Emmanuel Nkunduwimye, 65, a close friend and supporter of the former deputy leader of the notorious Interahamwe militia, Georges Rutaganda, has been found guilty of genocide and rape, by a Brussels court after a two month trial. Sentencing will follow shortly.
In May 2023 justice finally caught up with one of the last major fugitives, former Police chief Fulgence Kayishema, who had been sought by the UN Mechanism in South Africa. However, Kayishema, his lawyers and an inept and politically-dubious Cape Town legal system have so far blocked justice and one year on the accused has still to be transferred to the Mechanism to face trial accused of killing thousands of Tutsis in 1994.
It’s UN bonanza payday-time again – the seven former ICTR detainees in living in Niger are celebrating a third $10,000 cash windfall each courtesy of the UN Mechanism ruling its ‘duty of care’ meant they were entitled to what has become an annual tax-free present, to go with free accommodation and medical care. Happy days all round for them. Another savage blow to victims and survivors of the genocide.
The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi devastated millions of lives – not just Rwanda but the whole Great Lakes region. It will take generations to heal the deep wounds. How did such a genocide happen despite the international community knowing it was being planned – and what happened to the perpetrators afterwards as they sought to escape and deny their crimes?
Two suspected genocidaire have been tracked down by Australian media – Froduald Rukeshangabo who now lives and works in Brisbane and Celestin Munyaburanga who is thought to also live in the city – have been named by perpetrators and survivors in Rwanda as culpable of numerous killings during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Like the UK, Australia has never held a trial for genocide and has become a popular home for alleged mass killers as a result of its policy of impunity.
Two genocidaire who fled to Belgium have been found guilty by Brussels High Court. Witnesses over two months spoke of the depraved sexual rapes and killings committed by Pierre Twahirwa against Tutsis while co-accused Pierre Basabose, his ‘boss’ and a key funder of Hutu hate radio RTLM was equally active in organising mass murder of innocents. Both will service life terms – though Basabose will be in a secure unit due to his advanced dementia.
Finally! It has taken since 1995 – 28 long years – but justice has arrived in the case of former gynaecologist Sosthene Munyemana who has been found guilty of genocide and crimes against Humanity. The ‘butcher of Tumba’ assisted organising roadblocks, imprisoning Tutsis who had been caught in sector office from where they were taken away to be murdered by killers Munyemana controlled.
Kabuga – on the run since 1994 until his arrest in Paris in summer 2020, and on trial at The Hague since September 2022, has escaped justice after medical experts and judges decided his dementia meant the trial could not continue. The UN is now tasked with finding a country that will agree to take in the alleged financier of the genocide against the Tutsis and let him live a peaceful retirement.
Ferdinand Nahimana and Catholic priest Father Emmanuel Rukundo have their demand for thousands of dollars ‘humanitarian aid’ turned down by the UN Mechanism. The convicted genociaidre, both released early and living in Mali, hoped to get on the UN ‘cash-for-killers’ bandwagon – but a UN judgement on 20 April 2023 turned them down