Investigation: I Witnessed Ben Rutabana’s Murder, Rwandan Soldier Reveals. Missing Rwandan exile, Benjamin Rutabana is no more, a Rwandan soldier has revealed to SoftPower News. Rutabana, an exiled Rwandan, who had also obtained French citizenship, was reported as missing in September 2019, a couple of days after travelling from Brussels, Belgium.
He was a relative of Diane Rwigara, a lady who contested against President Paul Kagame for Rwanda’s Presidency. A musician and activist, Rutabana was also a member of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), a Rwandan opposition group in exile led by Lt Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa – Rwanda’s former Chief of Staff who is also exiled in South Africa where he has survived three assasination attempts.
According to Greg Smith Heavens, the CEO and Founder President, International Relief and Human Rights Initiative (IRHRI), a human rights firm contracted to trace Rutabana’s disappearance, preliminary investigation into the matter established that Rutabana, using passport number 16DA52086, left Brussels, Belgium on September 4, 2019, at 21:45 aboard an Emirates Airlines flight.
He is said to have made a stopover at Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates, before proceeding with his journey. He landed at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda on September 5, 2019, at 13:50Hrs.
He reportedly kept in regular telephone contact with Mrs. Diane Rutabana, his spouse, between September 5 and 8, 2019, but never again since then. Greg says Rutabana’s return ticket displays September 19, 2019, at 21:30 Kampala time using the same Emirates Airlines and would be in Brussels on September 20, 2019, at 13:25 but “for some unexplained reasons, Mr Rutabana never boarded that flight, and contrary to his usual practice, he failed to contact his spouse informing her of any delays or change of program, and all calls to his telephone went unanswered.”
Rwanda has since informally accused Uganda of detaining Rutabana.
Several of the countless but faceless Rwandan twitter handles and facebook accounts have also doubled down on the allegation which is refuted by commanders of DR Congo’s rebel movement, M23.
According to reliable sources in M23, Rutabana left Uganda for DR Congo where he met M23 Commander (name concealed on request), who eventually handed him over to Rwanda.
“Ni hatari, hakuna kitu yakufanya. Tangu Rutabana aliopita hapa akapelekwa Rwanda, hayarudi. Hakupenda kwenda Rwanda, wali mu-forcé. Journalistes munao kupigania droit ya wa refugee na kila mutu. Musaidie dunia na mere aiwe namna papa Rutabana haiko tena. Waulize Kagame wala Nyakarundi,” one of the M23 Commanders told this reporter, on condition of anonymity.
He said, “it is very sad, but there isn’t anything to do. Ever since Rutabana was taken to Rwanda, he has never returned. You media should fight for the rights of refugees and lives of all human beings. Please help and inform everyone that Rutabana is dead.”
The High Court in Uganda recently dismissed an application by Rutabana’s family lawyers to compel security services to unconditionally release the missing Rutabana. Court based on evidence that security forces in Uganda did not have the missing person in their custody. Uganda’s security categorically refuted the claim that Rutabana was in Uganda under detention.
Responding to Inquiries by a Human Rights Organisation involved in searching for Rutabana, Uganda’s Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI), Maj Gen Abel Kandiho said Uganda had no interest in holding the Rwandan exile.
“We have never arrested Rutabana. As far as I am concerned, even if I am out of the country, I am always informed of any operation. We use a gazetted prison for all categories of prisoners apart from interviews in some cases. Why would Rutabana be of interest to the extent of isolation for that long when he’s not a terrorist? Even high profile terrorists are quickly interviewed and taken to court,” Gen Kandiho said.
Now, this news website understands that Rutabana was tricked into meeting one of the military commanders of the M23 Movement, a rebel military group based in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).
Rwanda has over the years been variously accused by the Congolese government led by former President, Joseph Kabila, of facilitating and supporting M23 and other forces hostile to the DR Congo administration.
According to sources in M23, Rwanda’s Military Intelligence exploited their close ties with the Congolese rebel group to coordinate the operation that lured Rutabana into DR Congo and immediately handed him over to Rwandan intelligence authorities.
“Balimunyanganya ma telephone mbele yakumupeleka….kwa order za Nyakarundi na Kagame. Hivi ndio huyu Rwandais, Lt Gerald Tindifa na bengine balituambia.” “His phones were confiscated before he was handed over to Rwanda. He was received by one Lt. Tindifa who said he had orders from Nyakarundi and Kagame,” the source said.
This news website sought to find out the whereabouts of Lt Gerald Tindifa. Contacts inside Rwanda’s security revealed that he feared for his life as the French government and human rights organisations intensified the search for Rutabana.
Weeks later, media reports emerged that the lieutenant had fled Rwanda into Uganda. Our search revealed that he reported to UNHCR seeking relocation to another country very far away from Rwanda. An M23 source close to Tindifa later contacted SoftPower News offering to arrange an interview.
Lt. Tindifa, former ADC of Rwanda’s Defence Intelligence Chief – Brig Gen Vincent Nyakarundi, has since revealed that he witnessed Ben Rutabana’s “murder in cold blood” by Nyakarundi.
“I received Rutabana and saw everything. I witnessed his brutal execution by Afande Nyakarundi,” says Tindifa adding that he (Tindifa) has since fled with his family into Uganda.
“In Rwanda, if you are involved in such an operation, you know for sure that one day all of you involved will get killed. That is how our intelligence operates, to conceal and forever bury evidence. I am grateful to God that my family and I are safe. I also pray that God comforts the family of Rutabana.”
Pressed to find out if he feels any remorse for taking Rutabana from Congo to Kigali, where he says Rutabana’s life was ended, Tindifa said, “orders are orders – one has no choice else you are killed.”
This reporter also sought to find out how many more people have been kidnapped in such a manner and there whereabouts, but Tindifa was non-commital choosing to say his colleagues will one day reveal “if they (colleagues) successfully make it out of Rwanda.”
“They must all be facing assasination now that I fled. Kagame cannot keep them alive, aware that they too can ran away and corroborate what is now revealed and known by the French government and human rights organisations about Rutabana’s death.”
Tindifa explained that after committing such acts, Rwanda normally takes to psyops (psychological operations) by accusing their victims of all manner of allegations.
“If one successfully runs out of Rwanda, the regime can claim you have run away from debts, or that you are a rapist or immoral and corrupt. If your family remains behind, your wife can be forced to blackmail you.
Sometimes, the regime claims one has committed suicide. You must also keep alert of your security wherever you take refuge in the world as they have agents all over,” Tindifa said. Adding, “Rwanda also employs diversionary tactics by accusing neighbouring countries of acts planned and executed by Kigali agents using a heavily paid PR machinery.”
Asked why he is not bothered by revealing his identity, Tindifa said: “I am far away from them now, and it is God who gives life. They will continue to kill, but they cannot kill everybody. Nobody should ever think he has permanent power over the life and death of other people as if he will live forever.”
On August 5, Rwanda’s Defence Forces (RDF) announced that Tindifa had deserted the military. This reporter asked sources in M23 what informs their decision to work as proxies for inhuman acts.
“It is not all of us, just a few individuals. The rest of us fight for freedom of our people. If I was part of the operation to kill Rutabana, I would not expose it. Please express our sympathies to his family. We thought he had come here (DR Congo) for a meeting, but one of our commamders instead handed him over to Rwanda. Nyakarundi and Kagame should answer for his whereabouts not us,” said the M23 source.
Our attempts to contact Rwanda’s officials for a comment were not successful by press time.
https://www.softpower.ug/investigation-i-witnessed-ben-rutabanas-murder-rwandan-soldier-reveals/