Most wanted Rwandan genocide suspect Kayishema arrested in South Africa
One of the world’s most wanted genocide fugitives Fulgence Kayishema has been arrested in South Africa after being on the run for decades, authorities said on Thursday.
Kayishema, who is accused of orchestrating the killing of approximately 2,000 Tutsi refugees at the Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, was arrested in Paarl, a town in South Africa’s Western Cape province, on Wednesday, according to a statement by an international court.
Kayishema was arrested in a joint operation by South African authorities and fugitive tracking team of the court, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) said in a statement.
IRMCT chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said Kayishema was a fugitive for more than 20 years and “his arrest ensures that he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes.”
About 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in Rwanda in 1994 during a 100-day bloodshed.
The IRMCT said genocide is the most serious crime known to humankind and the international community has committed to ensuring that its perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished.
“This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and that justice will be done, no matter how long it takes,” the statement said.
The IRMCT said “the thorough investigation that led to Kayishema’s arrest was made possible through the support and cooperation of South Africa and the Operational Task Team established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to assist our Fugitive Tracking Team.”
The Rwandan government commended the office of the prosecutor of the IRMCT for collaborating with Rwandan prosecution and South African authorities to ensure that “Kayishema will finally face justice.”
“Nearly 30 years later, we have a long list of Rwandan genocide fugitives still at large in several countries around the world, and we will continue to work with partner states and institutions to ensure that they are held to account for crimes committed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” a statement by the office of government spokesperson said.
Naphtal Ahishakiye, the executive secretary of the umbrella body of Rwanda genocide survivors’ organizations (IBUKA), said the arrest of Kayishema after years of evading justice “brought some sort of relief to survivors yawning for justice.
He was at the forefront and one of those who played a significant role in the genocide, particularly in the killing of thousands of Tutsi refugees at the Nyange Catholic Church...he and others used a bulldozer to collapse the church, burying the refugees inside,” he told Anadolu.***
Ahishakiye called for speedy trial of genocide suspects under custody to “avoid further delays in delivering justice.
