KIGALI - The Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), has called on countries to cooperate in arresting Rwandan fugitives, Kayumba Nyamwasa and Patrick Karegyeya.

Amb Liberata Mulamula, made the call, on Friday, following a revelation at a regional meeting on security, that the two fugitives are currently recruiting militias with an aim of carrying out subversive activities against Rwanda.

According to minutes of the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) security meeting, the Kayumba-Karegeya armed group, based in Binza, North Kivu, is commanded by Col. Suki and Col. Gaheza. They are, so far, estimated to number about 200.

"There is a [long] process, already courts of law have passed the judgment, so we think that the countries, if they can cooperate with Rwanda, to apprehend and hand over these fugitives, that would be quite positive,” Mulamula said, in an exclusive interview.

Kayumba and Karegeya were sentenced to 24 and 20 years in prison, respectively, after they were found guilty of forming a terrorist group, threatening state security, undermining public order, promoting ethnic divisions and insulting the person of the President of the Republic.

"This is already being dealt with, at the highest level– for us, we can only support and express the hope that the countries (harboring Kayumba and Karegyeya) will be able to cooperate with Rwanda.”

The two fugitives are believed to be in South Africa.
 "The Kayumba-Karegeya group is carrying out recruitment inside Rwanda and the region and infiltrating the recruits to DRC for future use in subversive activities against Rwanda,” said Col. Augustin Mumbiay Mamba, the DRC’s chief of border security.

According to the Congolese official, the different Rwandan militias operating in their country total to an estimated 5,000 including FDLR, RUD and the Kayumba group.

A UN Security Council Group of Experts’ report, last year, revealed that both Kayumba and Karegyeya have strong links with the FDLR and were involved with armed groups in the DRC.

Col. Amri Bizimana, a top commander in the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) terrorist organization, corroborated the UN Security Council report.

"For almost a year now, Kayumba and Karegeya have had sustained contact and high level meetings with senior FDLR leaders and this has led to the merging of resources and efforts between the two sides,” Col. Bizimana told reporters recently at Mutobo reception centre, where he arrived after escaping from the FDLR camps in the Eastern DRC.

Bizimana further revealed that after the merger of the Kayumba-Karegeya group with the FDLR outfit, Gerald Gahima has emerged as the most active coordinator in Europe and North America, where he, and Theogene Rudasingwa, have linked up with Paul Rusesabagina and the remaining top FDLR officials after the arrest of Ignace Murwanashyaka, Straton Musoni and Callixte Mbarushimana.

During last week’s high-level meeting on Defence and Security by the three-nation CEPGL grouping, Mulamula and other ICGLR officials were  invited, only as observers.
CEPGL brings together Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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