Felicien Kabuga championed the killing of Tutsis who dwelled in Kimironko suburb of Kigali City during the Genocide against the Tutsi, a new witness has alleged.
Appearing before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in The Hague, Netherlands on Thursday, the witness code-named KAB025 accused Kabuga of having worked closely with several other top Genocidaires to orchestrate killings of Tutsi in Kimironko suburb the moment he moved to reside in the area.
According to the witness, among the top Genocidaires that were close to Kabuga included Phineas Ruhumuliza and Emmanuel Mugabo alias Rukwenjeri.
KAB025 is a genocide convict currently serving a life sentence. He was a member of Kabuga’s Interahamwe that operated in the Kimironko area where the wealthy businessman lived. At the helm of the Genocide, Kabuga and Ruhumuliza had formed their own gangs of Interahamwe.
"Kabuga’s Interahamwe were considered the most powerful in Kimironko. Kabuga provided them logistical support,” said the witness. He hastened to add that, after the advent of multi-partism, Interahamwe began training for their rallies at Kabuga’s compound and whenever they attended rallies, they were picked up and transported in two of his vehicles - a Daihatsu and a Toyota Pickup.
After April 6, 1994, Kabuga’s Interahamwe guarded his compound and set up roadblocks in Kimironko including one in front of the entrance to his compound.
"All the Interahamwe were armed with guns or other tools. They identified, arrested and killed Tutsi civilians at the roadblocks,” he noted.
He added that the militiamen moved around Kimironko in a blue Daihatsu vehicle with Kabuga’s name written on it.
KAB025 specifically noted that many of the Tutsi killed in Kimironko succumbed to Kabuga’s Interahamwe.
"If Kabuga and Ruhumuliza had not come to live in Kimironko, Tutsis would not have been killed to such a large scale. The duo collaborated closely with Interahamwe leader, Emmanuel Mugabo alias Rukwenjeri in these killings,” he added.
In particular, KAB025 cited an example of April 7, 1994, when members of Kabuga’s Interahamwe attacked the family of a one Eric Mushimire in Kimironko, abducted his brother and killed him at the roadblock located in front of Kabuga’s compound.
Among more examples of bloody events, the witness said Kabuga’s Interahamwe were the ones who carried out the attack at Karama Primary School where many Tutsi civilians who had gone there to seek refuge were killed.
Kabuga, 89, was a wealthy businessman before and during the genocide.
He is charged with seven counts including: genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempt to commit genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide.
Other charges include persecution and extermination – both as crimes against humanity.
Kabuga was arrested in May 2020 in Paris, France, putting an end on a 26-year manhunt for the man, who earned the nick-name ‘Financier of Genocide’.