A UN photo of Reverend Christopher Mtikila’s residence in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where FDLR commanders, stay whenever in Tanzania
The home of Reverend Christopher Mtikila has on several occasions hosted senior commanders of Rwandan FDLR rebels transiting through Dar es Salaam Tanzania in efforts to link them up with the outside work, the UN and the politician himself have confirmed.
News of Rwanda reported exclusively on 17 February, that Rev Mtikila arranged meetings with FLDR leaders for Brig Gen Gratien Kabiligi, a former commanding general of military operations of the entire army during and before the 1994 genocide against Tutsis. Brig Gen Kabiligi met with FDLR executive secretary Lt Col Wilson Irategeka and Col Hamadi, the operations commander.
Our investigations team has uncovered yet more information about how Reverend Christopher Mtikila has been the liaison person for the FDLR. Two of the militia group’s Belgium-based officials Joseph Nzabonimpa and Faustin Murego were Dar es Salaam in January 2013 to meet commanders from DR Congo jungles.
While in Dar es Salaam, they stayed at the personal residence of Reverend Christopher Mtikila which is identified in the photo above. According to UN Group of Experts report on DRC released on 24 January 2014, Reverend Mtikila confirmed to them that he had indeed hosted the FDLR political and military officials (See page 26-27 of report).
However, in early February of 2013, one of the FDLR commanders from DRC disappeared. The UN experts say they attempted to confirm with the Tanzanian government about FDLR presence on its soil, and were told they were not aware of any FDLR commander’s travel and stay in Dar es Salaam and that they had no information about their disappearance or whereabouts.
News of Rwanda investigations team is yet to find out when Brig Gen Gratien Kabiligi arrived in Tanzania, but have established that he had meetings at secret locations in Dar es Salaam with the above FDLR commanders. The meetings took place on Friday 24th January, then Saturday and the days of the following week.
Rev Mtikila is a vocal Tanzanian evangelist-politician who is the Chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), a small political grouping with no representation in parliament. News of Rwanda has established that he is the figure who facilitates the acquisition of Tanzanian passports for FDLR commanders to travel out of DR Congo jungles.
Previous stories: EXCLUSIVE: Tanzania Hosts More Meetings For FDLR With ICTR Convicts http://www.newsofrwanda.com/featured1/22366/exclusive-tanzania-hosts-more-meetings-for-fdlr-with-ictr-convicts/
News of Rwanda is preparing another dossier to reveal the identity of a Norwegian priest who works with Rev Mtikila on the FDLR project.
In all the previous travels to this region from Belgium, Joseph Nzabonimpa and Faustin Murego have gone through Tanzania. In June 2012, the two FDLR political cadres, travelling on Belgian passports, were in Rutshuru in North Kivu to meet the FDLR command and convince them to resume cooperation with the Congolese army. The two flew into the Ugandan capital, Kampala on an Egypt Air flight and then made their way to the North Kivu Provincial capital Goma, with the help of DRC intelligence agents.
About the duo Murego was a lieutenant in the former Rwandan army and now lives in the Belgian city of Liege. Nzabonimpa was also an officer in the former Rwandan army and now lives in Brussels, where he works in IT.
The North Kivu Governor Julien Paluku asked the UN mission in DRC to fly the two men to Walikale, a town deep in the forest, so they could meet FDLR commander Sylvestre Mudacumura. The UN refused and so Mudacumura sent a lower ranking officer Pacifique Ntawunguka to meet them. The two gave Ntawunguka $100,000 to give to Mudacumura.