Col. Anthony Kyakabale, Former Rebel Commander & Bush War Veteran, Passes On In Sweden

By Our Reporter

Retired Colonel Anthony Kyakabale — a veteran of Uganda’s liberation struggle, a former rebel commander, and once a close ally of President Yoweri Museveni — has passed away in Sweden, where he had been living for several years.

Family sources confirmed that Kyakabale, who had been battling a long illness, died earlier this week.

Col. Kyakabale’s death closes a significant chapter in East Africa’s liberation history. A man of strong convictions and shifting alliances, he was among the key figures who shaped Uganda’s and Rwanda’s armed struggles in the 1980s and early 1990s.

A seasoned bush war fighter, Kyakabale was deeply involved in the military campaigns that helped bring the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to power in 1986. Later, his strategic insight and regional networks proved invaluable to the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) during Rwanda’s 1990–1994 liberation war that ousted former President Juvenal Habyarimana.

However, Kyakabale’s relationship with President Museveni soured in the late 1990s amid disagreements over governance and internal politics, prompting his exile in Sweden. From abroad, he became one of the government’s most outspoken critics, consistently calling for reconciliation, inclusive dialogue, and democratic reform.

In a remarkable twist, President Museveni later extended a pardon to his former comrade, allowing him to return home after years in exile. Upon his return, Kyakabale embraced a reconciliatory role and was appointed Senior Presidential Advisor on Reconciliation, focusing on healing political and regional divides.

Until his passing, Col. Kyakabale remained a symbol of Uganda’s turbulent but transformative post-independence journey — a soldier who fought for liberation, endured exile, and ultimately sought peace and unity among his compatriots.

Funeral arrangements and burial details are yet to be announced by the family.