Musanze - Rwandan fugitive, Kayumba Nyamwasa, and his fellow convicts have launched an aggressive campaign to enlist Mouvement républicain national pour la démocratie et le développement, (MRND) extremists in their organisation, as their FDLR allies continue to express cynicism and distrust of the group.

This was confirmed by Maj. Jean Damascene Rugamba, a recently repatriated former FDLR Commander.

Speaking to reporters, yesterday, at Mutobo, Musanze district - Northern Province, Maj. Rugamba disclosed that while Kayumba and Karegyeya are closely working with the FDLR, the terrorist organisation’s High Command has made it clear that they don’t trust Kayumba and his associates.

"This is the position Gen. Mudacumura publicly articulated to a delegation sent by Kayumba to meet the FDLR in Eastern DRC. Mudacumura reminded the emissaries of Kayumba’s chilling threats to the Hutu in Ruhengeri, in 1997, that he (Kayumba) would kill them until they lose the appetite to fight.”

"While I’m prepared to work with Kayumba and his group in the short term, if we ever succeeded in returning to Rwanda, I would never work with the Tutsis.” Mudacumura told FDLR representatives and ex-FAR commanders who live in Cape Town and act as intermediaries with the Kayumba group.

Maj. Rugamba went on to confirm reports that Kayumba, Karegyeya, Gahima and Rudasingwa are actively reaching out to MRND extremists as they realize that their FDLR project is threatened by the mistrust its top commanders have demonstrated towards them.

MRND is the former political party that planned and executed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

According to the returnee FDLR Commander, the Kayumba – Gahima group has linked up with some of the most vicious extremists, including Agatha Habyarimana, Gen. Leonidas Rusatira, Joseph Ngarambe, Gervais Condo and Mbonyumutwa Ruhumuriza.

Recently, when Gerald Gahima made a trip to Paris on one of his rendez-vous with MRND officials, he stayed with Madame Agatha Habyarimana at her residence in Paris, for the whole duration of his visit.

Asked whether the FDLR – Kayumba co-operation is under threat given Mudacumura’s uncompromising stance, Maj. Rugamba told the journalists, that Kayumba continues to insist that the two groups can work together and the FDLR is still working closely with the fugitives.

"They are still engaged, and recently, an FDLR group led by FOCA’s Brig. Gen. Victor Rumuri, met a delegation sent by Kayumba and the talks were held in Masisi,” Rugamba told reporters.

He added that there are other FDLR officials living in South Africa, who are in regular contact with Kayumba and Karegeya.

Rugamba who was based in FDLR’s 5th battalion, said that he has clear knowledge of how the FDLR coordinated and executed the string of grenade attacks in Rwanda.
"There is a battalion that was assigned to detonate grenades in Rwanda.

There is a man among those arrested, known as Cpl Tonto, whose mission was to detonate grenades at Genocide memorial sites,” he said.

Rugamba added that the battalion headed by Lt. Col. Fred Irakiza was tasked to recruit people from the Southern Province of Rwanda who were supposed to throw grenades at innocent citizens.

So far, over thirty suspects have been arrested in connection with the grenade attacks.

The former FDLR Commander admitted that the FDLR is under tremendous pressure and the arrest of its top commanders; Ignace Murwanashyaka, Straton Musoni and Callixte Mbarushimana, has greatly demoralized the terrorist outfit, adding that UMOJA WETU operation has blocked all sources of income for the terrorist organisation.

Rugamba is latest among senior FDLR commanders who have defected since the year began.

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.

Regional security chiefs, representing the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL), disclosed that the fugitives, Kayumba Nyamwasa and Patrick Karegyeya, have formed a new armed group based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with the aim of destabilizing the region.

Kayumba, Karegeya, Gahima and Rudasingwa were sentenced to prison, 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.

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