This archive report was first published on 19 May 2020.
On May 16, 2020, the world witnessed a major breakthrough in the pursuit of justice for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, as Felicien Kabuga, the suspected key financier, was finally captured in Paris, France.
For 26 years, Kabuga evaded capture, with fingers pointed at Kenya for allegedly harboring him. However, it has now been revealed that he was hiding in plain sight in Paris, a location that was the last place the international search could have zeroed in.
When Kabuga appears before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) at The Hague, the Netherlands, the world will finally learn the truth about his alleged role in inciting ethnic hate and financing the genocide, including the importation of machetes used by the Interahamwe militia to slaughter innocent people.
The capture of Kabuga serves as a testament to the long arm of the law and the power of international cooperation in bringing perpetrators of heinous crimes to justice.
Kenya, whose image had been tarnished by allegations of conniving to enable Kabuga's escape, can now breathe a sigh of relief. The capture also brings closure to the family of a journalist who was killed while trying to help apprehend the fugitive, and to a Kenyan who suffered for a mere resemblance to Kabuga.
