Prominent Rwandan opposition leader and Catholic priest Padre Thomas Nahimana, President of the Rwandan Opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (ROC), has issued a scathing statement following the death of Aimable Karasira, killed on May 7, 2026.
In a direct message on X formerly Twitter, Nahimana declared: “The reviled regime of Paul Kagame has just assassinated Aimable Karasira in the most cynical manner possible.
Regime change in Kigali is the most urgent solution.”
Nahimana Thomas, a longtime vocal critic of President Paul Kagame living in exile, framed Karasira’s death not as a tragic accident or suicide, but as a deliberate, cold-blooded assassination orchestrated by the RPF regime at the precise moment of his release. He described the timing as “the most cynical,” killing a man on the very day he had completed his sentence and was about to regain freedom.
For Nahimana and many in the opposition, this incident is not an isolated tragedy. It represents the latest proof that the current government in Kigali will stop at nothing to eliminate dissent, even after its own courts and prisons have finished their work. He argues that genuine reconciliation, freedom of speech, and justice for all victims (Tutsi, Twas, and Hutu ) are impossible under Kagame’s rule.
Why “Regime Change” Is Now the Central Call
Nahimana’s statement echoes growing sentiment among Rwandan opposition figures and diaspora activists: No Safe Space for Critics: Karasira, like others before him (Kizito Mihigo, various journalists, and activists), was allegedly silenced permanently. Prison could no longer contain him, so the regime allegedly chose death.
Broken System: Laws on “divisionism,” “genocide ideology,” and national security are weaponized to crush any challenge to the official narrative. Nahimana has long argued that true democracy and accountability require removing the root cause, the authoritarian structure built around Kagame.
Urgency for 2029 and Beyond: With Kagame’s long hold on power and constitutional maneuvers allowing him to rule indefinitely, Nahimana and the ROC see peaceful but decisive regime change as the only path to prevent further deaths and open Rwanda to real political competition
JUSTICE & CRIME
Regime change in Kigali is the most urgent solution, — Nahimana Thomas
May 8, 2026
May 15, 2026
3 min read
Published
Updated:
Prominent Rwandan opposition leader and Catholic priest Padre Thomas Nahimana, President of the Rwandan Opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (ROC), has issued a scathing statement following the death of Aimable Karasira, killed on May 7, 2026.
In a direct message on X formerly Twitter, Nahimana declared: “The reviled regime of Paul Kagame has just assassinated Aimable Karasira in the most cynical manner possible.
Regime change in Kigali is the most urgent solution.”
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Nahimana Thomas, a longtime vocal critic of President Paul Kagame living in exile, framed Karasira’s death not as a tragic accident or suicide, but as a deliberate, cold-blooded assassination orchestrated by the RPF regime at the precise moment of his release. He described the timing as “the most cynical,” killing a man on the very day he had completed his sentence and was about to regain freedom.
For Nahimana and many in the opposition, this incident is not an isolated tragedy. It represents the latest proof that the current government in Kigali will stop at nothing to eliminate dissent, even after its own courts and prisons have finished their work. He argues that genuine reconciliation, freedom of speech, and justice for all victims (Tutsi, Twas, and Hutu ) are impossible under Kagame’s rule.
Why “Regime Change” Is Now the Central Call
Nahimana’s statement echoes growing sentiment among Rwandan opposition figures and diaspora activists: No Safe Space for Critics: Karasira, like others before him (Kizito Mihigo, various journalists, and activists), was allegedly silenced permanently. Prison could no longer contain him, so the regime allegedly chose death.
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Broken System: Laws on “divisionism,” “genocide ideology,” and national security are weaponized to crush any challenge to the official narrative. Nahimana has long argued that true democracy and accountability require removing the root cause, the authoritarian structure built around Kagame.
Urgency for 2029 and Beyond: With Kagame’s long hold on power and constitutional maneuvers allowing him to rule indefinitely, Nahimana and the ROC see peaceful but decisive regime change as the only path to prevent further deaths and open Rwanda to real political competition
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Padre Nahimana’s message has resonated widely in opposition circles, amplifying calls for international attention and unified action against what they describe as a dictatorship that kills its critics at home and abroad. While the Rwandan government continues to deny any involvement in Karasira’s death and maintains the official overdose narrative, voices like Nahimana insist the pattern is too clear to ignore.
The assassination of Aimable Karasira, in the eyes of many Rwandan critics, has become a tipping point, turning grief into a renewed demand: Regime change in Kigali is the most urgent solution.
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