On Thursday 22nd September 2011, day 13 of Victoire Ingabire and her co-accusers’ case resumed with hearings of Maj. Vital Uwumuremyi.
Maj. Uwumuremyi is charged with belonging to a terrorist group, participation in attacks of conspiracy against the government of Rwanda and creation of an armed militia aimed at undermining national security.
He pleaded guilty to the crimes and requested for clemency to the government of Rwanda. He added that he committed those crimes unknowingly because he did not know that FDLR was a terrorist group instead of a political party.
Uwumuremyi told court that he got arrested by the Congolese intelligence and brought back to Rwanda and got into the training camps where he got demobilized and rehabilitated. But he continued contacts with FDLR and Ingabire’s FDU.
During his defense, Maj. Uwumuremyi told court that he was the mastermind of the idea of working with Ingabire and then told that to Lt. Col. Tharcisse Nditurende who was his battalion commander.
Nditurende agreed and contributed to sensitize other in his battalion and Ingabire used to send some money by which Uwumuremyi cleared to court that he used it to by weapons for the new born militia which was an armed wing to FDU.
The reason he advances which led him and others to withdraw from FDLR was that they were no longer following their concern.
Therefore, they withdrew from FDLR and formed FDU armed wing with the main objective of taking over power in Rwanda and create insecurity that would force government of Rwanda into talks.
Uwumuremyi agreed to have participated in an attack whose purpose was to seal off the Ruhengeri–Gisenyi road but they failed to the Rwandan army and retreated to Nyamuragira volcano in Congo.
After his repatriation to Rwanda and getting rehabilitated, Uwumuremyi continued working with Ingabire and together with a man called Phocas that helped to find a house for her when she got in Rwanda.
When in the country, he stayed close to Ingabire and helped driving her in different party’s agenda.
The court resumes on this Friday and Uwumuremyi will continue explaining his actions together with terrorist group and Ingabire will have the opportunity to defend herself for the charges against her.
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