KAMPALA – Retired Colonel Anthony Kyakabale, a former rebel commander who played a pivotal role in Uganda’s liberation and the Rwandan Civil War, has passed away in Sweden, sources have confirmed.
Col. Kyakabale died after a prolonged illness, bringing to a close the chapter of a controversial and storied figure in the region’s military history. He had been living in exile for years following a fallout with President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
A veteran of the struggles that shaped East Africa, Kyakabale was not only a figure in the fight that brought the current Ugandan government to power but also a key participant in the Rwandan conflict that culminated in the 1994 ouster of President Juvenal Habyarimana.
His relationship with the Ugandan state, however, was complex. After once taking up arms against the government he helped install, Kyakabale spent a significant period abroad. In a notable shift, he had recently been brought back into the fold.
At the time of his death, the retired colonel had been appointed as a Special Envoy for Reconciliation by the State House and was receiving a salary from the government, having formally renounced his rebel activities years earlier.
His death marks the end of a turbulent life that spanned rebellion, exile, and ultimately, reconciliation with the establishment he once fought.
