THE DANGEROUS POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN KISORO DISTRICT AND THE EMERGING THREAT OF GENOCIDE

May 26, 2025

It is with grave concern and profound urgency that I rise to bring attention to a clear and present danger unfolding in the Kisoro District, south western part of Uganda, a dangerous resurgence of ethnic based political extremism that mirrors the ominous shadows of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, history is not merely repeating itself, it is being resurrected by the very actors and ideologies that once drowned the Great Lakes region in blood.

Last week, on Friday, May 23, 2025, during the National Resistance Movement (NRM) district leadership elections in Kisoro, a troubling pattern emerged that is no longer possible to ignore. The electoral outcomes did not reflect a democratic choice by the people but rather the consolidation of power by a clique with direct affiliations to the genocidal elements that once wrought destruction across our borders.

This is not an ordinary political transition, it is the birth of a genocidal machinery, oiled by foreign funding, cloaked in ethnic supremacy, and empowered by systemic neglect.

At the center of this dangerous axis stands ageing Dr. Philemon Mateke, now re-elected as the NRM District Chairman, a man with deep, historic ties to the Hutu genocidaires of the 1994 Rwanda tragedy and an open apologist of the (UPC) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Mateke is not a mere politician, he is a torchbearer of sectarian hate, a man who has used his influence for years to offer sanctuary, cover, and legitimacy to fugitives of international justice.

The Guardian’s 2008 investigation already unveiled Mateke’s dangerous links to FDLR rebels links that were never severed, only concealed, and today, they are reactivated with renewed energy.

The team that now surrounds Mateke includes:

·         Nambaje Alex, now Vice Chairman, a known gold smuggler embedded in tourism but operating as an FDLR intelligence operative in the region.

·         Nsubuga Geoffrey, newly elected Secretary General and the Speaker of Kisoro Municipality, a close associate of Nambaje.

·         Joachim Hashakimana, surprisingly elected Secretary of Finance, and

·         Ivan Macari, the new youth representative less involved in activities of Mateke

These are not coincidental victories, they are tactical placements deliberate moves on a deadly political chessboard, all these individuals are either known beneficiaries or facilitators of FDLR funding networks, now expanding under the radar to absorb religious figures, educationists, media actors, and local government structures, this network’s reach includes:

·         Hon. Grace Akifeza, Kisoro district Woman MP

·         Amos Hashakimana, District Speaker

·         Bishop Godfrey Mbitse, Diocese of Muhabura, now deeply entangled with Kampala-based FDLR envoy Mrs. Hope Bizimana

·         Hon. Kwizera Wagahungu, MP Bukimbiri County

·         Hon. Niyonsaba Alex, a passive but willing backer of Mateke due to shared Muzigaba clan interests.

·         Abel Bizimana, LCV Chairperson and aspirant for Bufumbira East

·         Mayor Ndyana Richard, Mayor Kisoro municipality and aspiring for LCV

This crew is not only deeply sectarian in its orientation, it has mobilized ground networks composed largely of Kisoro students, particularly at King Ceasor University in Bunga, and other youth now working in Rwanda as teachers headed by Bigirimana Moses who now serve as social media propagandists and field operatives, these youth have been systematically radicalized, funded, and militarized through ideological indoctrination, mirroring the Interahamwe model of Rwanda’s darkest days.

It is important to remind the world, sectarianism kills. It is not rhetoric, it is a prelude to rivers of blood. President Yoweri Museveni himself last year, openly warned Kisoro’s leaders against this rising tide of ethnic division. Yet, those warnings have fallen on deaf ears, as his very party machinery has now been hijacked by the same actors he cautioned against, It is a bitter irony and a national disgrace.

Let us also not forget the mysterious death of Minister Sarah Nyirabashitsi, who had been assigned the sensitive role of investigating this criminal political ring, her demise was followed by a sham of a by-election, where the very individuals she worked with turned around and used foreign backed chaos to seize power, even mocking the President himself publicly without consequence.

Now, even places of worship have fallen. The once-sacred St. Andrew’s Seseme Cathedral is now riddled with politically charged WhatsApp groups where Clergy such as Rev. Bahati of Gisororo and the Youth Director of the Diocese have shed spiritual neutrality in favor of open partisan mobilization.

And the rot runs deep into community structures, where lawyers, teachers and businessmen like Herbert Nsabimana, Erick Mbonye, Muhumuza Sylivan, and Medard teacher of Seseme Girls, as well as hoteliers like Gakara Gard Iturize, and former teacher Solomon of Rwaramba and former clergy like Pastor Barebereho of Kirundo, now work hand in glove with this insidious campaign of destabilization.

These developments are not isolated, they are coordinated in Nyakabingo and famous Mubano Hotel and Shaaza Hotel, they are systematic, and they are a warning shot to all of us.

If nothing is done now, Kisoro District will descend into violenc, Ethnic extermination is not a possibility, it is a planned operation.

I therefore call upon:

We must remember, genocide is not born in one day. It is brewed quietly in meetings, in whispers, in false elections, and in hate-filled sermons.

Kisoro District is no longer on the verge. It is in the early stages. And if we fail to act, we shall bear the burden of complicity.