The High Court in Kigali on February 6 resumed the trial of YouTuber Theoneste Nsengimana and his co-accused, including Sylvain Nsanzimana, Claudine Uwimana, and Alexis Rucubangana, among others, who face charges related to conspiracy against the government.

Witness Boniface Nzabandora provided testimony implicating the accused in anti-government activities.

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Witness testimony

Nzabandora, a farmer from Ngoma District, stated that he was politically affiliated with some of the accused but had no personal ties to them. He pointed out that he and most of the defendants were members of the political organisation founded by Victoire Ingabire, FDU-Inkingi, which later became DALFA-Umurinzi in 2019.

Nzabandora admitted to working closely with Ingabire, assisting her in facilitating meetings and other tasks. He also sought to learn English to help the communicate with international contacts.

According to Nzabandora, Ingabire temporarily dismissed him in May 2019 due to a reduced workload but called him back in November of the same year.

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Upon his return, he found several party members at her residence in Kigali, where she introduced him to plans of establishing DALFA-Umurinzi and appointed him as a representative in Eastern Province.

Nzabandora testified that he became aware of the conspiracy through online training sessions organized by Nsanzimana, who used the alias "Grace.”

Initially, Nsanzimana claimed the sessions were English language courses, in line with Nzabandora’s request for language training. However, Nzabandora later realized that the sessions were focused on strategies to undermine the government.

He detailed some of the topics discussed during the training, including identifying vulnerable groups for mobilization, such as former genocide convicts, motorcyclists, and street vendors, among others.

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He mentioned various groups of people he was advised to avoid: government-affiliated entities, including the Rwanda National Police (RNP), Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), and genocide survivors.

Other topic, he said, included tactics and strategies to employing non-violent resistance, including protests, boycotts, and mobilization strategies.

According to the witness, a preliminary session was held on September 9, 2021 to train participants on using the online platform before the actual training commenced on September 13. He also stated that he was provided with financial support to buy internet to attend the sessions. The trainers allegedly referenced case studies, including Uganda’s failed uprising, to promote a gradual approach to destabilization.

Nzabandora claimed that Umubavu TV Online, owned by Nsengimana, and Ishema TV, owned by Hassan Cyuma, were expected to cover the trials of certain groups. These included the case involving former residents of of Kangondo and Kibiraro villages and planned demonstrations as part of their mobilization efforts.

However, he clarified that he did not learn this information during the training itself.

Explaining why he continued to attend the sessions despite suspecting that they were illegal, Nzabandora said he was alarmed from the moment he was given a fake name to use.

Realizing the sessions were not English lessons as he had expected, he decided to record the training and report the activities to the authorities.

Defence arguments

Defense lawyers challenged Nzabandora’s credibility, questioning his reason to continue the training if he opposed their agenda. He responded that he saw it as his duty as a Rwandan citizen to report wrongdoing and wanted to gather evidence.

When asked about his relationship with Nsanzimana, Nzabandora acknowledged having a good rapport with him as a fellow party member but denied any formal involvement in the alleged conspiracy.

Regarding Nsengimana, the witness stated that he first saw him in 2019 when the YouTuber covered the inauguration of DALFA-Umurinzi. He noted that Nsengimana frequently covered events related to opposition parties. When asked whether multiple media outlets attended the inauguration, Nzabandora said that only Nsengimana’s media house was present.

Other co-accused, including Rucubangana, Sibomana, and Uwamahoro among others, also cross-examined the witness, questioning his knowledge of their roles and the extent of his evidence including the recordings he took.

Nzabandora explained what he knew and admitted that he did not record the entire training session due to internet connection issues.

The trial has been adjourned to March 17 for further hearings.