Former Kagame Chief Bodyguard Tom Byabagamba Dies in Prison

What the report says

Former Rwanda Defence Force officer Colonel Tom Byabagamba has died in prison, according to his family, ending nearly 12 years in detention. Nile Post reported that his death was confirmed by his elder brother, David Himbara, a former adviser to President Paul Kagame who later became a government critic. The family did not say what caused the death, and Rwandan prison or defence officials had not publicly commented by the time of publication.

Byabagamba once served in Kagame’s personal protection detail and later led the Republican Guard, the elite unit responsible for guarding the president and key state installations. He was arrested in August 2014 after returning from a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. He was detained with his brother-in-law, retired Brig Gen Frank Rusagara, and former army sergeant François Kabayiza.

According to the report, Rwanda’s Military High Court convicted Byabagamba in 2016 on charges including inciting insurrection and undermining the government, and he received a 21-year sentence. An appeals court later reduced that term to 15 years, and he was given an additional three-year sentence in 2020 over an alleged prison escape attempt. His death comes about a year after Rusagara also died in prison after serving more than 11 years. The case is significant because it has drawn attention to the treatment of senior former military figures jailed in Rwanda and to continuing tensions around criticism of the government.