Blog 18_Rwanda genocide suspect arrested

One of the top four genocide suspects was arrested in Uganda this week, Ugandan and Rwandan officials confirmed today.

Idelphonse Nizeyimana was an intelligence chief at the time of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, in which more about 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. He is accused of organising the mass killings of civilians, including the former Tutsi queen Rosalie Gicanda, who was 80 years old at the time of her death.

The Rwandan government welcomed the arrest but said that Nizeyimana should be tried in his country. Eric Kayiranga, a Rwandan police spokesman, confirmed that the suspect was arrested in Kampala, Uganda's capital. According to the BBC, he was attempting to cross the boarder from Congo to Kenya and was caught with false travel documents.

"This guy was causing terror in Congo, and he was a threat to the region," Mr Kayiranga told The New York Times. "His arrest was a success."

It is believed that Nizeyimana fled to Congo, after the genocide, and took refuge there. He was finally arrested in a hote in Kampala. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha, Tanzania, said that Nizeyimana will appear in court in the coming days.

The Rwanda Genocide was one of the most brutal mass murders and ethnic conflicts. The Genocide was sparked by the death of the Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down in June 1994. Accusation was pointing to the leader of a Tutsi rebel group, Paul Kagame, for the attack. Kagame denied the accusation and shifted the blame to Hutu extremists. This acted as a perfect catalyst to more radical actions regarding the already existing ethnic disputes between the Tutsis and the Hutus. In the 100 days of killing, it is estimated that more than 800 000 Rwandans were killed and most of them were Tutsis.

Pictures Courtesy of the BBC