KEY POINTS
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Former Rwandan soldier Robert Kabera was found beheaded in a village near Kampala, Uganda.
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Kabera had become a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame after going into exile.
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Ugandan police are investigating the killing, and no motive or suspects have been publicly confirmed.
Robert Kabera, a former Rwandan soldier who became an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame while living in exile, has been found beheaded in Uganda, with police investigating his killing.
Ugandan authorities said Kabera’s body was discovered in Luwala, a village near the capital, Kampala. His head had not been recovered as of October 19, 2026, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
The killing has renewed attention on the safety of Rwandan opposition figures living outside the country, several of whom have been killed or targeted in previous incidents.
Police investigate Kabera’s killing
Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said authorities were investigating the murder of a man believed to be around 50 years old whose head had been cut off.
Relatives identified the victim as Kabera, a former sergeant in the Rwandan military who fled his home country several years ago and settled in Uganda.
Police said the killing likely occurred late on October 16 or early on October 17. At the time of the report, investigators had yet to locate the victim’s head.
Authorities have not announced a confirmed motive for the killing or identified any suspects publicly.
Former soldier became a critic of Kagame
Kabera reportedly became increasingly critical of Rwandan President Paul Kagame after leaving the military.
He operated a YouTube channel called “Major Robert TV”, which had approximately 144,000 subscribers. His content included a song praising Victoire Ingabire, a prominent Rwandan opposition figure who has been imprisoned repeatedly.
Kabera’s brother, Victor Agaba, told AFP that his brother had not experienced problems with anyone in Uganda, suggesting that the issues surrounding his death might be connected to events in Rwanda.
Agaba also alleged that the Rwandan military had pursued a criminal case against Kabera as part of what he described as a witch-hunt.
After leaving Rwanda, Kabera was declared a fugitive and accused of corrupting a minor. He denied the charges, according to the report.
Neither the allegations against Kabera nor his brother’s claims establish who was responsible for the killing.
History of attacks on Rwandan exiles
Kabera’s death comes amid a history of killings and reported assassination attempts involving Rwandan opposition figures and former officials living abroad.
In 2021, Revocat Karemangingo, a former lieutenant in the Rwandan army, was shot dead in Mozambique. He was suspected of secretly supporting an opposition force.
That same year, Seif Bamporiki, an outspoken opponent of the Rwandan government, was shot dead in South Africa.
Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief who became a critic of Kagame, was strangled in a hotel room in South Africa in 2014.
Karegeya had co-founded the opposition Rwanda National Congress (RNC) with former general Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, who lives in exile and has survived several reported assassination attempts.
These incidents have drawn attention to the risks faced by Rwandan dissidents abroad. However, the circumstances and responsibility for each case differ, and no evidence presented in the report establishes a connection between those earlier killings and Kabera’s death.
Kagame’s government faces scrutiny over treatment of opponents
Kagame has governed Rwanda since taking power in 2000, following the 1994 genocide in which approximately 800,000 people were killed, primarily members of the Tutsi community.
His government has faced accusations of targeting opponents, including individuals who have left Rwanda and continued their political activities abroad.
The killing of Kabera is likely to intensify scrutiny of the safety of exiled critics, although Ugandan investigators have yet to establish the motive or identify those responsible.
For now, the investigation remains focused on determining how Kabera was killed and who was involved. No official findings linking his death to his political criticism have been reported.
