A joint team made of Rwanda Invesigation Bureau (RIB), Police and Prosecution on Tuesday, March 4 received Ahmed Napoleon Mbonyunkiza, a genocide convict deported from the United States, where he had just completed a fifteen-year prison sentence over sexual assault.

The 57-year-old had been tried and convicted in absentia by a Gacaca court in Nyakabanda, Nyarugenge District, Kigali, for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Gacaca was a transitional justice system established to try perpetrators of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

Mbonyunkiza was born on July 15, 1968, and lived in Muhima area near downtown Kigali city.

According to information obtained by The New Times, Mbonyunkiza was a senior member of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND), the party that was at the heart of the preparation of the Genocide against the Tutsi, in which over a million people were killed.

In 1992, at just 24 years of age, he was elected on the national executive committee of the party, having risen through party structures from a youth representative from Nyarugenge District.

Witness testimonies and records from the now-closed International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where he appeared as a witness in genocide trials, indicate that Mbonyunkiza was well-connected at a young age.

By his own admission in court, he was a closed confidant of Genocide ideologue Mathieu Ngirumpatse, the then powerful Secretary General of MRND who politically mentored him and introduced him to the most powerful political class.

According to a former schoolmate who requested anonymity to be able to speak freely, Mbonyunkiza attended primary school at St. Famille, where he was known as Paulin. He later studied at APACOPE, a secondary school in Muhima.

The witness recalls him as a devoted supporter of the then-military football team, "Panthère Noire,” and often seen in the company of influential military officers, particularly Colonel Pierre Célestin Rwagafirita, the chairman of that club.

Rwagafirita was one of the most influential and feared ex-FAR soldiers.

During high school, he was known as Ahmed, but upon moving to the United States, he added Napoleon to his name. The same source believes his close association with soldiers influenced his involvement in the Interahamwe militia, which played a key role in the genocide.

Interahamwe was the youth wing of MRND and according to witness accounts, he became an active member of the militia together with his brother and were involved in killing in different parts of Kigali during the Genocide.

In 2007, the Nyakabanda Gacaca Court convicted Mbonyunkiza in absentia for crimes committed during the genocide, sentencing him to life in prison, the highest sentence given by the courts.

Speaking to The New Times, Hamudu Safari, the president of Ibuka in Nyarugenge District, confirmed that indeed, Mbonyunkiza was heavily involved in attacks that targeted Tutsi, killing as well as raping them.

Deportation from the United States

Faustin Nkusi, NPPA spokesperson, confirmed that authorities had prior notice of Mbonyunkiza’s deportation and verified his conviction in their records.

"We are here to receive him and officially notify him of his Gacaca court conviction. He has 30 days to file an appeal, after which legal proceedings will continue,” Nkusi said.

Nkusi added that while the exact date of Mbonyunkiza’s departure from Rwanda is unclear, it is evident he fled after participating in the genocide. "Now that he is back, he will serve his sentence,” he said.

Following legal procedures, Mbonyunkiza will be transferred to Mageragere Prison to begin serving his life sentence. However, according to the law, he is entitled to seek retrial, should he feel dissatisfied with the sentenced handed to him in his absence.

Since 2005, Rwanda has received seven genocide fugitives transferred to Rwanda by deportation from the U.S. Nkusi emphasized that each deportation marks a victory for justice and strengthens international cooperation in holding perpetrators accountable.

"While we celebrate these achievements, 17 more fugitives remain at large in the U.S. We continue to collaborate with U.S. authorities to ensure they face justice, either through extradition or trial in their host country,” he said.

Over 1,000 indicted fugitives, including masterminds of the Genocide against the Tutsi still roam freely in different countries, including some in Africa.

While countries like the US and others in Europe have either extradited to Rwanda or locally tried Genocide perpetrators on their soil, others like the United Kingdom have yet to try a single case, despite several fugitives that remain in the country.