A high-profile fugitive named Félicien Kabuga, who is the leading figure in inciting the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 against the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda was finally arrested by the French Police on May 16, according to the United Nations.
Arrested after 25 years
Kabuga was hiding in the Asnieres-Sur-Seine area near Paris. According to the French Justice ministry, he was on the run for more than 25 years, and the 84-year-old businessman, who was from a rival ethnic group named Hutu, is accused of funding the militias which lead to the massacre of 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus.
Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals said in a statement: "The arrest of Félicien Kabuga today is a reminder that those responsible for genocide can be brought to account, even 26 years after their crimes. This arrest demonstrates the impressive results that can be achieved through international law enforcement and judicial cooperation."
Kabuga has a bounty on his head worth $5 million and wanted for years in Rwanda. The French authorities found him living in a flat in Asnieres-Sur-Seine and he has taken a false identity.
The massacre that killed 800,000 people
On April 6, 1994, the massacre in villages began, right after President Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira were killed. The attackers, who were never identified, shot down the plane that the two Hutus used as it passed over the Rwandan capital.
The sudden death of the president ignited a fight between tribes and it was followed by thousands of senseless killings. Hutu soldiers wanted to kill the Tutsi tribe out of retaliation, and they didn't want anyone left.
In villages in Rwanda, the neighbors turned on each other and 70% of the Tutsi population was killed, and just over 10% of the tribe remains in the total population in the country. In July 1994, the fighting between the two tribes ended when a military force that was led by President Paul Kagame, came in from Uganda and eventually took control of Rwanda. He is still the president to this day.
In 1995, the Security Council of the United Nations established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in order to continue the process and hold Kabuga accountable for the massacre. Kabuga was indicted for the genocide of thousands of people in 1997, with a total number of seven cases.
Since the opening of the International Criminal Tribunal, around 93 people were also indicted as they were said to be responsible for the killings of thousands of people. They were also indicted for violations of international humanitarian law. The individuals who were indicted include government officials, high-ranking military officials, businessmen, and politicians.
As for Kabunga, he will be transferred to the custody of the United Nations' court as soon as the proceedings of the French authorities are done. In 2019, Rwanda marked 25 years since the genocide. Solemn ceremonies were held across the country and it was attended by heads of state and a procession was also done in Kigali.
According to President Kagame, Rwanda is rebuilding with hope and that the people would never turn against one another again. President Kagame said during the anniversary that they are now far better citizens than they were before.
Bodies of the thousands of victims are still being retrieved 25 years later. In 2018, authorities discovered mass graves that contained around 5.400 bodies of the victims.
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