Photo: General Nkunda detained in Rwanda
Sources in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have informed AfroAmerica Network that a Congolese rebel colonel who has been linked to the Rwandan dissident General Kayumba Nyamwasa and Colonel Patrick Karegeya was assassinated by Rwandan intelligence services operatives in the area of Rutshuru, North Kivu on Friday Feb 25, 2011.
The assassinated congolese rebel, Colonel Emmanuel Nsengiyumva, was a former CNDP official, who defected after being integrated into FARDC. He was in the group supporting the congolese renegade General Nkunda imprisoned in Rwanda. In fact he was a relative of General Nkunda and served as his bodyguard. Both were from Jomba, a region along the DRC-Uganda-Rwanda border. He was opposed to the new CNDP leader General Bosco Ntaganda, indicted by ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The assassin, from the clan of Abagogwe from which Ntaganda himself hails, fled to Rwanda after the assassination. The assassin had been recruited recently, claiming to be fleeing persecution in Rwanda after being accused of supporting General Kayumba Nyamwasa.
In recent months, there have been persistent reports of fresh deployments of Rwandan army soldiers into Eastern DRC. According to the reports, Rwandan troops deployed to Eastern Congo to preempt actions by a new coalition of anti-Kigali forces allegedly composed of the CNDP defector Emmanuel Nsengiyumva, the FPLC commander Gad Ngabo, the FDLR, the Mai-Mai Cheka, and General Kayumba Nyamwasa’s forces. In December 2009 Colonel Nsengiyumva defected the CNDP from his positions in Nyabiondo- Ntoto-Kibua-Masisi and joined the FDLR brigade led by Colonel Sadiki along with close to 200 troops and weapons including heavy artillery.
In July 2010, Rwandan security services accused the CNDP dissidents, close to General Laurent Nkunda, for being behind a string of grenade attacks in Kigali in collusion with General Kayumba Nyamwasa and Patrick Karegeya. Sources in Kigali contacted by AfroAmerica Network at the time had rather pointed out that if the ex-CNDP members were to be involved in the attacks, it could have been because of being unhappy with General Nkunda’s continued detention in Rwanda and the leadership of ICC-indictee Bosco Ntaganda, a henchman of the Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame.
In November 2010, the UN Experts published a report in which they confirmed a alleged collaboration among FDLR, Mai-Mai Cheka (or Sheka) and Colonel Nsengiyumva: “ In addition, Sheka has benefited from the support of former CNDP commander Emmanuel Nsengiyumva, who deserted his FARDC post as the commander of the 2,111th battalion in December 2009. According to MONUSCO, Nsengiyumva had
been in contact with Sadiki (NDLR: Lieutenant Colonel Evariste “Sadiki” Kanzeguhera) since September 2009. According to ex-combatants interviewed by the Group, Nsengiyumva’s and Seraphin’s headquarters remain separate from those of Sheka’s. The three units jointly plan and carry out operations, however.”
The death of Colonel Emmanuel Nsengiyumva may leave General Bosco Ntaganda with very few challengers. In fact, apart from his formed comrade of RDC-Goma and relative, Colonel Gad Ngabo, the head of FPLC, there may not be another serious contender for the leadership of the Tutsi in North-Kivu. The other ex-CNDP and relative of both Bosco Ntaganda and Gad Ngabo, Wilson Nsengiyumva has disappeared in Rwanda for a while.
©AfroAmerica Network, 2011
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