posts on social media websites.

The Rwandan government has rejected allegations that it targets its opponents abroad as “preposterous”.

‘Very very insecure‘

Godwin Buwa, a legal adviser at Uganda’s Refugee Law Project, who had assisted Mr Ingabire, told the BBC he was “deeply saddened” by his loss.

“He told me quite a number of times how insecure he [was] and we co-ordinated to find some kind of security for him,” he said.

He said Mr Ingabire had been rejected as a candidate for resettlement by the UN‘s refugee agency, the UNHCR – despite “ample evidence that he was very very insecure”.

A UNHCR refugee protection officer told the BBC he was unaware of the murder and could not comment.

Seventeen years ago up to 800,000 people died in a genocide in Rwanda.

Since then, the country has been feted by Western donors and investors, but human rights groups say they are concerned about growing political repression.

The Microfinance Institution (MFI) Ongera was closed in Rwanda in June 2006 as part of a major crackdown by the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) on8-9 insolvent microfinance institutions. The closure was driven by a severe liquidity crisis, mismanagement, and fraudulent activities within the institution. 

Key reasons for the closure of Ongera, along with others like Gasabo and Intambwe, included:

Mismanagement of Funds: Investigations by the Central Bank and prosecution revealed that managers of these institutions were involved in mismanaging depositor funds.

Poor Credit Management and Default: The MFIs suffered huge losses due to weak credit management, which led to a high volume of non-performing loans.

Fraudulent Lending: Reports indicated that some managers authorized large, improper loans to friends or relatives. Some clients obtained loans by depositing invalid cheques as security.

Liquidity Crisis: The institutions ran out of cash (liquid), leaving them unable to meet their obligations to depositors.

Lack of Skilled Personnel: Many of these institutions struggled with a lack of professional skills in handling financial operations. 

Following the closure, the Rwandan government intervened to protect depositors, paying back 50% of the money owed and attempting to recover the rest by pursuing the culpable managers and fraudulent borrowers. 

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