What changed
Robert Kabera, a 50-year-old former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, was found beheaded near Kampala, Uganda, over the weekend. Ugandan police said his head had not been recovered.
Kabera had sought asylum in Uganda after denying a sexual-assault accusation in Rwanda. His widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, said she feared for the safety of their children. Kabera had more than 144,000 YouTube subscribers and used his channel, which contained over 800 videos, to criticise Kagame’s administration.
Why it matters
Kabera’s death leaves a family frightened and an exile community facing a question with no easy answer: whether leaving Rwanda is enough to find safety. His body was discovered after he travelled to inspect a construction site about 45km outside Kampala. The killer, motive and whereabouts of his missing head remain unknown, and it is not confirmed that the killing was politically motivated.
The case carries particular weight because another prominent Kagame critic, Patrick Karegeya, was found dead in a Johannesburg hotel room in 2014. Karegeya had helped establish the opposition Rwanda National Congress after fleeing Rwanda. South African authorities later issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of his murder.
The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on Kabera’s killing. The Rwanda National Congress has called for a thorough investigation and justice for those responsible. For Kabera’s family, the immediate issue is more personal: protection, in a place where they had expected to be beyond reach.
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