Witnesses in the trial of genocide suspect Emmanuel Nkunduwimye, also known as 'Bomboko,' have provided testimony regarding his involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, primarily in the City of Kigali. The trial that commenced on April 8 is taking place at Belgium's Court of Assizes and is expected to end on June 7. ALSO READ: Two Genocide suspects arrested in Belgium A 57-year-old former resident of Cyahafi Sector, currently Gitega Sector, recalled the tragic events of April 14, 1994. In the afternoon, he witnessed George Rutaganda, the vice-president of the national committee of Interahamwe militia, along with Nkunduwimye, distributing guns to Interahamwe, and instructing them to kill the Tutsi. He testified that the duo further assured Interahamwe of continued support, giving them the killers cigarettes and more guns. The witness recounted the horror his family endured, resulting in the death of his family members. He told court that the killing continued, and victims were buried in pits dug under a garage called AMGAR, co-owned by Nkunduwimye and Jean Marie Vianney Mudaheranwa, alias Zuzu, along with Jean Bosco Mutaganzwa. Meanwhile, Rutaganda ran a beverage store called ‘Canned Heineken and Carlsberg’ in the same compound with the garage. The witness pointed out that his two sisters were raped and killed by Interahamwe in that same garage, on the instructions of Rutaganda and Nkunduwimye. ALSO READ: Who are the three ICTR-indicted genocide fugitives still at large? Another witness, a 52-year-old former soldier, testified that Nkunduwimye shot a soldier at a roadblock in the Biryogo area of Nyamirambo, in Kigali, during the Genocide. The soldier was accused of aiding the Tutsi in escaping. The witness recounted an incident where 18 Tutsi, being driven by the soldier, were all killed by Interahamwe at the same roadblock. A 48-year-old woman testified that she was 18 years old when the genocide against the Tutsi occurred. She confirmed that in 1994, while she was in her hiding place, she often saw Nkunduwimye wearing military uniform, seemingly pleased with the killings of the Tutsi, and discussing how some of them were killed. ALSO READ: Belgian court to decide Nkezabera’s fate Nkunduwimye, 65, is suspected of crimes related to the genocide against the Tutsi including murder, rape, and attempted murder. He fled the country in 1995 to Kenya and later on to Belgium where he has resided in since 1998. Nkunduwimye was given refugee status in 2003 in Belgium and citizenship in 2005. The suspect was a close friend of Rutaganda, one of the first people convicted by the now defunct International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). He was known for wearing military attire and carrying arms for much of the period of the genocide and was often seen alongside Rutaganda and Interahahmwe leader Robert Kajuga. It was alleged by Ephrem Nkezabera, a former convicted official of the militia, that Nkunduwimye was a member of the national committee of Interahahmwe, though not listed, as he did not have an official function.
