Rwanda’s most-wanted genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga arrested in France

May 16, 2020

French police arrested Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga on Saturday.

The 84-year-old had been pursued by international justice for 25 years over crimes allegedly committed during the 1994 genocide.

The French Justice Ministry said gendarmes arrested him at 0530 GMT on Saturday. He had been living under an assumed name in a flat in Asnieres-Sur-Seine, near Paris.

He is believed to have held the purse-strings of Rwanda’s so-called hate media, which incited ethnic Hutus to murder Tutsis.

His son-in-law was arrested in Germany in 2007.

A top United Nations prosecutor welcomed the arrest.

“The arrest of Felicien Kabuga today is a reminder that those responsible for genocide can be brought to account, even 26 years after their crimes,” said Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals in The Hague.

Kabuga is Rwanda’s most-wanted man and is the subject of a $5 million (€4.6 million) bounty offered by the United States.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Black Earth Rising

In the British Netflix series, Kate digs into the turmoil of her past. She wants to put those responsible for the genocide in her home country behind bars, but that puts her in grave danger. It’s a dramatic reappraisal of the genocide — and its aftermath to this day, accompanied by Leonard Cohen’s dark “You want it darker” as the soundtrack.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Hotel Rwanda

Paul Rusesabagina ran the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali in 1994. During the genocide, he protected more than 1,200 people from certain death. In 2004, the story was turned into the film “Hotel Rwanda.” The disturbing drama was not only nominated for three Oscars, but also reminded the general public of the atrocities of the genocide.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Shake Hands with the Devil

Romeo Dallaire (photo) was commander of the UN mission in Rwanda before and during the genocide. In his book “Shake Hands with the Devil,” he lays blame on the international community for the catastrophe of 1994. The Canadian had said that intervention was vital in order to stop the murder, but his cries for help and those of the Rwandans went unheeded. His book was turned into a film in 2007.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Hate Radio

The radio was used by the génocidaires, who perpetrated the genocide in Rwanda, as a propaganda tool to spread their hate messages throughout the country. The RTLM broadcaster called the Tutsi and the moderate Hutu “cockroaches.” In his play “Hate Radio,” the Swiss theater director Milo Rau stages a frighteningly authentic day in the studio of the infamous station.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families

The church is also partly to blame for the genocide in Rwanda. This dramatic, formal sentence from a Tutsi pastor’s letter to a church superior collaborating with the génocidaires was chosen by US journalist Phillip Gourevitch as the title of his book. In Rwanda, he collected reports from survivors. Through them he tried to understand the psychological aftermath of the genocide.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Shooting Dogs

The film “Shooting Dogs” shows how quickly a supposedly healthy world became hell on earth. In a school in Kigali, hundreds of people seek shelter from the murderous militias waiting outside the gates. They initially believe that the UN blue helmets can protect them, but then the evacuations of Americans and Europeans begin. The Rwandans are left behind — and the killing starts.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Left to tell

For 91 days, Immaculée Ilibagiza hid in the bathroom of a pastor’s house. Machete-wielding men had been looking for her and the seven other women who had taken refuge in the small room. When they were finally able to leave, she discovered that almost her entire family had been murdered. She believes that it was her faith that saved her and has written about the genocide and its lasting effects.

Portrayals of Rwanda’s genocide, 25 years on

Rwandan Records

Even 25 years after the genocide, Rwanda remains inextricably linked to the darkest chapter in its history. But many Rwandans also want to look to the future — including rapper Eric1key and the “Rwandan Records” project. Their goal is to show there is more than just a victim mentality by promoting the perspective of self-confident people. They are holding shows in Berlin and later, in Rwanda.

Author: Felix Schlagwein (als/ct)