Rwandan Govt Critic Found Beheaded in Uganda
Robert Kabera, a 50-year-old former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. Kabera had fled Rwanda and sought asylum in Uganda, citing political persecution. He later gained a following through his YouTube channel, which featured criticism of Kagame’s government. Ugandan police said his head had not been recovered. His widow expressed fears for her family’s safety. The opposition Rwanda National Congress has called for a thorough investigation, as his killing renews concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile. Other critics of Kagame have been killed abroad, including former intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya, who was found dead in Johannesburg in 2014.
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UN Condemns Deadly Drone Strikes Across Sudan
Drone strikes across Sudan have killed and injured civilians, including children, as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues to intensify. The attacks injured at least 19 people at a market in Abyei and targeted locations in Khartoum, including an area near the airport. The strikes reportedly killed at least 19 people, including 10 children, across several states. The United Nations condemned the attacks and raised concerns over the targeting of humanitarian workers, with 25 Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers reportedly killed since the conflict began in April 2023. An estimated 20 million people face acute hunger, with famine risks rising in parts of Darfur and Greater Kordofan. Despite the insecurity, aid agencies continue delivering assistance, including restoring water supplies to thousands of people in Central Darfur. Sudan’s humanitarian response plan remains just over 43% funded.
Zimbabwe’s Ruling Party to Discipline MPs Who Missed Constitutional Amendment Vote
Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party plans to discipline Members of Parliament who failed to attend crucial parliamentary sittings during consideration of Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill. Party legal secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the sanctions at the party’s annual conference in Chinhoyi, naming several senior officials and deputy ministers among those who did not vote, although their reasons remain unclear. The disciplinary move comes as Zanu-PF advances resolutions to postpone its next elective congress from 2027 to 2029, potentially keeping President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the helm until 2030. Provincial leaders defended resolutions supporting his continued leadership and called for constitutional alignment and greater national self-sufficiency in areas such as medicine, technology and industrial production.
Thabo Mbeki Denies Blocking Apartheid-Era Prosecutions at Inquiry Commission
Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has denied allegations that he held secret meetings with former apartheid-era military and police generals to prevent prosecutions for human rights abuses. Testifying before the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry into delayed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) prosecutions, Mbeki said the generals approached him in 1996 seeking a meeting with the ANC over amnesty applications. He argued that former president FW de Klerk and his cabinet should also apply. Mbeki said the ANC subsequently pursued collective amnesty for some of its leaders to encourage the apartheid leadership to do the same, but the courts later overturned the decision. He maintained that his administration never directed the National Prosecuting Authority to halt or suppress investigations, arguing that prosecutions were the NPA’s responsibility. He also defended his 2003 parliamentary speech and later arrangements involving pardon requests, saying these aimed to encourage truth-telling rather than grant blanket immunity to those responsible for apartheid-era crimes.
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Nigeria and Rwanda Seek to Strengthen Defence Cooperation
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has arrived in Rwanda for a five-day official visit aimed at strengthening defence and security cooperation between the two countries. Shaibu held talks in Kigali with Rwanda Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff General Mubarakh Muganga and Army Chief of Staff Major General Vincent Nyakarundi. The discussions focused on implementing existing agreements covering military training, exchanges of instructional and logistics personnel, and other shared security concerns. Shaibu and his delegation also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and toured the Campaign Against Genocide Museum to learn about the genocide and Rwanda’s post-conflict recovery. The visit is scheduled to conclude on October 23.
