Théogène Turatsinze (born "in the northern part" of

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

c.1970,"Hundreds bid farewell to Turatsinze"
, '' The New Times'', 26 October 2012 murdered between 11 and 15 October 2012 in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

"Rwanda demands inquiry into Turatsinze’s death"
''Kenya Daily Eye'', 18 October 2012) was a

n businessman. After undergraduate studies in his home country, he moved to Mozambique, "where he worked for several years", then completed his studies with a master's degree in

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

at the

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. He returned to Rwanda, and became the Managing Director of the

Rwanda Development Bank Development Bank of Rwanda, commonly referred to by its French name Banque Rwandaise de Développement (BRD), is a development bank in Rwanda. It is one of the banks licensed by the National Bank of Rwanda, the national banking regulator. Ove ...

(BRD) in 2005. He was dismissed from that position in 2007. "Murder of Rwandan banker: Police admit no progress"
, ''The Zimbabwean'', 19 October 2012 He moved once more to Mozambique, where he served as deputy rector of the São Tomãs de Moçambique Catholic University until his death."Top Rwandan banker murdered in Mozambique"

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

, 18 October 2012 He went missing on 11 or 12 October 2012, in

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...

. His body was found on the 15th, tied up and "floating in the sea". Police in Mozambique "initially indicated Rwandan government involvement in the killing", then retracted the accusation."2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Rwanda"

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Turatsinze was thought to have "had access to politically sensitive financial information related to certain Rwandan government insiders", relating to the funds of the Development Bank. His murder, which remains unsolved, was described as part of a "history of mysterious deaths" of opponents or perceived opponents of the

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

government in Rwanda. The newspaper ''The Zimbabwean'' related it to the deaths of

Seth Sendashonga Seth Sendashonga (1951 – 16 May 1998) was the Minister of the Interior in the government of national unity in Rwanda, following the military victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) after the 1994 genocide. One of the politically moderate Hu ...

(a high-level political opponent murdered in Kenya in 1998),

Jean-Léonard Rugambage Jean-Léonard Rugambage was a Rwandan journalist, acting editor of the newspaper ''Umuvugizi''. He was murdered after an assailant shot him four times in front of his home in Kigali on 24 June 2010. The newspaper had recently been suspended by the ...

(a reporter murdered in Kigali in 2010), and Charles Ingabire (a reporter murdered in Uganda in 2011); it also mentioned

Kayumba Nyamwasa Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa (born 1962) is a Rwandan former Lieutenant general who formerly was the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army from 1998 to 2002. He was also head of Rwandan intelligence from 1998 to 2002 and served as Rwanda's ambassador to ...

, a former member of Rwandan Intelligence who survived an assassination attempt in 2010. Similarly, the UK's

Channel 4 News ''Channel 4 News'' is the main news programme on British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since Channel 4's launch in November 1982. Current productions ''Channel 4 News'' ''Channel 4 News'' ...

linked Turatsinze's deaths to those mentioned, as well as to that of politician

André Kagwa Rwisereka André Kagwa Rwisereka (31 December 1949 – 13 July 2010) was vice-chairman of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, a political party founded in August 2009 in Rwanda. He was found murdered and partially beheaded near a wetland in Butare on 14 Ju ...

, murdered in 2010, noting the "allegations of Rwandan government involvement"."Rwanda timeline: Descent into tyranny"
Channel 4 News, 25 November 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turatsinze, Theogene 1970 births 2012 deaths Rwandan businesspeople Rwandan people murdered abroad People murdered in Mozambique Rwandan exiles Rwandan expatriates in Mozambique Assassinated dissidents Assassinated Rwandan people

See also

References