News coming in from the neigbouring Rwanda indicates that President Paul Kagame has put his former Defense Minister and blue-eyed boy Gen James Kabarebe under house arrest, Commandpost reports.
Reasons for Gen Kabarebe’s house arrest a military officer and war veteran many have been seeing as probable replacement for Rwandan ruler are not clear.
According to a source within Rwandan security services, security services under the instructions of the Rwandan National police chief Gen Dan Munyuza also withdrew passport belonging to Gen Kabarebe a one Sande Kabarebe.
Sande has reportedly been managing most of his father’s businesses in Rwanda.
The country’s security has also reportedly seized and frozen all their bank accounts to prevent them from escaping out of the country.
Rwanda’s defense and army spokesperson Lt Col Innocent Munyengango was not readily available for a comment by press time.
It is reported that Kabarebe relocated his Esperance Mudenge Kabarebe and his daughters to Canada where he owns property including residential houses.
The said properties are located in Quebec, Ottawa and Toronto and the wife who has been visiting Rwanda during summer and Christmas but last year she missed because of the fragile relationship between her husband and Paul Kagame.
In the past, Gen Kabarebe has been one of the most feared high ranking military officers in Rwanda because of holding a lot of power and having a big say in the affairs of Rwanda together with his allies James Musoni and Gen Jack Nziza.
“The three powerful individuals were much feared and crashed anybody who tried to stand in their way because they controlled security and intelligence services” A source in Rwandan military says.
It is further revealed that the appointing authority later got wind of their plot to take over power by surprise before he swung into action and nipped their plans from the bud.
Kagame first fired Nziza from the military and later last year went for Gen Kabarebe from being the minister of defense to presidential advisor on security.
“Kagame been crashing the network and he has extended his crackdown even include children in the cordon and surveillance”.
Kabarebe born and raised in Kazo Ibanda in western Uganda is renowned for being ruthless and torturous including to his family members who stood to challenge Paul Kagame style of leadership.
His family members including sisters in recent years escaped from Rwanda through Uganda to look for asylum abroad.
He has risen through ranks from being private secretary and aide-de-camp (ADC) of Paul Kagame. During the Rwandan Civil War, he became Commander of the High Command Unit at Mulindi. Later, this unit became the Republican Guard under Kagame’s leadership.
According to reports leaked from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to reporter and author Judi Rever, Kabarebe presided over the massacre of Hutu civilians in Byumba, north of Kigali, in late April 1994
Credit – command1post