When Mutabazi heard the door open he entered the living room where he saw two men in front of him drawing a hand gun and immediately opened fire. Mutabazi fell to the ground screaming calling for help, neighbours responded immediately the shooters ran away. Surprisingly, Mutabazi was unharmed in the attack.
The police quickly arrived at the scene, and since then Mr Mutabazi is under police protection. When we spoke to Mutabazi he sounded very concerned about his life in his words ‘’ Kagame and his intelligence chiefs are worried of me, they believe that after spending more than twenty years serving His Excellence, I should not have left the country, they believe that one day I will open up and say all I witnessed while serving His Excellence Paul Kagame. I am not a politician. I am an ordinary person who is only trying to have protection and have peace like anyone else with my family. The Rwandese intelligence network is freely operating here in Kampala, we have to deal with it as it appears that God is the only saviour otherwise it is not safe for many people here.’’ He went further stated that he was waiting for the outcome from the Refugee Commissioner in Uganda who will decide his future as he is still hunted down by Kagame’s intelligence network. Mutabazi, having been in Kagame’s regime for some time, knows the dangers of being hunted by Kagame’s operatives. He believes that once they shoot at you they can never rest until you are killed as they will be afraid to go back and say that they never finalised the mission.
When we spoke to Sarah Jackson, the head of Amnesty International in the region, she stated that she was aware of Mr Mutabazi’s case and how he survived the shooting on Thursday, she reported that she was going to meet him early next week in order to see how they can assist him. We tried to contact the Uganda police spokesperson but we were unable as the telephone went straight to voice mail.
Lt Mutabazi fled Rwanda after spending a long time in prison as a result of being accused of supporting Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, it was reported that he criticised Kagame’s system for mistreating afande Kayumba Nyamwasa, and as a presidential guard he should not have mentioned any word that favours someone hated by His Excellence Paul Kagame.
But why is Lt Mutabazi hunted down to the extent of being shot in front of his children and wife by the man he served and protected all those years?
Mutabazi Yoweri was born in Uganda and grew up there like many Rwandans of that time, he joined the RPA in 1990 and remained in high command which was a unit responsible to protect Paul Kagame, later he was among the soldiers that made up Republican Guard unit, in which he remained the same role. Mutabazi remained among the few trusted soldiers in Kagame’s compound and of course there is a reason for Kagame wanting him dead. The main reason is the secrets he may be holding. It is not the first time for Kagame’s intelligence network wanting to kill his previous body guards and his top commanders. Kagame’s killers were able to eliminate a number of commanders and some of Paul Kagame’s ex-body guards through poisoning and injections but mainly killed them inside the country in Rwanda http://www.editions-sources-du-nil.com/article-paul-kagame-s-brutality-48823834.html some of those who died had worked with Mutabazi during and after the war.
Mutabazi remains under police protection for how but of course, due to the relationship between the two countries; his security remains unstable if he happens to go back on the streets of Kampala due to the nature of the Rwandan Intelligence operating there.
President Paul Kagame and his killing machines have made the whole region unstable; Kagame’s audacity was already shown by his assassination attempt against General Kayumba, former Rwanda army chief of staff, in South Africa during Soccer World Cup.
Therefore, we call upon the UNHCR, Amnesty international, Human rights watch and the Ugandan government to protect Mutabazi and other Rwandans who are hunted on Ugandan land. We urge the Ugandan Police to avoid the tragedy that took away are beloved editor Charles Ingabire last year. No harm should come to another Rwandan who is seeking refuge in Uganda.
Edited by: Jennifer Fierberg, MSW
