“Former Foreign Affairs and Decentralization and Local Government Minister Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi, has escaped an assassination attempt and is under the protection of a government,“ sources in East Africa tell AfroAmerica Network. The information was confirmed by Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi’s close relatives contacted by AfroAmerica Network. The sources did not however disclose the current whereabouts of Mbusa Nyamwisi.
Mbusa Nyamwisi, allegedly targeted by both the DRC and Rwandan External Intelligence Services.
According to both our sources and the family relatives, who spoke to Mbusa Nyamwisi before he went into the protective areas, the failed assassination attempt was a coordinated operation between the DRC security services, known as ANR, and the Rwandan government operatives from the Department of Military Intelligence (DMI). The coordination however appeared add, given the on-going apparent conflict between the DRC and the Rwandan governments. On one side, the DRC Government and the United Nations have accused the Rwandan Government of recruiting, founding, funding, arming, and commanding a number of armed rebels and militias that have created humanitarian tragedy in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (see our article here). On the other side, the Rwandan government has accused the DRC government of working with Rwandan rebels based in Eastern DRC. Given the open conflict, the question is: how can Rwandan and DRC governments launch a coordinated operation to assassinate the former DRC Minister?
Mbusa Nyamwisi is Targeted for Multiple Reasons
According to AfroAmerica Network sources and Mbusa Nyamwisi’s relatives, Mbusa Nyamwisi has been at logs with the current DRC President Joseph Kabila for long time and for several reasons. The sources, who spoke to Mbusa Nyamwisi, confirmed to AfroAmerica Network that Mbusa Nyamwisi has given the following main reasons behind his assassination attempt
Reason number 1: the General Bosco Ntaganda “gate”
“War by the Congolese M23 against the DRC government could have been avoided, have been avoided “, Minister Mbusa Nyamwisi told the sources, before continuing . “Indeed, when I was still within the DRC Government, I became aware of the fact that General Bosco Ntaganda, the initial commander of M23 rebels, was working for and receiving orders from DRC President Joseph Kabila, to destabilize Eastern DRC. Following intense pressure from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Joseph Kabila tried to find a way to publicly distance himself from General Bosco Ntaganda, while providing him with a covert protection. To protect General Ntaganda, Joseph Kabila announced that the courts of the DRC, instead of ICC, would prosecute Ntaganda. ICC was adamant and rejected Joseph Kabila’s offer. To preempt a potential conflict between the DRC Government and ICC, I offered to be a deal broker between General Bosco Ntaganda and Joseph Kabila’s government. During the negotiations among ICC, Joseph Kabila, and General Ntaganda, General Ntaganda said that he preferred to be prosecuted by the ICC, but asked to be paid a sum of one million dollars, to take care of his family while he is at the Hague, so that he may cease hostilities, surrender, and travel to the ICC. Since Joseph Kabila needed the destabilization, he ordered Genera Makenga to hunt down General Ntaganda with the help of Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF). Attacked from both sides, General Ntaganda preferred to bypass both the Rwandan and DRC government and surrendered to the ICC, after evading the Rwandan Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) assassins. (see our article:General Bosco Ntaganda Evades Rwandan DMI Killing Squad of March 19, 2013 ) Now that Gen Ntaganda has been telling everything to ICC, Joseph Kabila and General Kagame want to eliminate me since I would confirm Ntaganda’s testimony, if asked.”
Reason 2: Stance Against Invasion of Eastern DRC by Rwandan Defense Forces
Mbusa Nyamwisi continues: “When I was Minister of Foreign Affairs, I had, on several occasions, information on the collaboration and coordinated efforts between President Joseph Kabila and General Paul Kagame, aimed at the destabilization of the DRC. Once, I raised my concerns to President Joseph Kabila, regarding the government’s unexplained ineffectiveness in dealing with conflicts in Eastern DRC, and yet when it comes to conflicts in other areas, Joseph Kabila was able to quickly, swiftly, and effectively quash the rebellions. From then on, Joseph Kabila started avoiding me and receiving me on very rare occasions. When Joseph Kabila authorized Rwandan troops to conduct operations on the DRC territory under Kimya II and Umoja Wetu, I denounced the operations on RFI. Joseph Kabila immediately called me and asked to go back to RFI to retract my statements and to say that I supported the invasion by General Paul Kagame’s and Burundian troops. I refused. He threatened me and said he has no choice than to take unspecified drastic actions. I told him he was free to do so. Meanwhile, Joseph Kabila’s close aides were confiding to my aides that my days were numbered and that both Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame will not let me live in peace for long. Later, I was unceremoniously stripped of the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs and transferred to Ministry of Decentralization.”
Reason 3: Challenging Joseph Kabila’s Hold on to Power
According to Mbusa Nyamwisi, Joseph Kabila is the root of the constitutional crisis and the administrative chaos in the DRC. “As soon as I became Minister of Decentralization, I proposed to go ahead with the implementation of the provisions within the Constitution. Joseph Kabila objected to any proposed decentralization in the DRC. Joseph Kabila fiercely opposed decentralization because the reform was going to deprive him of funds obtained through embezzlement occurring on a large scale across the country, in his and his relatives’s favor.”
In 2011, Minister Mbusa Nyamwisi worked to unite the political opposition. He tried to mediate between two main oppositions leaders, Etienne Tshisekedi and Vital Kamerhe. The mediation failed, and Joseph Kabila to won the last presidential elections, when the two leaders could not agree on how to build a coalition. Now, according to the sources, Mbusa Nyamwisi has been working with the DRC opposition to iron out the differences in preparation for the 2017 DRC President elections.
“It is this united opposition, coupled with the reasons I mentioned, that Joseph Kabila and Paul Kagame are fearing and that may be behind the intense assassination plots against me,” concluded Mbusa Nyamwisi.
After a few months in the DRC Parliament, Mbusa Nyamwisi fled the country alleging threats against him. He has once been linked to armed rebellions (see our article here).
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