Protais Mitali, who had fled Rwanda after serving as the country’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, passed away on August 1, 2025, in Belgium where he had been residing. Reports indicate that he died of cancer.

Ambassador Mitali had been on the radar of Interpol, the international police organization, after the Government of Rwanda accused him of embezzling funds belonging to the Liberal Party (PL), where he once served as party president.

In early 2015, PL leadership announced that more than 50 million Rwandan Francs had gone missing from the party’s accounts, and Mitali was held responsible.

At the time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had begun urging Mitali to resolve the financial issues he had with the party, despite his diplomatic post. However, he reportedly fled the country soon afterward.

In July 2015, Interpol published a notice on its website declaring Mitali wanted for alleged theft and mismanagement of funds entrusted to him.

An audit conducted by the PL party revealed that between January 2013 and June 2014, about 63 million Rwandan Francs were embezzled — with 45 million Frw reportedly withdrawn by Mitali from the party’s account in a single day.