KAMPALA — A former Rwandan soldier who fled his country and became an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda, Ugandan police said on Monday, in a killing that has renewed fears for the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile.

Robert Kabera, 50, was discovered dead by residents in a eucalyptus plantation in Luwala village, Mpigi district, about 45 km (30 miles) outside Kampala, on October 17, according to Uganda's Daily Monitor, and was later identified by his brother. Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke confirmed on October 19 that Kabera's head had not been recovered. Investigators believe he may have been killed late on October 16 or early the following morning. Police said relatives had raised the alarm after Kabera, who had travelled from Kampala to inspect a house he was building in the village, stopped communicating as he normally did. No arrests have been announced and police have not identified any suspect or motive.

Kabera was a former sergeant major in the Rwanda Defence Forces, where he also worked as a musician and instructor with the military band. He left Rwanda several years ago after facing a sexual-offence allegation, which he denied, and sought asylum in Uganda, citing fears of political persecution; he had been declared a fugitive by the Rwandan authorities. In exile he built a large online following as a musician and YouTuber: his channel, Major Robert TV, had more than 144,000 subscribers and over 800 videos, many of them critical of Kagame and his administration, including a song in support of imprisoned opposition figure Victoire Ingabire.

His widow, Jeanne d'Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she now feared for her own safety and that of their children: "It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don't have security." His brother, Victor Agaba, told AFP that Kabera had no problems with anyone in Uganda and claimed the criminal case brought against him by the Rwandan military was politically motivated — an allegation the Rwandan government has not responded to; it had not publicly commented on the killing at the time of reporting. The exiled opposition group Rwanda National Congress called for a thorough investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Kabera's death follows earlier killings of Rwandan critics abroad that remain a source of tension: former intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya was found strangled in a Johannesburg hotel room in 2014, and in 2021 former army lieutenant Revocant Karemangingo was shot dead in Mozambique and critic Seif Bamporiki was shot dead in South Africa. Ugandan police say their investigation is ongoing. Sources: AFP via News Central TV, BBC Great Lakes, Daily Monitor (Uganda) via Africa Briefing, Nairobi Law Monthly.