Genocidal Crimes: Who is Flugence Kayishema?
An Inspector of Judicial Police who is from Rwanda a country in Central Africa. Who has been
indicted for the killing of Tutsis and being a part of the Rwandan genocide? He has been
accused of killing 2000 Tutsis people in a church.
The Genocide
The Rwandan genocide had a loss of 800,000 Rwandans. The 2 ethnic groups of Rwanda the
Hutus and the Tutsis were always going head-to-head with their differences but, when the Hutu
The majority gained control of the government in a democratic election, they opened fire against
the Tutsis.
They first targeted the Rwandan president, he and his companion the president of Burundi a
Neighboring Countries were shot down when their plane landed, and the next day the acting prime
minister too was murdered; a day later mass killings followed. Hutu extremists killed the Tutsi
minority and the opposing Hutus.
Promoting hate against the Tutsis had become a common thing before the actual start of the genocide, especially through radio stations known for playing pop songs, such had become the level of hate pointed towards the Tutsis.
After the late intervention of the French, US military, and the rebel forces of Rwanda, the
genocide calmed; after 100 days, but it still allowed those responsible for the genocide to
flee to neighboring countries, where they currently pose a threat to Rwanda and also terrorize
the country, they are living in such as the DRC, etc.
Rwanda Patriotic Front led by Paul Kagame finally took control of the country after defeating
the rest of the Hutus to bring a stop to the 100-Day Genocide. Paul Kagame later became the
4th president of Rwanda and is currently still serving Rwanda as President.
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals said that Kayishema is alleged
to have helped in the killing of about 2000 Tutsis people at the Nyange Catholic Church, where
they happened to have been taking refuge from the genocide.
Gatete Ruhumuliza an attorney and political analyst said that Kayishema “What Kayishema
did … is he broke the first taboo – which was killing people seeking shelter in a church. That
was unheard of,” “Subsequent killings followed that pattern … because many Tutsis who were
killed took shelter [in a church] thinking no one would dare cross that barrier.”, he also stated
that Kayishema was pretty involved in leading the start of the genocide, Kayishema has been on the run from authorities since 2001 and has been described as one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, by the international tribunal.
The Indictment by the International Tribunal alleges that Kayishema directly participated in
the massacre and that he brought and distributed petrol along with the Hutu militia
Interahamwe surrounded and burnt down the Church and also used a bulldozer to collapse the
Church following the fire. Kayishema also supervised the attacks from 6th to 20th April 1994.
This massacre killed most of the Tutsis in Kivumu.
Kayishema is charged with Genocide, Complicity in Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit
Genocide and Extermination as a Crime against Humanity.
Timeline
6th of April 1994 after the assassination of the Rwandan President attacks against the Tutsis
started in the Kivumu commune. 10th of April 1994 the mayor of Kivumu, Grégoire Ndahimana, and the police brought refugees from different sectors of the region and brought them to the church the Parish of Nyange. They also conducted many meetings at the church and elsewhere, it was decided in this meeting
that they would request constables from Kibuye Prefecture to gather all civilian Tutsis of the Kivumu commune in the Nyange Church.
14th of April Kayishema is said to have provided fuel to Hutu Militia Interahamwe in order to
burn down the Church, while local police and the borrowed constables from the Kibuye
Prefecture launched grenades at the church.
15th of April Kayishema and Grégoire Ndahimana ordered the intensification of the attacks
and the destruction of the church thereby killing 2000 Tutsis people.5
th of July to 2nd of August 2001 Kayishema was indicted by the ICTR.
Kayishema on the Run 2006 the Priest of the Nyange church was arrested was sentenced to prison later due to appeal the sentence was lengthened to life in prison $5 Million was offered by the US War Crimes Rewards Program for information on Kayishema 25th of May 2023 Kayishema was arrested in Paarl South Africa.
The Arrest
Fulgence Kayishema was captured on the 25th of May in a joint operation between South Africa and
the UN. He is said to have initially denied his identity, but by the end of the evening told the Authorities
that he has been waiting a long time to be arrested. During his time on the run, the authorities trace his location to many different countries across Africa and in other places. He is also said to have used many different aliases, and false documents.
This was done relying on family members, members of the ex-Forces Armées Rwandaises, ex-forces of démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, and other people who support the idea of a genocidal Hutu power. Kayishema was living under the false name of Donatien Nibashumba at a grape farm in Paarl,
Western Cape Province, South Africa.
The spokesperson for U N General Secretary Antonio Guterres, Stéphane Dujarric said “Ending impunity is essential for peace, security, and justice,”, and that this arrest sends a powerful message to people who crimes like that committed by Fulgence Kayishema. Naphtali Ahishakiye executive secretary of Ibuka a survivor representative or group said “Seeing these people arrested brings healing to the survivors,”.
The Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the United Nations’ International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) said “Fulgence Kayishema was a fugitive for more than twenty years. His arrest ensures that he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes…. This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and that justice will be done, no matter how long it takes…
Today is a day to think of the victims and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. While twenty-nine years have passed, they continue to bear the physical and mental scars of their suffering. My Office reaffirms that we will not rest in our efforts to secure justice on their behalf, and by carrying out our mandate contribute to a more just and peaceful future for the Rwandan people.”
IRMCT replaced the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda after completing its
duties in 2008, it got ceded into IRMCT.
