Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga dies in The Hague at 91
This past Saturday, the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals announced that Felicien Kabuga, a key figure linked to the Rwandan genocide, died in a hospital while being held in The Hague, Netherlands. He was 91. In 2023, it was ruled that he was unfit to stand trial due to dementia, after starting his trial in 2022—nearly three decades after the tragic 100-day massacre that claimed 800,000 lives. A warrant for his arrest had been issued in 2013, with a $5 million reward, and he was captured in France in 2020. The court is now looking into the details surrounding his death.
Key facts
- Felicien Kabuga died in a hospital in The Hague while in UN custody.
- He was accused of bankrolling the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi minority.
- His trial began in 2022, nearly 30 years after the genocide that killed 800,000 people.
- In 2023, judges declared him unfit to stand trial because he had dementia.
- An arrest warrant with a US$5 million bounty was issued in 2013.
- He was arrested in France in 2020.
- The UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals announced his death on Saturday.
- An investigation into his death has been ordered.
Entities
Institutions
- UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
- UN Detention Unit
Locations
- The Hague
- Netherlands
- Rwanda
- France