Who shot Kayumba?
Rightly or wrongly, Rwanda’s de facto one-party state has a reputation for brutality and lawlessness, and this latest episode will only increase it.
The BBC reports a botched assassination attempt, on South African territory, against the exiled dissident former Rwandan army chief Lt Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa.
Lt Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, a critic of Rwanda’s president, remains in a critical condition after being shot outside his Johannesburg home.
Rosette Nyamwasa said it was an assassination attempt as the lone gunman had made no demand for money or goods before shooting her husband.
Rwanda’s government denies the claim, saying it does not condone violence.
Lt Gen Nyamwasa was shot in the stomach and has been undergoing surgery in a Johannesburg clinic.
BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says that since leaving Kigali in February, Lt Gen Nyamwasa had been a thorn in the flesh of President Paul Kagame, whom he accuses of corruption
Once a close ally of Paul Kagame, and a senior figure within the RPF forces which defeated the genocidal government of 1994 (whilst also committing a series of atrocities in their own right), Nyamwasa recently fled the country and became a vocal critic of Kagame’s harsh, authoritarian rule.
Kagame gets an extraordinarily good write-up in the British and US media, which I find surprising given his government’s track record since 1994. More than five million people are believed to have died in the vicious resource war in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a war in which Kagame and his forces are deeply implicated. The press in Rwanda is very tightly controlled, and it is difficult for any genuinely independent opposition party to operate freely. During Kagame’s time in power, a number of his critics have been murdered overseas, and many others inside Rwanda have been killed or “disappeared”.
Britain is one of Rwanda’s most generous international donors, and we have also supplied military support. During his time as Rwandan army chief, Kayumba Nyamwasa visited the UK for military training – I know this because I met him briefly during such a visit in 2001 and he talked about it.
I hope that Kayumba makes a good recovery. I can’t imagine that South Africa – another key UK ally in the region – will take kindly to terrorist attacks being carried out on their territory. Rwanda will, of course, deny all responsibility, but they do have form in this area. According to Kayumba’s wife, Rosette Nyamwasa:
“[Mr Kagame] said it in parliament that he will actually kill my husband, that wherever he is he will follow him and kill him,”
A rethink of the UK’s relationship with this dubious regime seems long overdue…
Richard Wilson's blog 
I think it is too early to judge you as they say time will tell!!!
Frank
June 20, 2010 at 9:41 am
Who can deny that it was Kagame who is behind the assassination attemps?
Sebyatsi
June 20, 2010 at 12:45 pm
If you want to kill someone to go in parliamnet and announce it officially?
June Sina
June 20, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Sorry, i meant that if you wanted to kill someone you wouldnt go in parliament to announce it.So that argument is so lame.
June Sina
June 20, 2010 at 1:09 pm
It might ook be Tony Blair! We all know he is a good counsellar of Kagame. Everything Kagame does comes from Tony Blair. The niew government in place in England has to stop all relations with the most dangerous dictator en killer of all time: Kagame.
Sebyatsi
June 20, 2010 at 12:51 pm
We poeple of Rwanda want to see justice done in Rwanda. Imagine if it was Mugabe doing what Kagame is doing!!!!
Sebyatsi
June 20, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Obivously whoever did it was well aware that the first think that would come into everyone’s mind is Rwanda.Just like the shooting of the Habyarimana’s plane has been blamed on Kagame-just because he was on theo orher side of the fight.
Think about it ,why would Kagame go into parliament and announce that he was going to kill Kayumba? do you think he is 4yr old?
S.africa ANC has always had a soft ear for the Hutus from the greatlakes region-bse the Hutu lobbysts have told them that during coloniolism the Tutsis enslaved Hutus just like the Whites did to blacks during apartheid.For that thy identify themslves with the Hutus.Today S.A is full of genocidaires than and there has been almost no effort to extradite them atleast to ICTR.
Accross the border in Burundi, when ex rebel Agathon Rwasa was murdering Tutsis,S.A was busy lobying in UN that his crimes be pardoned.ANC having emerged from apertheid have a negative attitude towards the Tutsi.So whoever did it wants to frame Rwanda for it.
Why would Rwanda choose this moment -before the elections to stir the world? believe me if you wanted to do something like this them you wait until the sand settles atleast.Its not right to suspect yet.
June Sina
June 20, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Kagame never waits till the sand settles, he is a man of action. He thinks like a strategist, allways be ahead of your adversary.
Colored Opinions
June 20, 2010 at 1:58 pm
TRUE, HE IS A MAN OF ACTION – but he doesnt act stupidly. He is a strategist, he is pragmatic and prudent which therefore makes him a strong statesman
Gigi
June 21, 2010 at 10:58 am
Dont you think, that a genocidaire who has issued a warrant accusing both Nyamwasa and Kagame for killing of Habyarimana, would benefit from killing Nyamwasa now when he knows that it will be blamed on Kagame? Because this way he would have killed 2 birds using one stone.So before you blame the seemingly obvious suspenct -Rwanda,consider other scenerios that least expected.
Claudine
June 20, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Claudine and Sina, I think you are also involved. How come you think positively that Kagome doesn’t have a hand in the attempt? Everybody knows, even the most naives ones that kagame is a dictator and killer. Shame on you!!
Sebyatsi
June 20, 2010 at 8:10 pm
BUT HE AINT STUPID
Gigi
June 21, 2010 at 10:56 am
Sebya, think straight! all those who know Kagame know he is not so stupid to do this. First, he would not kill Kayumba knowing that all the world limelight is on Kayumba – and he has no reason whatsoever, and he would not use a faulty gun that jams for that matter. Ofcourse to a shallow thinker, all indications point at Kigali, but when you think critically, this is either stage -managed or Kagame enemies did this. Just wait until the investigations are over.
Gigi
June 21, 2010 at 6:29 am
It is now clear that whoever tried to kill Kayumba had the intention to tarnish the name of the Rwandan government. This should be expected along the way because detractors have become quite active lately. WHY WOULD KAGAME WANT KAYUMBA DEAD? WHY WOULD HE DO IT IN SUCH A MEDIOCRE MANNER AND RISK THE WRATH OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND THE GOOD RELATIONS ENJOYED WITH SOUTH AFRICA? OF COURSE WHOEVER DID IT KNEW WHAT THE IMMEDIATE REACTIONS WOULD BE FROM THE MEDIA. LET US HOPE THE INVESTIGATIONS WILL UNCOVER THE TRUTH AND THE MOTIVES. IF KAGAME HAD WEANTED HIM DEAD AS THE WIFE CLAIMS, HE WOULD NOT HAVE LIVED TO BE AMBASSADOR OF INDIA. AND KAGAME NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT KILLING HIM IN PARLIAMENT – THAT WOMAN WAS MERELY TRAUMATISED AND DINT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS SAYING
Gigi
June 21, 2010 at 10:55 am
Surely you guys do not know who you are talking about. kagame is our president , but he is a real terrorist. Do you still remember the beginning of the war in Congo? Kagame denied his involvement. Actually it was his ministers and people like you who are paid to deny every wrongdoing by Kagame. If you have ears Kagame said on the radio sometimes ago that he sent his army in Congo. He also said If I can remind you that who ever he wants to kill he will find him and kill him. That was said on radio Rwanda.
Sebyatsi
June 21, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Sebya, I am glad we have Kagame, a man who was able to convise rwandan people, hutu and tutsi to live together after what happened. I mean, he is not perfect because he is not God but he was the right person after the Genocide to be rwandan president.
When I heared about Nyamyasa, I right a way think that it was Kagame but after 10 min I understood that for sure it could be the kagame’s opposition.
Ubundi Sebya kagame abo yavuze azakurikirana ni aba genocidaire ntabwo ari abafite ibitekerezo bya politic bitandukanye n’ibye. Ubundi rero urebe n ibyiza yakoze…
Frany
June 23, 2010 at 2:02 am
Please spare us yo ignorance yo are talking like that because you are either not informed or selling yo ubuntu. Kagame has managed to take away our rights as rwandans all rights i mean all because to day rwandans can not talk anything about their so called “government” without fear of death!! Their fear is founded by presedence that i believe you know and yo pretending not to. Tell me about Rugambage why was he killed? and why did the killers wait to revege because he had reported the involvement of kagame’s regime in kayumba’s shooting!! why did Sendashonga die because had left rwanda and kiza disapeared because he was in dis agreement with the kagames to mention but a few!!!!! oh please stand and make a diference by adding yo voice to the voiceless if not you have a right to keep silent without adding your voice in assisting murders!! history will judge you and when things change you will be honted by your actions.
A point to ponder why are most Generals in rwanda in prison and others runing away yet rwanda is where it is because of those Generals. Is it not ironic to see that only kagame has a voice alone if you need security you must re sight what kagame said.
When kagame alleges the judges follow up and sentence. is there any exmple you can place on record where one has opposed kagame within….. or had his own opinion in kagame’s house FPR!!!!Why not????
Frank
July 12, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Sebya and Frank, you guys do not think logically. Do you honestly think Kagame would order for the killing of Kayumba if he knew that the whole world would point fingers at him? Even if he wanted Kayumba dead he would not have sent an amateur, he would have sent someone who would have got the job done. I honestly think this was was stage acted by Kayumba so the intl community can put pressure on Kagame
Madagascar
February 1, 2011 at 2:03 am