France places six Rwandan officials under judicial investigation over 1994 genocide

[News_Editor]

France places six Rwandan officials under judicial investigation over 1994 genocide

2010-12-17 06:52:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

PARIS (BNO NEWS) -- France on Thursday placed six Rwandan officials, including Defense Minister James Kabarebe and Army chief-of-staff Charles Kayonga, under judicial investigation for their involvement in the 1994 genocide, the BBC reported.

The six Rwandan officials are accused of carrying out an attack which brought down the plane in which former President Juvenal Habyarimana was traveling along with Burundian counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira. The attack triggered the 1994 genocide that claimed the lives of around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Last week, a French judge questioned the six individuals charged in Burundi. During the interview, the six Rwandan officials denied all wrongdoing. Judge Marc Trevidic indicted the six individuals in a Paris court on Thursday.

In 2006, France and Rwanda broke diplomatic relations after arrest warrants were issued in Paris for nine officials and accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of being involved in Habyarimana's plane attack.

Relations improved when French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited the African nation last February. The issue is very sensitive within the Rwandan government as President Kagame is a Tutsi and French accusations of his involvement in the attack that triggered the massive Tutsi genocide threatens his legitimacy.

In November, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison a Rwandan businessman for his involvement in the 1994 genocide. Gaspard Kanyarukiga was found guilty of genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.

On April 10, 1994, local police and various officials of the government gathered Tutsi refugees in the parish of Nyange. After a two-day siege, almost 2,000 Tutsi refugees were killed after Rwandan officials determined to bulldoze the church down. Overall, approximately 800,000 people were killed over the course of 100 days.

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