A
Congolese man seeking asylum in Tanzania has revealed to The Guardian
on Sunday that both unsuspected spies from the neighbouring war-wrecked
country and assassins from the anti-government forces are in Dar es
Salaam hunting for his blood.
Andema Makanio Prince, who also claims to be a Human Right Activist in his native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but currently living at an undisclosed location in the city also alleges to have escaped assassination attempts in two countries at least thrice in the past two years.
He seeks asylum for himself and his family, for what he describes as constant death threats from members of both rivaling factions in his country, he said.
He told The Guardian on Sunday last week that he was concerned he might be assassinated and his family abducted following his revelation of the government military secrets and classified crimes committed by M23, a rebel movement he said was supported by Rwandan and Ugandan governments.
“There have been three assassination attempts on me… that’s why I appeal to the UN humanitarian agencies and Tanzanian government to come to my aide, because like everyone else, I don’t want to die,” he said.
He alleged to have escaped death when he was in Burundi, saying, “these rebels attacked me in a hotel I was sheltered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burundi; but luckily I managed to escape unhurt.”
He said he was wanted on grounds of disclosing secrets over how security agencies from the neighbouring two countries killed the Congolese in the northern part of his country and had their remains sent to Kigali’s genocide memorial site.
“Rebels were targeting civilians for kidnapping, massacre and mass rapes in villages near the border with Rwanda and Uganda,” he said.
He alleged that the rebels systematically collected remains including bones and skulls of their victims in DRC for the Rwandan genocide museum site to exaggerate the magnitude of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide before the world community.
Andema, a father of three claimed to have fled DRC for Uganda in 2012 after sharing the classified information with the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations, and other related international organizations, about gross human rights abuse by the rebel forces operating in his country.
He alleged that the manhunt on his person was immediately launched by the “concerned authorities” in Uganda and Rwanda as the information about the war underworld went public.
He said he was traced for annihilation as means by the official authorities to conceal the reality he had witnessed after being forced into joining the M23 rebel group in Uganda.
While in Uganda, he said he founded and co-led in absentia a non governmental refugee protection organization ‘Aide Rapide Aux Victimes Des Catastrophes’ in Bujumbura, Burundi.
He also volunteered to provide information leading to apprehension of Jean Bosco Ntaganda, a leader of the M23 rebel group in DRC, following $5m reward promise by the US security authorities while in Uganda.
“I took the challenge because I thought it was an opportunity to expose the crimes against humanity committed by M23 in the region,” he said.
He added, "It was also an opportunity for my going public on atrocities to which I had been a witness.
Simply there was no better way of telling the world about recruitment of child soldiers under 15 who were made to actively take part in hostilities involving murder, and rape and sex slavery.
Andema described his plight as having started with his encounter with a US student who had asked for his help as a translator in his research data gathering mission that led him to the M23 rebel-held territory in DRC.
“We went to as far as Bunagana military base and managed to cross the border and entered M23 territory where we had an interview with rebel leaders,” he said.
The rebel leader “asked” him to join the group that he could help preparation of documents as he was fluent in English, French and fairly commanded Swahili.
Andema had no choice, but to accept the offer from a person whose life was in his command, but he managed to convince the rebel leader to go back to his family prior to joining the group.
“But as we were going back to Uganda, we were stopped by the Ugandan police who accused me of crossing the border without permit, and who later handed me over back to the rebels who in their turn severely tortured me while demanding to establish the reason why I entered their territory,” he said.
After months of torture, the leader of the group came to his rescue, but only to force him work for one of the two M23 groups as they were now divided the DRC and Ugandan groups.
Andema remained in DRC to do the work he was initially assigned, thus getting an access to classified information about the group’s operation, activities and even personal whereabouts of individual rebels.
Last year, he managed to escape from the rebels group to Burundi where he was under custody of UNHCR, where rebels and security agents from Rwanda and Uganda would go after him in attempts to kill before the secrets, he said.
The UNHCR officials later arranged his escape to a refugee camp in Kigoma saying it would be safe for him and his family, but the spies had been on his tail for a mission to kill even after moving to Dar es Salaam for.
“We came to Dar es Salaam after my wife was sick and transferred to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), but I realized that there were security agents posing as refugees even in a camp where I was sheltered. I once again managed to escape,” he said.
A military police officer known by his first name as Salum involved in handling Andema’s case confirmed to The Guardian on Sunday that he knew the asylum seeker and that his case was genuine.
“I know him; he told me about the story and I have already referred it to my seniors who also interrogated him for a while and they are still handling his case,” he said over the phone.
But an official at the UNHCR Kasuru refugees camp said she could not disclose the information because she was not a spokesperson for the organisation, but directed the reporter to the Senior Protection Officer in charge of all refugees in Tanzania.
However, the Senior Officer refused to comment, saying it was against their ethical standards to disclose any information involving refugees.
Andema Makanio Prince, who also claims to be a Human Right Activist in his native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but currently living at an undisclosed location in the city also alleges to have escaped assassination attempts in two countries at least thrice in the past two years.
He seeks asylum for himself and his family, for what he describes as constant death threats from members of both rivaling factions in his country, he said.
He told The Guardian on Sunday last week that he was concerned he might be assassinated and his family abducted following his revelation of the government military secrets and classified crimes committed by M23, a rebel movement he said was supported by Rwandan and Ugandan governments.
“There have been three assassination attempts on me… that’s why I appeal to the UN humanitarian agencies and Tanzanian government to come to my aide, because like everyone else, I don’t want to die,” he said.
He alleged to have escaped death when he was in Burundi, saying, “these rebels attacked me in a hotel I was sheltered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burundi; but luckily I managed to escape unhurt.”
He said he was wanted on grounds of disclosing secrets over how security agencies from the neighbouring two countries killed the Congolese in the northern part of his country and had their remains sent to Kigali’s genocide memorial site.
“Rebels were targeting civilians for kidnapping, massacre and mass rapes in villages near the border with Rwanda and Uganda,” he said.
He alleged that the rebels systematically collected remains including bones and skulls of their victims in DRC for the Rwandan genocide museum site to exaggerate the magnitude of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide before the world community.
Andema, a father of three claimed to have fled DRC for Uganda in 2012 after sharing the classified information with the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations, and other related international organizations, about gross human rights abuse by the rebel forces operating in his country.
He alleged that the manhunt on his person was immediately launched by the “concerned authorities” in Uganda and Rwanda as the information about the war underworld went public.
He said he was traced for annihilation as means by the official authorities to conceal the reality he had witnessed after being forced into joining the M23 rebel group in Uganda.
While in Uganda, he said he founded and co-led in absentia a non governmental refugee protection organization ‘Aide Rapide Aux Victimes Des Catastrophes’ in Bujumbura, Burundi.
He also volunteered to provide information leading to apprehension of Jean Bosco Ntaganda, a leader of the M23 rebel group in DRC, following $5m reward promise by the US security authorities while in Uganda.
“I took the challenge because I thought it was an opportunity to expose the crimes against humanity committed by M23 in the region,” he said.
He added, "It was also an opportunity for my going public on atrocities to which I had been a witness.
Simply there was no better way of telling the world about recruitment of child soldiers under 15 who were made to actively take part in hostilities involving murder, and rape and sex slavery.
Andema described his plight as having started with his encounter with a US student who had asked for his help as a translator in his research data gathering mission that led him to the M23 rebel-held territory in DRC.
“We went to as far as Bunagana military base and managed to cross the border and entered M23 territory where we had an interview with rebel leaders,” he said.
The rebel leader “asked” him to join the group that he could help preparation of documents as he was fluent in English, French and fairly commanded Swahili.
Andema had no choice, but to accept the offer from a person whose life was in his command, but he managed to convince the rebel leader to go back to his family prior to joining the group.
“But as we were going back to Uganda, we were stopped by the Ugandan police who accused me of crossing the border without permit, and who later handed me over back to the rebels who in their turn severely tortured me while demanding to establish the reason why I entered their territory,” he said.
After months of torture, the leader of the group came to his rescue, but only to force him work for one of the two M23 groups as they were now divided the DRC and Ugandan groups.
Andema remained in DRC to do the work he was initially assigned, thus getting an access to classified information about the group’s operation, activities and even personal whereabouts of individual rebels.
Last year, he managed to escape from the rebels group to Burundi where he was under custody of UNHCR, where rebels and security agents from Rwanda and Uganda would go after him in attempts to kill before the secrets, he said.
The UNHCR officials later arranged his escape to a refugee camp in Kigoma saying it would be safe for him and his family, but the spies had been on his tail for a mission to kill even after moving to Dar es Salaam for.
“We came to Dar es Salaam after my wife was sick and transferred to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), but I realized that there were security agents posing as refugees even in a camp where I was sheltered. I once again managed to escape,” he said.
A military police officer known by his first name as Salum involved in handling Andema’s case confirmed to The Guardian on Sunday that he knew the asylum seeker and that his case was genuine.
“I know him; he told me about the story and I have already referred it to my seniors who also interrogated him for a while and they are still handling his case,” he said over the phone.
But an official at the UNHCR Kasuru refugees camp said she could not disclose the information because she was not a spokesperson for the organisation, but directed the reporter to the Senior Protection Officer in charge of all refugees in Tanzania.
However, the Senior Officer refused to comment, saying it was against their ethical standards to disclose any information involving refugees.
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