After 26 years on the run: What to expect when Kabuga faces justice
Félicien Kabuga was initially indicted by the Arusha-based United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1997. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGA
The arrest of Félicien Kabuga on May 16 in the Paris suburb of Asnieres-sur-Seine, France, was greeted with jubilation and surprise in Rwanda and elsewhere in the world. He was the most prominent fugitive accused of playing a central role in the genocide that targeted the Tutsi in Rwanda 26 years ago.
Mr Kabuga, 84, was initially indicted by the Arusha-based United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1997. He became, arguably, the highest profile individual targeted by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) that succeeded the ICTR once it folded up in 2015. Mr Kabuga managed to evade justice using his wealth and networks that allowed him to buy protection and new identities, enabling him to move around the world undetected.
