A former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, Robert Kabera, has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda, with police saying his head had yet to be recovered.
Kabera, 50, was found dead on the outskirts of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, over the weekend, according to the BBC on Monday.
Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the recovery of Kabera’s head remained outstanding as investigations into the killing continued.
Kabera fled Rwanda and sought asylum in Uganda, citing political persecution. He had been accused of sexual assault, an allegation he denied.
The Rwandan government had not publicly commented on his killing as of Monday, while the circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear.
Kabera’s widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she feared for the safety of her family following his death.
“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 his death.
Beyond his military career, Kabera was known as a musician and YouTuber. His channel 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 for those responsible to be brought to justice.
In a statement 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 renewed concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile.
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 concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living outside their country.