By Spy Reporter
Trouble is brewing in paradise following the poisoning of Rwandan foreign minister Richard Sezibera, who is currently hospitalized and undergoing medical attention.
Sezibera, according to sources, is reportedly admitted at a Kenyan hospital in Nairobi capital in critical condition, where he was rushed early this week after complaining of severe stomach upset and endless vomiting.
Ambassador Sezibera has been keeping away from the public in Rwanda since the beginning of July following a foreign trip to United Kingdom and France before he fell very ill.
In Uganda, news of Sezibera’s poisoning was first revealed by the Uganda Media Council executive directive Ofwono Opondo, who tweeted thus on Thursday night;
“Rwandan Foreign Minister Dr Richard Sezibera Admitted in Critical Condition after Poisoning…”
A source at the Rwandan ministry of Foreign Affairs and International cooperation revealed that Sezibera is reportedly admitted at Aga khan hospital in Nairobi, battling what is suspected to be food poisoning.
Poisoned In UK?
SpyUganda has learnt in July this year Sezibera traveled to the United Kingdom for a meeting with commonwealth commissioners, to discuss several issues ahead of the June 2020 Common Wealth heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)to be hosted in Kigali Rwanda. Sources reveal that while in the UK, Rwanda’s ambassador to UK, Yamina Karitanyi, invited Sezibera for dinner at her embassy.
“It was during the dinner at Rwanda’s ambassador’s residence in the U.K that we suspect Sezibera was poisoned,” our source said, adding that “The plot to poison Sezibera was reportedly coordinated by Jimmy Uwizeye, a Rwandan external intelligence operative who was declared in 2006 a persona non grata in Uganda due to his subversive activities, although he was later deployed to UK by Rwandan government.”
From UK, Sezibera went to France for another foreign office engagements, where he started feeling weak with internal pains. By the time the minister returned to Kigali, he was severely sick and consequently rushed to hospital.
However, Family members who talked to SpyUganda on condition of anonymity said government first denied them permission to fly him abroad for specialized treatment until his health condition deteriorated. He was later airlifted to Aga Khan Hospital private wing where he is currently admitted, although sources there reveal he has since been referred to Indian for further detoxification.
Why Sezibera
Insiders in Kigali reveal that Sezibera could have been poisoned by elements within government that are not happy with the way he has been executing his duties. International relations analysts believe Sezibera disagreed with his boss Paul Kagame on matters to do with foreign policies and handling diplomatic rows, most especially with the northern neighbor Uganda over border closure, and witch-hunting so called Rwandan dissidents.
In October 2018, after being appointed by Kagame to replace Louise Mushikiwabo as Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sezibera adopted a new approach, which was to ignore Rwanda National Congress (RNC) and P5 coalition as none existent. To him, Rwanda’s foreign office to constantly talk about RNC or P5 coalition was giving credibility and importance to these organizations.
In his first press briefing as Foreign Minister, when asked by journalists about RNC or P5 coalition, Sezibera preferred to ignore these organizations by saying that he didn’t know them and that Rwanda shouldn’t waste time on such failed organizations. However, few months along the way, on New Year’s Eve, Rwandan president Paul Kagame spent half of his new year’s message talking about RNC, thus providing free marketing and publicity to the same organization which his minister had denied knowledge about their existence.
It is also said that with time, Sezibera started becoming frustrated with the whole foreign policy approach led by the system. He was totally not happy with how Kagame’s owned media outlets insulted and abused the former international relations minister of South Africa Lindiwe Sisulu, especially after the effort he was putting to normalize the relationship with her country. Sezibera was also totally not happy with the government’s approach towards Uganda.
After being appointed, Sezibera made an effort to build and open communication contacts between his office and that of his Ugandan counterpart Sam Kuteesa But his rapprochement was always derailed by DMI approach supported by the president’s office Analysts contend that with different approaches at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was a matter of time before Sezibera was sidelined, but none expected him to go for his head especially knowing how he has been a loyal servant of the system.
He was in fact sidelined and his junior Olivier Nduhungirehe was empowered to start using his social media pages to bully and insult Ugandan government officials and whoever tried to question his boss. After facing the repercussions of trying to do what he believed was for the good of Rwanda and its people, he reportedly tried to confide some of his frustrations to one of his relatives, which is believed to have sparked off trouble for him. He was however reportedly betrayed by his own family member who reported to Rwanda’s intelligence body.
