Genocide trial begins in Karongi

KARONGI- The trial of a Genocide suspect, who was deported from the United States, five years ago, has commenced in a Gacaca court in Karongi District. Enos Kagaba, a former teacher, is accused of masterminding killings in Murambi and Bisesero, where over 10,000 victims are estimated to have perished. During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Kagaba is alleged to have ordered massacres at Mugonero Secondary School, where he served as the Director of Studies. It is also alleged that Kagaba, armed with a gun, led Interahamwe militias to designated killing sites, including classrooms and the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Mugonero. During the trial, yesterday, Phenias Bambanza a self-confessed convict, spoke of Kagaba’s role in 1994 when over a million victims were killed. “Kagaba led us with a gun to places where Tutsis were. I was with him when we killed people at the school where he was a teacher,” Bambanza, who recently completed a 12-year jail sentence, told a fully packed court room. He said that Kagaba alongside other suspects identified as Joseph Munyakazi and Obed Ruzindana, were among the top commanders of the genocidal regime in the Western Province. Shortly after the Genocide, Kagaba fled the country through the Democratic Republic of Congo to Zambia, where he served as a school head teacher for over 10 years. Ends

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Genocide trial begins in Karongi