Rwandan dissident and critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame found without his head in Uganda

A former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame has been found without a head on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda.

Robert Kabera, 50, had sought asylum in Uganda after fleeing Rwanda, where he faced allegations of  defilement that he denied. He maintained that he was being politically persecuted. Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said on Monday that residents discovered Kabera’s body over the weekend. Police said part of his remains had not been recovered.

His family said he had travelled to inspect a construction site approximately 45 kilometres outside Kampala before the incident. Kabera’s widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she feared for her family’s safety. “It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don’t have security,” she said.

Kabera was also a musician and YouTuber whose channel attracted more than 144,000 subscribers. He published over 800 videos, many criticising Kagame and his administration. The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on the incident. The exiled opposition group Rwanda National Congress callefor a thorough investigation and urged authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

“Today, his family is grieving, his voice is gone, and Rwandans in exile are confronting a terrifying question: where can we be safe?” the group said in a statement on X. The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of Rwandan government critics living abroad.

In 2014, former Rwandan intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya, who helped establish the RNC, was found slain in a Johannesburg hotel room. Karegeya had fallen out with Kagame and served an 18-month prison sentence for insubordination and desertion before fleeing to South Africa in 2007. He subsequently became a prominent critic of the Rwandan government.

Following that incident, Kagame made remarks widely interpreted as a warning to opponents. “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. South African authorities issued arrest warrants in 2019 for two Rwandans accused in connection with Karegeya’s slaying.