Man in the news: Félicien Kabuga

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) meets every six months to brief the UN Security Council the status of Genocide suspects’ cases. On Friday this week, ICTR traveled to brief the Council on Kenya’s degree of cooperation in the arrest of Rwanda’s key Genocide fugitive Félicien Kabuga. On Thursday this week in Nairobi, the Spokesperson of the ICTR, Roland Amoussouga explained that the Chief Prosecutor Boubakar Jallow would give the report to the council on what Nairobi has been doing to arrest Kabuga. Jallow recently reported the Kenyan government to the Security Council for not doing enough to apprehend a man believed to have organized, ordered and participated in mass murders against Tutsis. Kenya has repeatedly denied shielding Kabuga. He has been evading justice for over 12 years. The Security Council established the Tanzania-based court in 1994 following the Genocide. An international arrest warrant was issued for Kabuga in 1999. In 2006, Jallow reportedly stated that the court had evidence that Kabuga was ‘living’ in Kenya. There have been several attempts in the past to arrest Kabuga in Kenya. This year, police in Nairobi arrested wrong man, mistaking him for Kabuga. In May this year, a Kenyan court froze assets. He is accused of buying machetes, food and other equipment used by Interhamwe militias to massacre Tutsis. Kabuga, who has a $5m bounty on his head, was born in 1935 in Byumba. He was exceedingly rich businessman who was closely allied to the family of President Habyarimana. He reportedly took part in the formation of the National Defence Fund’s Acting FDN of which he became President. Later, he was to become the president of the RTLM’s Ruling Committee. He was also the main financial contributor to and silent partner of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND) the presidential party. From 1990 to July 1994, Kabuga was said to have played a role in the preparation of a plan aimed at the extermination of the Tutsis. Amongst other elements, this plan in particular, encouraged hatred and ethnic violence against the Tutsis, trained and armed the militia, and drafted lists of people to be murdered. Before and during the genocide, Kabuga, and other genocide suspects are said to have participated in the provision of weapons to the militia to eliminate the Tutsis. Kabuga is believed to have imported 50’000 machetes from Kenya. After this, he was said to have taken residence in Nairobi, Kenya. According to ICTR, Kabuga uses other names such as Idriss Sudi, Abachev Straton, Anathase Munyaruga and Oliver Rukundakuvuga Ends