Rwanda genocide prime suspect taken to court

ARUSHA, Wednesday

Idelphonse Nizeyimana, who earned the title of “Butcher of Butare” during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda today denied charges levelled against him at the UN Tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania.

The captain of the former Rwandan Army pleaded “not guilty” to five counts of genocide and crimes against humanity during his first appearance in Court, only 10 days after he was arrested in Uganda.

The clean-shaved captain, who was among the elite officers close to the former Rwanda leader Juvenal Habyarimana, sat composed as a barrage of charges were read against him at the packed court room.

A serious stance

Clad in a stripped suit, he did not appear surprised by the charges and maintained a serious stance, often peeping around to find out if he could identify anybody. 

It took almost one hour for the charges to be read against one of the most sought after Rwanda genocide perpetrator with a $5 million cash prize on his head to be read at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

The prosecution side alleged that as a military commander in Butare area, when the tiny but densely populated state plunged into orgy of bloodshed in 1994, he ordered the extermination of members of the Tutsi ethnic group and their sympathisers.

Incidentally, large scale killings captain Nizeyimana is alleged to have masterminded started on April 19th, 1994 almost two weeks after the death of President Juvenal Habyarima when his plane was shot down.

Public meetings

Although the death of the president triggered the massacres elsewhere in Rwanda beginning with capital Kigali, the accused is alleged to have organised public meetings in Butare to incite people to take arms against the Tutsis. Nizeyimana reportedly instigated the population to exterminate the Tutsis and opposition leaders by associating the latter with the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), referred as ‘enemy’ by the Habyarimana regime. 

“He ordered soldiers  to take strategic positions around Butare so that it is not infiltrated by the enemy. The enemy referred were the Tutsis”, according to a representative of ICTR registrar. 

He added that through extremist ideology, Nizeyimana and his fellow military officers ordered executions of whole families of people suspected to be Tutsis or their supporters.

Road blocks were set up in many areas to identify the Tutsis, also referred to as ‘inyenzi’ (cockroaches).

And those found with ‘suspicious’ identify cards or seen to be Tutsi were arrested and subsequently killed.

Similar treatment was meted out to moderate Hutus and officials of political parties that were challenging President Habyarimana’s rule and MRND party which dominated Rwanda politics for many years.

Some of the horrific killings, which allegedly took place under the command of the former army captain, were the extermination of lecturers and students identified to be Tutsis at the National University of Butare.

Nizeyimana, who has been in hiding since an arrest warrant was issued against him in 2000, is further alleged to have sent soldiers on April 25, 1994 to the home of former Rwanda Queen Rosalie Gicanda where she was eliminated alongside other people.

Between 800,000 and one million people were massacred in Rwanda during three months of bloodshed (April to July 1994), which ended with the coming to power of Tutsi-supported RPF.

The accused was initially jointly charged with two others Tharcisse Muvunyi (case on re-trial) and Idelphonse Hategekimana (trial in progress).

They are facing five counts of genocide or in the alternative, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.

Captain Nizeyimana pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all the charges when he appeared before Judge Khalida Khan (Pakistan).

The hearing has been adjourned until further notice.

The  former second in command in Rwanda intelligence services, had a $5 million bounty on his head under the US Rewards for Justice Programme is only the second one to be arrested under the cash incentive.

His arrest warrant

He was arrested in Kampala on October 5 this year by the Ugandan police and Interpol after being on run for nearly nine years after his arrest warrant was issued by the Arusha-based UN Tribunal in 2000.

After his capture in a Kampala hotel, where he was reportedly on transit from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Kenya, he was immediately transferred to ICTR’s detention facility in the northern Tanzania town.  

According to him, Captain Nizeyimana has been provided with the legal aid of a Tanzanian lawyer, Bharat Chadha. 

Nizeyimana is the second of the 13 alleged masterminds of the Rwanda genocide, who had a $ 5 million bounty on their heads, to be arrested so far under the US Rewards for Justice Programme.

The first one, Gregorire Ndahimana, was arrested some weeks ago in the DRC but his extradition to Arusha was delayed for almost a month until ICTR threatened to report DRC to the UN Security Council for the delay.

It later emerged that the Kinshasa authorities deliberately delayed extradition until the money is paid. Some analysts believe the cash prizes could motivate several countries where the figitives have taken refuge to carry out the arrests.

The cash prize

The cash prize was initiated by the US in order to support the pursuit of criminals accountable for the most serious violations of international humanitarian law under the 1994 Genocide Against Tutsis.

It is paid to whoever leads to the arrest or conviction at ICTR of the wanted fugitive by giving information and directing investigators to their hide outs anywhere in the world.  Such operations are normally carried out by ICTR tracking teams in collaboration with Interpol and security forces in the host countries.

However, payment process is so discreet and names of beneficiaries often kept top secret. Uganda is said to have moved to claim the $5m reward for the arrest of Nizeyimana.

But several key perpetrators of the Rwanda genocide, during which nearly one million people were massacred, say several of them remain at large despite warrant of arrests having been issued globally.  These include the most sought after of all, Felicien Kabuga, whom the Arusha-based ICTR has repeatedly insisted he was hiding in Kenya, a claim Kenya has denied, Augustine Bizima, Fulgence Kayishema, Protais Mpiranya and Bernard Munyagisheri.

Others are Phareas Munyarugarama, Aloyce Ndimbati, Ladislaus Ntaganzwa, Charles Ryandikayo, Charles Sikubwaho and Jean Bosco Uwinkindi.

The killings were well organised and by the time they started, the Rwandan militia numbered around 30,000 — one militia member for every 10 families.

Militia members

Some militia members were able to acquire AK-47 assault rifles by completing requisition forms. Other weapons, such as grenades, required no paperwork and were widely distributed.

Many members of the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi were armed only with machetes.

One Rwandan official revealed in his testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal, that the genocide was openly discussed in Cabinet meetings and that “one Cabinet minister said she was personally in favour of getting rid of all Tutsi; without the Tutsi, she told ministers, all of Rwanda’s problems would be over.”

On the local level, the genocide’s planners included Burgomasters, or mayors, and members of the police.

Government leaders communicated with figures among the population to form and arm militias called Interahamwe, “those who stand (fight, kill) together”, and Impuzamugambi, “those who have the same (or a single) goal”.