According to sources close to the Rwandan Intelligence Services, Major Gerard Ntashamaje has been housed in a safe house where he has been briefed on daily basis following his return to Rwanda(see our article RPR Leader Major Gerard Ntashamaje Defects to Rwanda). The interrogations have focused on the inner working of the organizations he had been associated with, especially the Rwandan Nation Democratic Congress, NDC, which is a coalition between two armed opposition groups, the mostly Hutu Rally for Unity and Democracy (RUD-Urunana) and the mostly Tutsi Rally of the Rwandan People (RPR – Inkeragutabara).
The RPR was formed by Tutsis military officers and politicians who defected from the Rwandan ruling party, Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Major Gerard Ntashamaje, also a former RPF military officer, although not a founding member of the RPR, was eventually selected to lead the organization when most of the founding members were captured by Ugandan security services and handed over to the Rwandan government in a swap exchange of Ugandan opposition figures. Other RPR high ranking politicians fled Uganda and joined the military branch based in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) along with the RUD-Urunana’s military branch, the National Army – Imboneza.
According to AfroAmerica Network sources within the Rwandan Intelligence services, during the interrogation Major Gerard Ntashamaje said that he joined the organizations to spy on them and learn about the intentions of harming the Rwandan government led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front. But pressed with the questions, he admitted that he hoped that he would use his position within the organizations to negotiate his return to Rwanda, especially after he realized that the opposition in the diaspora was fractured and had limited chances of overthrowing the Rwandan government.
He also said that the defection of Sergeant Sasita Sano ( see our article “European Security Services Investigating Two Alleged Operatives in France: Sgt Sasita and Lt Murenzi”) was a major blow to his plan. That is when, according to sources citing the interrogation, Major Gerard Ntashamaje started doubting about the chances of using the RPR to reach his goals. He also added that since then, he made sure no other influential Tutsi will be recruited to join RPR or National Democratic Congress. According the sources Major Gerard Ntashamaje said that ” RUD leaders put pressure on me to bring in more influential Tutsis, not just the rank-and-file. I responded vaguely but never recruited them. I knew that the plan was to bring these Tutsis and make me irrelevant. They certainly realized it and started also to doubt about my commitment. That is when Dr Felicien Kanyamibwa started hiding secrets from me.”
Gerard Ntashamaje told the Rwandan intelligence services that he made a decision to return to Rwandan during the Rome/Kisangani process and started sharing the information on the process and its progress with Colonel Dr Emmanuel Ndahiro. “I was playing along to follow the process, while also trying to make sure the process does not get anywhere. I failed because the RUD leaders, especially Dr, Felicien Kanyamibwa and Dr. Augustin Dukuze made sure I was not involved in the most sensitive matters or meetings. They held public meetings with Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sant’Egidio officials to which I was invited, then held secret meetings among themselves or with Sant’Egidio and Western Diplomats, to which I was not invited. I learned about these meetings through sympathetic people, such as [NDLR: name withheld by AfroAmerica Network], who confided in me and was a personal friend. Every time I confronted Dr. Felicien Kanyamibwa about this, he just smiled, smooth talked to me and tried to calm me down, while telling me almost nothing important. Even when Dr. Felicien Kanyamibwa was not there, the meetings were led by Dr. Augustine Dukuze, instead of me, even though I represented RPR on National Democratic Congress. I was also never invited to meetings with Western diplomats. RUD-Urunana leaders, or Dr. Felicien Kanyamibwa alone met the diplomats. Once, I was informed of the meeting between Dr. Felicien Kanyamibwa with the diplomats representing [....], after I was already dropped at the airport on my return to Brussels. All the one-on-one meetings with Sant’Egidio were between Dr. Felicien Kanyamibwa, Rafiki Hyacinthe, Augustine Dukuze, and Father Matteo. Just before the Kisangani/Rome process collapsed, I travelled to Burundi to meet Colonel Dr Emmanuel Ndahiro. I assume they learned about it, because Dr. Felicien Kanyamibwa called me and asked me where I had been in the latest days. When I said I was busy trying to organize my life, he smiled and wished me good luck. He never talked to me again. No RUD-Urunana leaders ever talked to me again after that phone conversation.”
When asked why he decided to defect from National Democratic Congres, Major Gerard Ntashamaje, said that “because I know these people have bad intentions regarding the Rwandan Patriotic Front. As a true believer in Rwandan Patriotic Front I cannot allow that to happen. I also know that they will not reach their goals. That why I left them and decided to return to Rwanda.”
However, Gerard Ntashamaje was unable to answer why he had defected from the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) to begin with. Meanwhile, according to Rwandan Intelligence services sources, the Rwandan security services who guard the safe house have forbidden Major Gerard Ntashamaje to smoke inside the premises and have allowed him four smoke breaks per day, which may be so much a burden for him, a know big smoker. He has written to Colonel Emmanuel Ndahiro to complain about the harsh treatment.
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