The most wanted suspect in the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, Fulgens Kayishema, has been arrested this Wednesday in Paarl, South Africa, as reported by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts (IRMCT). Has gone and collects Reuters Agency. , Kaishema reportedly planned the killing of some 2,000 Tutsi at the Nyanga Catholic Church. The alleged war criminal has been on the run since 2001. The IRMCT is a judicial body created by the United Nations Security Council. He assumes the functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which closed its doors in 2015. In 2001, Kaishema was indicted by the ICTR for genocide and crimes against humanity and other crimes committed in Kibuye. Six years later, after the country had abolished the death penalty, his case was referred to the Rwandan courts.
IRMCT prosecutor Serge Bramertz explained that after being on the run for 20 years, the arrest would ensure that Kaishema, a former police officer, would face justice for his alleged crimes. “Genocide is the gravest crime known to humanity. The international community has resolved to ensure that their perpetrators are prosecuted and punished. This arrest is a concrete demonstration that this commitment does not waver and justice will be done no matter what,” he declared. Brammertz noted that the investigation leading up to his arrest was spread across several countries in Africa and other continents and was made possible through the support and cooperation of the South African authorities.
According to information provided by CNN, the United States war crimes reward program had offered a reward of up to $5,000,000 (4,662,400 euros) for information leading to the execution of the Rwandan genocide on Kaishema and other fugitives. Kaishema is due to appear in a Cape Town court on Friday.
The court accused Kaishema of directly participating in “planning the execution of the genocide”. The indictment states that he bought and distributed gasoline to burn down the church while the refugees were inside. Kaishema and others have been accused of using bulldozers to demolish the cathedral after the fire, even as people were trapped.
The Nyanga Incident was one of the most brutal of the genocide, killing an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu over a period of 90 days. In the Rwandan Genocide, both Hutu militias and civilians killed large numbers of members of the Tutsi ethnic minority: men, women and children. The killing ended when Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) troops led by Paul Kagame defeated the Hutu rebels and seized control of the country.
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