Speculation about Gen Omega's death surfaced in January 2025 after clashes between the M23 armed group and a coalition of Congolese army forces and FDLR fighters in areas including Kanyamahoro, Sake, and the outskirts of Goma.
On March 1, 2025, when M23 handed over captured FDLR fighters to Rwandaâ€"including Brig Gen Jean Baptiste Gakwerereâ€"M23's deputy spokesperson, Dr Oscar Balinda, told IGIHE that Gen Omega's body had not been found.
'Gen Omega's whereabouts will be revealed soon. We are still searching for him. I personally entered his bunker in Kanyamahoro, beneath Nyiragongo Volcano. No one was inside, and we did not find his body either,' Dr Balinda stated.
In an interview with Jeune Afrique, Brig Gen Rwivanga confirmed that the RDF is still seeking information about Gen Omega. He noted that the RDF is yet to determine whether he is dead or alive.
'We have not received Pacifique Ntawunguka. We are waiting to confirm whether he was captured, killed, or is still alive,' Brig Gen Rwivanga said.
Who is Gen Omega?
Gen Omega, born in 1964 in what is now Ngororero District, Western Province, Rwanda, studied at Collège Christ-Roi in Nyanza before attending Rwanda's Military Academy (ESM) in Kigali. He later trained as a pilot in Egypt, Greece, and France.
Between 1990 and 1994, he held the rank of Lieutenant in the former Rwandan army (Ex-FAR). During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, he led Battalion 94 in Mutara but was defeated by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Wounded in the leg, he fled to Kigali before eventually escaping Rwanda.
Despite efforts by the Rwandan government to persuade him to return homeâ€"like some former FDLR membersâ€"Gen Omega refused. He infamously told Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe, a former RDF Chief of Defence Staff, that he would only return to Rwanda if no Tutsi remained in the country.
After the death of Gen Sylvestre Mudacumura in September 2019, Gen Omega took over as the FDLR's military leader.
In September 2024, the DRC army launched operations described as a manhunt, but it was later revealed that these operations were merely a facade.
However, a UN expert report later revealed that Gen Maj Peter Cirimwami, then Governor of North Kivu, had tipped him off, allowing him to relocate before the operation began.
The FDLR, a terrorist group composed of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has long sought to destabilise Rwanda through armed conflict.
The DRC government has been accused of collaborating with the FDLR, allowing it to operate freely within its borders.
The fate of Gen Omega remains unknown, but ongoing investigations may soon reveal whether he is still alive or has been eliminated.
IGIHE
