Rwanda pressures Burundian Police to Release a Key suspect in the Kidnap and Death of a Congolese National.

The Burundian police is reported to have arrested the most wanted Rwandan national, Rugamba Mwinza Jean Luc, suspected to have played a key role in the kidnapping of a Congolese national with Rwandan Origin Kayitesi Beatrice. Well-positioned sources confirm Rugamba, who has been operating as an Aide de Camp (ADC) for a Congolese official, Dr Adolf Onasumba, was netted by the Burundian police in the night of July 24, 2011. Rugamba had been on the Congolese ‘most wanted’ list for some time.
The Burundian Police arrested Rugamba in a local club known as “Boite de nuit Aosta” around 1:00 A.M and was immediately transferred into detention at Sogemac police station . Rugamba was using a Rwandan registered car belonging to the National Security Service (NSS) with number plate RAB 139A which was also detained at the same station.

Our local correspondent confirms that when Rugamba was arrested he admitted to the crime but claimed he had been sent by his superiors to kidnap Kayitesi Beatrice and deliver her to Col Dan Munyuza and General Jack Nziza. Kayitesi was apparently murdered shortly after delivery. Burundian police arrested Rugamba using an arrest warrant issued by the Congolese Government earlier on.

A few Burundian Police officers who talked to Umuvugizi but opted for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, say at around 10:00 the following morning after the arrest, the first Counselor to the Rwandan Ambassador to Burundi Desire Nyaruhirira went to the police station. Arriving in a Rwandan embassy car registration number CD 10001, he told lower rank officers that he had talked to their superiors and had been given the green light to have Rugamba Jean Luc released because what he had done was in the national interest of Rwanda.

In a related investigation Umuvugizi has also established that at the same time the Rwandan foreign Affairs Minister Luise Mushikiwabo was very busy working the phone lines to inquire if Nyaruhirira Desire had been able to have Rugamba released. She called Nyaruhirira over three times on that day and pressurized security agencies in Burundi to ensure the suspect is released. Rugamba was released later in the day.
Speaking to Umuvugizi, the Burundian Police spokesman Col. Ntarabaganye, denied knowledge of the arrest because at the time he was out of the capital Bujumbura. He promised to inquire from his bosses and get back to us as soon as possible. We managed to raise him on phone again but he did not return the calls.

We got in touch with the first counselor in the Rwandan Embassy in Bujumbura on July 29, 2011 around 11:00 to confirm these developments. He later sent us a short message (SMS) around 11:44 in which he said he was unable to disclose anything on such a serious matter using a phone. He advised us to write him an e-mail using this address: dnyaruhirira@minaffet.gov.rw. We sent him an e-mail asking him why he considered it necessary to have the suspect on such serious crimes wanted by Rwandan neighbor, DR Congo, released. He never responded to the e-mail and he did not pick subsequent phone calls. The last time he managed to pick his phone he told us he was in a meeting with the Burundian foreign minister.

Umuvugizi has also established that Desire Nyaruhirira called one of the head of a local radio station in Burundi, Bob Rugurika, to instruct him not to follow up the story. We got in touch with Rugarika to ask him why he saw it necessary not to follow up and broadcast the story as instructed by a Rwandan Embassy Official. He declined to make any comment but confirmed he had talked to Desire Nyaruhirira anyway.

Our investigations confirm that Rugamba disclosed to the Burundian police that indeed he had kidnapped and delivered Kayitesi Beatrice on orders of Col. Dan Munyuza who also acted on orders of Gen Jack Nziza. Both Rwandan intelligence officers were acting on information given by Francois Ruboneka and a close friend Coco Pundugu accusing Kayitesi of corroborating with Col. Patrick Karegeya. Coco Pundugu is a sister to a Rwandan security operative Karenzi Theoneste, one of the heads of the National Security Services (NSS) the Rwandan intelligence arm equivalent to MI-5 in the UK.

We managed to track Coco Pundugu to establish if she indeed knows Rugamba and the story about him. She denied knowledge of Rugamba but she confirmed having heard the rumor that indeed Rugamba had gone with Kayitesi to sell her a house in Kinshasa, the Congolese Capital. Coco says: “what I know is that Kayitesi was murdered in Kinshasa. What you are saying that she was delivered to Nziza and Munyuza is untrue. I do know why he killed one of my best friends and you shouldn’t remind me of this agony. She was more than my best Friend, you have spoiled my Day. Why do you have to ask me if I betrayed my best friend? What is the purpose of all this? Why don’t you ask the Burundian police the reason why they had to release such criminal suspect without even forcing to show where she is? Why couldn’t the police respect the arrest warrant issued by the DRC Government? Regarding Jack Nziza, I know him, but we have not been in touch for some time now, and what we talked then is not relevant at the moment. ”

After talking to Coco, we managed to talk to another business woman Francoise Ruboneka, who is also suspected in the betrayal of Kayitesi. During a phone conversation she said: “Rugamba has just lost his composure. Why should he tell lies about us? Myself and Coco were close friends to Kayitesi, we couldn’t have done such a thing to her. Gen Nziza I know him and I do talk to him, but we have not talked about Kayitesi’s disappearance. I don’t even know where you get the story to claim Kayitesi is dead. Legally a person should be confirmed dead two years after disappearance. I did not know the story until recently.”

Umuvugizi has established that on July 24, 2011 at around 11:30, Desire Nyaruhirira, the Rwandan Embassy official in Bujumbura, requested Kayitesi’s brothers whom he had met at the police station to follow him to the Rwandan Embassy. He told the brothers that he was not so much in charge of the release of the suspect (Rugamba) even though he was quite aware of the gravity of the crimes against their sister. He said that what Rugamba had done was in national interest as part of his assignment. By the time we published this story we had not been able to talk to either the brothers, the Rwandan security or intelligence officials.

Shortly after Kayitesi was kidnapped we managed to talk to the DRC minister in charge of information, Mende, who confirmed the kidnap and disappearance of a Congolese national by a neighboring state. Attached to this story you will be able to see and read the official arrest warrant issued by the DRC Government for the arrest, detention and delivery of Rugamba as a key suspect.

Nyaruhirira managed to secure Rugamba’s release who had managed to change his travel and identification documents this time identifying himself as Kibuye Jean Luc. After his release Rugamba was comfortably driven to Rwanda by Nyaruhirira himself. Rugamba’s car which belongs to NSS was still parked at Burundian Police Headquaters by the time we published this article.
Uwera, Goma.