Fulgence Kayishema, a wanted suspect for the killing of more than 2,000 people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has been arrested in South Africa.
Fulgence Kayishema, a former police officer in his 60s, was arrested on May 24 at a vineyard in Paarl, a small town in the wine-producing region about 50 kilometers east of Cape Town, South Africa.
Kayishema was arrested in a joint operation by South African authorities and UN investigators. According to South African police, when he was arrested, Kayishema gave a false name, Donatien Nibashumba, refusing to admit his real identity. However, later that evening, he said, "I've been waiting a long time to be arrested."
Kayishema was indicted in 2001. Investigators said Kayishema used multiple identities and false documents to avoid detection during his time on the run. The United States has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Kayishema's capture.
Fulgence Kayishema, a suspect wanted for the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Photo: US State Department
In 1994, more than 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus were killed in the three-month Rwandan genocide. The court accused Kayishema of being directly involved in planning and carrying out the massacre of more than 2,000 people at the Nyange Catholic Church on April 15, 1994, at the beginning of the genocide.
The indictment said Kayishema, then a police inspector, bought gasoline to burn down the church, which was filled with refugees. Kayishema and his accomplices are also accused of using a bulldozer to collapse the church after the fire.
When the genocide ended in July 1994, Kayishema fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo with his wife, children, and brother-in-law. After traveling to several African countries, he moved to South Africa in 1999 and, using a false name, sought asylum in Cape Town.
Since arriving in South Africa, Kayishema has relied on a tight support network of former Rwandan military members who have sought to conceal his activities and whereabouts.
Kayishema is scheduled to appear in a Cape Town court on 26 May, ahead of possible extradition to Rwanda.
“Kayishema has been on the run for more than 20 years. His arrest ensures that he will finally face the appropriate punishment for his crimes,” said Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor of the UN’s International Remand Mechanism for Settlement of Cases (IRMCT). “Genocide is the most serious crime against humanity.”
Thanh Tam (According to CNN, AP )
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