Most-wanted Rwandan genocide suspect arrested in Paarl

Fulgence Kayishema, one of the world’s most wanted genocide fugitives, has been arrested in Paarl in the Western Cape.

Kayishema is alleged to have orchestrated the killing of about 2,000 Tutsi refugees — women, men, children and elderly — at the Nyange Catholic Church during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. He has been at large since 2001.

Kayishema was captured on Wednesday in a joint operation between South African authorities and a UN team charged with finding the remaining fugitives, the UN said on Thursday.

Hawks spokesperson Brig Thandi Mbambo said the fugitive was arrested on a "grape farm" and had been living under a false identity (Donatien Nibashumba). The 61-year-old will make a first appearance in the Bellville magistrate's court on Friday ahead of his extradition to Rwanda.

He worked as a security guard on the farm and was a trusted and well-liked employee who "looked devastated" when he was surrounded by police in body armour, reported The Guardian. “I have been waiting a long time to be arrested,” he reportedly told police afterwards.

International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said: “Fulgence Kayishema was a fugitive for more than 20 years. His arrest ensures he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes.

“Genocide is the most serious crime known to humankind. The international community has committed to ensure its perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished. This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and justice will be done no matter how long it takes.

“The thorough investigation that led to this arrest was made possible through the support and co-operation of South Africa and the operational task team established by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa to assist our fugitive tracking team.

“My office would like to recognise in particular the directorate of priority crimes investigations, crime intelligence Western Cape, SAPS Interpol and the ministry of home affairs. Their exceptional skills, rigour and co-operation were critical for this success.”

Kayishema was indicted by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 2001 and charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity for killings and other crimes in Kivumu commune, Kibuye prefecture, during the 1994 genocide.

“The indictment alleges that on April 15 1994, Kayishema, with co-perpetrators, murdered more than 2,000 men, women, elderly and children refugees at the Nyange Church in Kivumu commune,” Brammertz's office said.

“Kayishema directly participated in the planning and execution of this massacre, including procuring and distributing petrol to burn the church with the refugees inside. When this failed, Kayishema and others used a bulldozer to collapse the church, burying and killing the refugees inside.

“Kayishema and others supervised the transfer of corpses from the church grounds into mass graves over the next about two days.

“The investigation leading to Kayishema’s arrest spanned multiple countries across Africa and elsewhere, in strong co-operation with many national law enforcement and immigration agencies.

“During his flight from justice, Kayishema used many aliases and false documents to conceal his identity and presence. He further relied upon a network of trusted supporters, including family members, members of the ex-Forces Armées Rwandaises and ex-forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda and those aligned with the genocidal Hutu power ideology.

“Kayishema was located and arrested through an analysis-driven investigation exploiting multi-source evidence with traditional and leading-edge methodologies.”

Since 2020, the fugitive tracking team has accounted for the whereabouts of five fugitives, including Félicien Kabuga, Augustin Bizimana, Protais Mpiranya and Phéneas Munyarugarama. There are now only three outstanding fugitives.

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