{UAH} Karegeya The Martyr: Myth Or Reality?

Mr Patrick Karegeya (extreme left) had formed an alliance with Dr Paulin Murayi, the son-in-law of genocide financier Felicien Kabuga (3rd from right). Dr Murayi was among the founders, and later managers of the renowned hate radio RTLM. This photo is from February 2013 taken in South Africa

Wednesday morning, Rwanda's former spy chief Patrick Karegeya was found dead in a hotel room in South Africa. It wasn't long before the finger was pointed at Rwanda. Why not? It seems like the logical explanation. Karegeya fled the regime – and 20 years in jail – claiming he was not safe, and by his own standards he was Kagame's greatest foe. It seems the case was closed before his body reached the morgue. Kigali is silent.

But who is Karegeya?

It seems Karegeya was no angel. In fact, quite the contrary, he was a ruthless opportunist who would sacrifice the lives of ordinary Rwandans to gain the one thing he wanted most: power. With this in common, allying with FDLR no longer seems surprising.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend

During his time as the chief of external intelligence, Mr. Karegeya began to forge alliances with people like Felicien Kabuga, the man currently on the US most wanted list for financing the genocide against the Tutsi of 1994.

Through two of Kabuga's children, Donatien Nshimyumuremyi alias Nshima and Seraphine Uwimana who visited Rwanda between October and December 2003, Kabuga was able to regain the rights to family property. Under the directive of Mr. Karegeya, an officer of external Security accredited to the Rwanda Embassy in Belgium Mr Janvier Mabuye granted powers of attorney to both Kabuga's children.

Mr Karegeya provided all the necessary documentation and protection to the two women. Kabuga's family obtained ownership of the building next to City Plaza in downtown Kigali, and the building that houses Banque Populaire Muhima branch.

Details obtained from my investigation show that the two women stayed at the Mille Collines and invoice No. 105620 was forwarded to National Security Service (NSS) External Security Organisation (ESO) for payment. The payment was effected from the NSS-ESO account by cheque number 438099 dated February 25, 2004 and signed by Patrick Karegeya.

With Karegeya's help, Kabuga has been able to continuously evade justice. According to insiders working with International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, investigators uncovered a network involving Mr. Karegeya who always tipped off the fugitive billionaire to run before the agents arrived at his door. Kabuga, the man largely responsible for how efficient the genocide was, is still at large thanks to Karegeya.

So close they are, Kabuga's son in law Dr Paulin Murayi has been the leader of the Belgium chapter of the Rwanda National Congress since 2012.

Working with FDLR

His links to those who participated in the genocide don't end there. The UN Group of Experts show that he repeatedly met with high profile FLDR leaders in 2009.

He has been meeting them ever since, in the Congo, in Tanzania, in South Africa.

His objective: overthrew the government by any means necessary. By any means means hand in hand with the group that exterminated over one million people.

It means using grenades to kill the same Rwandans whose rights Karegeya and the RNC claim to represent.

In the case of Karegeya, it was easy to kill people he never fought to save nor protect with his very life.

In fact, this might be a good time to bring up an overlooked fact. Despite his claims to contribution to the liberation struggle, Karegeya was in fact never a Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) soldier.

To the every day Rwandan working to rebuild a nation destroyed by the very people he chose to join, Karegeya is no hero. His cause is far from noble and no one in Kigali is mourning him.

By Fred Mwasa 

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*A positive mind is a courageous mind, without doubts and fears, using the experience and wisdom to give the best of him/herself.

 

 We must dare invent the future!
The only way of limiting the usurpation of power by
 individuals, the military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge  - Capt. Thomas. Sankara {RIP} '1949-1987

 *"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent

revolution inevitable"**…  *J.F Kennedy