Paris — The arrest of Félicien Kabuga, one of the alleged masterminds behind the Rwandan genocide, in France on May 16, 2020 brings victims and survivors one step closer to justice 26 years later.
Kabuga is charged by an international war crimes court with genocide and related crimes during the 1994 genocide, and was living in France under a false identity at the time of his arrest.
"Félicien Kabuga's arrest is a major victory for victims and survivors of the genocide in Rwanda who have waited more than two decades to see this leading figure face justice," said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to the Human Rights Watch Africa division for almost two decades and one of the world's foremost experts on Rwanda, published the authoritative account of the genocide, "Leave None to Tell the Story."
"Questions remain over how Kabuga was able to evade justice for over two decades, but cooperation between governments has made it possible for victims and survivors at last to see him face trial and should be replicated to secure the surrender of more international war crimes fugitives."
