Colonel Patrick Karegeya, a key Rwandan opposition figure and a founding member of the Rwanda National Congress has been found murdered in a Sandton hotel.
In a statement, Dr Theogene Rudasingwa coordinator of the Rwanda National Congress said, “The Rwandan opposition is deeply saddened to announce the assassination of Colonel Patrick Karegeya in Johannesburg, South Africa.”
According to reports, a bloodied towel and a rope were found in the safe of the hotel room.
The Rwandan High Commissioner Vincent Karega was quoted in The Citizen as saying, “We learnt through the media of his death and are now aware that the police are on board. We wait to hear the findings by the police as that is the most capable institution we can rely on at this point.”
According to the statement Rwandan opposition key figures have been a target in South Africa and other parts of the world. General Kayumba Nyamwasa survived two assassination attempts in Johannesburg, one on 18 June 2010 and another on 20 June 2010.
The statement accuses Rwandan intelligence operatives of involvement in the attempts.
“By killing its opponents, the criminal regime in Kigali seeks to intimidate and silence the Rwandan people into submission. The regime is hugely mistaken. Such criminal activities make Rwandan people more emboldened to struggle to remove the dictatorship.
“Colonel Patrick Karegeya was a courageous soldier who died on the battlefield. We are determined more than ever before to carry the torch of struggling for freedom, for which he died. We shall win,” concluded the statement.
Karegeya was reportedly staying in the Sandton hotel ahead of a meeting. He was in exile in South Africa and arrived in the country in 2009. He is survived by his wife and three children.
