Callixte Nsabimana alias Sankara on Friday, March 12, pleaded guilty to eight more charges against him. He was appearing before the High Court Special Chamber for International and Cross-border Crimes, together with 20 co-accused. The group faces terrorism-related charges, after being involved in attacks that hit the south-western part of the country between 2018 and 2019, and claimed the lives of nine people, leaving many others injured. MRCD (Rwandan Movement Democratic Change) and its military wing FLN (National Liberation Front), which the group belongs to, claimed responsibility for the attacks. For the case of Nsabimana who was once the Spokesperson of FLN, he faces 17 counts which are related to terrorism. Since 2019 when he first appeared before the court for the first time, he pleaded guilty. On Friday, he was asked by the court to defend himself on eight charges that were remaining for his substantive trial to end. The counts include fraudulent acquisition or production and the use of forged documents and papers issued by competent authority, and receiving and distribution of proceeds for a terrorism act. On the former, Nsabimana explained that he would go by the name of Joseph Kabera, and chose to lie that he was born in D.R. Congo so as to easily acquire a Lesotho passport and later travel to Ireland. Other charges include complicity to intentional assault or battery, complicity to arson, and complicity to armed robbery, maintaining relations with a foreign Government with intent to wage a war, genocide denial, and genocide minimization. Concerning genocide denial and genocide minimization, the accused said that he committed both crimes using several media outlets, and would promote double genocide agenda. “The same agenda is used by all anti-Kigali groups,” he added. Financing FLN militia group On the accusation of receiving and distribution of proceeds for a terrorism act, Nsabimana disclosed that there were several individuals who would finance FLN, including Paul Rusesabagina, one of the co-accused. He said that Rusesabagina personally sent over $190,000 to FLN ‘generals’ to carry out several activities of the rebel group. He also said that there were finances totaling $35,000 raised from countries like Australia and Malawi. According to Nsabimana, different from before when FLN collected large sums of money, many contributors became hesitant after the finances they contributed before 2017 were embezzled by Kayumba Nyamwasa. Nyamwasa is a Rwandan fugitive who lives in South Africa and leads P5- a rebel group operating in DR Congo’s South Kivu province, which seeks to destabilize Rwanda’s security. In 2011, he was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison after he was convicted of multiple charges including terrorism, genocide denial, and crimes against humanity. After Nsabimana’s defense, the court resolved that the trial will proceed on March 24. Meanwhile, on Friday, Rusesabagina informed the court that he will not return to court, saying that his wish of pushing the trial to at least six months has not been attended to. He highlighted that he does not expect a fair trial.
