The trial of Lt. Joel Mutabazi and 15 others yesterday took a new twist when one of the co-accused admitted having recruited 100 men for the Rwanda National Congress (RNC). Prosecution in the Military High Court says Jean Marie Vianney Ngabonziza, alias Patrick Rukundo, had recruited men to undergo military training with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia in DR Congo. Ngabonziza is charged with treason, formation of an armed group, and attempt to overthrow the government, among others. “I never worked for FDLR. When I was mobilising people to join RNC in Uganda, there was someone from FDLR who was always with me. But that doesn’t mean I worked for them, I worked for RNC,” said Ngabonziza. Lawyer demands evidence FDLR is a terrorist group made up of remnants of the former Rwandan army (ex-FAR) and Interahamwe militia responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Ngabonziza’s lawyer Viateur Gatera demanded evidence indicating that Ngabonziza had plans to overthrow the government by using force. “During interrogation, Ngabonziza told investigators that he recruited 100 men and sent them to DR Congo for a military training in FDLR camps. There are also photos of him in the camps,” said the prosecutor. The prosecution added that since RNC did not have training camps, they entered into a partnership with FDLR which was to serve as their military wing and training of new recruits. The trial is resumes today.
