Who is Brig.Gen Francis Kamanzi

Between a general’s defection and a return to his roots—here are the facts you need to know about General François Kamanzi:

François Kamanzi is a senior officer in the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) who has recently joined the FRN rebel movement, associated with Joseph Kabila.

After,running that he has been demoted;he crossed to brazaville where it's rumoured that he is sheltered in the Rwandan embassy,waiting to be taken enroute to Kigali.

He hails from the locality of KATSIRU, in the Bukombo groupement, not far from the town of Mweso in the Rutshuru territory. François Kamanzi is a "Congolese Tutsi" who completed his secondary education in Mweso.

He is brother  in-law of General  Sultan Emmanuel Makenga.

Along with other young Tutsis living in Bibwe, Nyanzale, and Matenga, he joined the RPF (FPR)—led by Rwandan President Paul_Kagame—to overthrow the regime of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana. Later, he returned to Congo as part of the AFDL, alongside Rwandan forces, to oust Marshal Mobutu in 1997.

Upon the creation of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), he joined the movement—which was backed by Rwanda—alongside several others.

Following the country’s reunification—post-Sun City—and the subsequent integration and merging of various armed factions, François Kamanzi joined the Congolese national army, eventually rising through the ranks to achieve the notable position of General.

He was appointed Deputy Regional Commander for the North Kivu province—overseeing operations and intelligence—by President Joseph Kabila.

During his tenure as the regional head of operations and intelligence under the Kabila administration, he leveraged his influence and rank to establish an extensive smuggling and mafia-style operation, centered on a monopoly over the rice trade in the city of Goma. When the M23 rebels—allied with Rwanda—seized control of the city of Goma, his wife secured a monopoly on the rice trade within the M23-controlled city, a position she holds to this day.

Those who know General François Kamanzi and have worked with him believe he is far more involved in business than in military affairs.He secretly owns multi million mansions in GOMA.

It should be noted that since the rebels took the city of Goma, a number of goods—both food and non-food items—have been subject to a monopoly system. Under this arrangement, a cartel of influential figures—all with close ties to the rebel movement and Rwanda—holds the exclusive right to trade specific products, as directed by the movement and its allies.