South African court convicts men of murder attempt on Rwandan general

A South African court found four men guilty on Friday of an attempt to murder an exiled former Rwandan general in front of his home in Johannesburg.

The general said the attack was ordered by Rwandan president Paul Kagame.

Two other suspects were acquitted for the shooting, which took place in 2010 and that injured Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, the court said.

Nyamwasa, a former top aide to Rwanda's president, fell out with him in 2010 and fled to South Africa where he was granted political asylum. Nyamwasa and others accuse Kagame of ordering two attempts on his life. They also accuse him of ordering the murder of another critic of the Rwandan government, colonel Patrick Karegeya, who was a former Rwandan spymaster. Karegeya was found strangled in a Johannesburg hotel in December last year. Karegeya, who was also exiled in South Africa, was Nyamwasa's friend and former colleague.

Rwanda's government has denied any involvement in the attacks.

Karegeya's nephew, David Batenga, said he was pleased the four men were found guilty but discouraged that the other two were not. Sentencing is set for 10 September.

Rwanda's government has been praised for making impressive progress in the delivery of public services since the 1994 genocide. However, Human Rights Watch says freedom of expression is tightly controlled and that the government has threatened critics, and obstructed opposition parties and independent civil society.

In Rwanda on Friday, two senior army officers were charged with inciting the public against the government. Brigadier general Frank Rusagara and colonel Tom Byabagamba were also charged in a military court with illegal possession of firearms and spreading falsehoods. The two were arrested last week.

Byabagamba once was the commander of the elite force in charge of Kagame's security. Rusagara, who retired from the army last year, had recently served as the defence attache at Rwanda's diplomatic mission in Britain. His driver, retired sergeant Francois Kabayiza, was also charged.

Source: The Guardian