This archive report was first published on 22 May 2020.
On May 22, 2020, a United Nations war crimes prosecutor made a significant announcement regarding the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The remains of Augustin Bizimana, a fugitive major suspect indicted on 13 charges, including genocide, murder, and rape, have been identified in a grave in Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo.
According to Serge Brammertz, the UN war crimes prosecutor, Bizimana is believed to have died in Pointe Noire in 2000. His remains were identified through DNA testing.
Bizimara was alleged to be responsible for the murders of former Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian United Nations peacekeepers, as well as the murder of Tutsi civilians in five Rwandan regions, Brammertz stated.
The identification of Bizimana's remains comes after the arrest of Felicien Kabuga, another prominent suspect from the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, in Paris last week.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda conducted 50 trials before closing its doors in 2015. However, a successor UN court continues to function, with dual offices in Arusha, Tanzania, and The Hague, Netherlands, to pursue remaining suspects and appeals.
