Omega, the leader of the FDLR/FOCA, was killed

By The Inspirer.

Pacifique Ntawunguka (Omega), who was the leader of the military wing of FDLR known as FOCA (Forces Combattantes Abacunguzi), has been killed. News of his death began to spread on the morning of Saturday, January 25, 2025.

It is reported that he was killed during clashes between the M23 and a coalition of government forces, including FDLR, in the Nyiragongo territory. The news of his death was also mentioned by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, who highlighted the ongoing cooperation between FARDC and FDLR, which was reinforced by the recent visit of the First Lady of the DRC, Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, to a hospital where injured fighters of the group, including FDLR combatants, were being treated.

Minister Nduhungirehe stated, “It is important to mention that this visit (of Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi to visit injured fighters, including FDLR combatants) took place just hours after the killing of General Pacifique Ntawunguka, the leader of the FDLR military wing, known as Omega, even though the FARDC coalition forces had tried to save his life.”

Ntawunguka, also known by the names Mulefu, Nzeri, and Israël, was born in 1964 in Gasebeya Sector, Gaseke Commune, Gisenyi Prefecture, which is now part of Ngororero District in the Western Province. He attended primary school in Gaseke, then continued his education in Rwankeli. For his secondary education, he studied at Collège Christ Roi in Nyanza, and later continued at the military school ESM in Kigali. After ESM, he pursued aviation studies in Egypt, Greece, and France.

When the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi began in April, Omega was leading Battalion 94, which was operating in the Mutara region. He was defeated by the RPA Inkotanyi forces, sustaining an injury to his leg before fleeing to Kigali. After the defeat of the former FAR forces, Omega, along with others, sought refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At different times, he was urged to return to Rwanda, but he remained resolute in his stance. This was a topic that General (Rtd) James Kabarebe spoke about in 2016. General Kabarebe recounted having personally called Omega to ask him to come back to Rwanda, but Omega responded that he would only return if no Tutsi were left in the country.

He said, “I personally called him and said, ‘Pacifique, you are educated, you are a pilot who trained in France, you’re not a fool. You’ve been in the Congo jungle for over 20 years. Don’t you see that the war is lost and you cannot win? What are you fighting for, knowing you’ve already lost? You didn’t participate in the genocide because you were in France training as a pilot. Why are you fighting, when you’re not afraid of judgment?’”

He replied, “General, let me tell you one thing. When I return to Rwanda, I’ll return when there is not a single Tutsi left in that country.” Kabarebe continued, “From that point onward, I never spoke to Ntawunguka again.”