KAMPALA, Uganda — A former Rwandan military officer who became a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda, raising fresh concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile.
Robert Kabera, 50, a former Rwandan army sergeant major, was found dead on the outskirts of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, over the weekend, reports BBC.
Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said investigations into the killing were ongoing, but Kabera’s head had yet to be recovered.
Kabera fled Rwanda and sought asylum in Uganda, citing political persecution. He had also faced an accusation of sexual assault, which he denied.
As of Monday, the Rwandan government had not publicly commented on his death, while the circumstances surrounding the killing remained unclear.
Kabera’s widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she feared for her family’s safety following the killing.
“It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don’t have security,” she said.
According to his family, Kabera had travelled to inspect a construction site about 45 kilometres outside Kampala before he was killed.
Beyond his military career, Kabera was known as a musician and YouTuber. His channel had attracted more than 144,000 subscribers and featured over 800 videos, many of which criticised Kagame and his administration.
Reacting to his death, the exiled opposition group Rwanda National Congress called for a thorough investigation and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
In a statement posted on X, the group said: “Today, his family is grieving, his voice is gone, and Rwandans in exile are confronting a terrifying question: where can we be safe?”
Kabera’s killing has revived concerns about the security of Rwandan government critics living outside the country.
In 2014, Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief who helped establish the Rwanda National Congress, was found dead in his hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Karegeya had fallen out with Kagame and was arrested twice before fleeing to South Africa in 2007, where he became a vocal critic of the Rwandan government.
Following Karegeya’s death, Kagame made remarks widely interpreted as a warning to his critics.
“Any person alive who may be plotting against Rwanda, whoever they are, will pay the price. Whoever it is, it is a matter of time,” he said.
In 2019, South African authorities issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of murdering Karegeya.
The BBC reported that Kabera’s killing had added to mounting concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile.
