Exiled critic of Rwandan president found beheaded
Former army sergeant major Robert Kabera was a popular YouTuber and singer, who had sought asylum in Uganda.
**Exiled critic of Rwandan president found beheaded**
Robert Kabera was a well-known YouTuber and singer
A former sergeant major in the Rwandan army, who later became a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda.
Robert Kabera, 50, left Rwanda after being accused of sexual assault, an allegation he denied. He applied for asylum in neighbouring Uganda, saying he was facing political persecution.
Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said on Monday that Kabera’s head had still not been found. His body was discovered by local residents on the outskirts of Kampala over the weekend.
The Rwandan government has not commented publicly on the killing. Several critics of Kagame have been killed, both inside Rwanda and abroad.
His widow, Jeanne d'Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she now feared for her family’s safety.
"It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don't have security," she said.
According to his family, Kabera had gone to inspect a construction site about 45 km (30 miles) outside Kampala before he died.
Kabera had developed a public profile as a musician and YouTuber, drawing more than 144,000 subscribers to his channel, which contained over 800 videos, many of them critical of Kagame and his government.
His death has deepened concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile.
In 2014, Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief who had helped establish an opposition party, was found dead in his hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In 2019, South Africa issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of killing him.