Some perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who spent years hiding within Rwanda to evade justice are increasingly being brought to account, thanks to information shared by citizens.
As Rwandans continue to mark the 32nd commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi, The New Times highlights cases of suspects who lived quietly within communities for years before being identified and arrested.
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Man evades justice for over 30 years in Karongi
Security organs in Karongi District recently arrested a 63-year-old man, Valens Murakaza, suspected of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, after more than three decades in hiding.
He was apprehended on April 9, 2026, at his residence in Rutabi Village, Rutabi Cell, Twumba Sector.
The arrest followed information shared during a meeting between sector authorities and genocide survivors in the area. One participant revealed that Murakaza had been convicted by Gacaca courts but continued to live in the community, engaging in farming and livestock activities while deliberately avoiding public gatherings to evade arrest.
On August 28, 2011, the Gacaca Court of Kavumu Sector found him guilty of genocide-related crimes and sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison.
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Phanuel Uwimana, Executive Secretary of Twumba Sector, said the suspect never served the sentence, having fled immediately after conviction. He later returned after reportedly being forgiven by a survivor from the victim’s family.
"Since returning, he kept a low profile and avoided being noticed, even refusing to obtain a national identity card for fear of being discovered,” Uwimana said. Information about his whereabouts emerged during a survivors’ meeting held on April 8.
Murakaza is currently detained at the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) station in Twumba.
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Suspect who hid for two decades sentenced
In January 2026, the Busasamana Primary Court in Nyanza District sentenced Emmanuel Ntarindwa, 51, to 15 years in prison after finding him guilty of genocide-related crimes.
Ntarindwa drew national attention in 2024 when authorities discovered he had been hiding in an underground pit inside a neighbour’s house since 2001.
Prosecutors said he participated in attacks against Tutsi, including manning roadblocks and carrying out killings in the former Kigoma and Nyabisindu communes, now part of Nyanza District.
He admitted all charges, expressed remorse, apologised to Rwandans, and requested leniency. The court cited his confession and remorse as mitigating factors in reducing his sentence.
He was arrested in May 2024 following an investigation by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, which found he had fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the genocide, stayed there for seven years, and secretly returned to Rwanda in 2001.
He then sought refuge at the home of a former neighbour, Eugénie Mukamana, where he dug a pit inside one of the rooms and remained concealed for more than 20 years.
Nyanza case draws public attention
In 2024, the Rwanda National Police launched an investigation into Eugene Musonera over alleged genocide-related crimes.
Musonera, from Mukingo Sector in Nyanza District, was a secondary school student during the genocide. He had previously been convicted by Gacaca courts for looting property and ordered to compensate victims, an obligation he reportedly never fulfilled.
Public scrutiny intensified when he was appointed District Police Commander. During the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi at the Busasamana Genocide Memorial, he was among officials who laid wreaths in honour of victims, an act some survivors viewed as inappropriate given his alleged past.
Arrest after 31 years in hiding
In October 2025, Faustin Ndindabahizi, 62, was arrested at the Rubengera Sector office in Karongi District while seeking land services, after spending 31 years in hiding.
Ndindabahizi, from Kabeza Village, Kibirizi Cell, was identified by individuals aware of his alleged role in the genocide alongside his relatives.
A neighbour, Mukakimenyi Suzanne, testified that he killed her husband and three children during the genocide before fleeing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He had previously been sentenced in absentia by Gacaca courts to 30 years in prison.
Germain Musonera case
In 2024, Germain Musonera, who was on the verge of becoming a Member of Parliament, was prosecuted for genocide-related offences, including complicity in genocide.
He was accused of committing crimes in the former Nyabikenke Commune, where he worked as a local government official in charge of youth affairs.
Prosecutors said he assaulted a Tutsi man, Jean-Marie Vianney Kayihura, at his bar before the victim was taken away and later killed near a pit close to Kanyanza Parish.
The Kiyumba Primary Court in Muhanga District found him guilty of complicity in the Genocide against the Tutsi and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.