The appeal trial of genocide suspect Sosthène Munyemana resumes on today, September 23, at the Cour d’assises d’appel in Paris. The hearings began on September 16 and are scheduled to run until October 24, revisiting the case of the man infamously known as the “Butcher of Tumba.” Munyemana, a former gynaecologist and lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to 24 years in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity, and complicity in genocide. He appealed the ruling, leading to the revisiting of the high-profile retrial, which is expected to hear testimony from more than 60 witnesses over six weeks. ALSO READ: Genocide: French court set to begin appeal trial of “Butcher of Tumba” The opening days focused on context witnesses. These are people summoned not to speak directly to the charges, but to provide historical, social, and political background. Among them were Colonel Gil Chevalier of the French Embassy in Kigali, who explained how witnesses are summoned from Rwanda, Dr. Bartou and Dr. Chaury, French colleagues of Munyemana’s co-accused, Dr. Sosthène Rwamucyo; as well as Munyemana’s wife and his son. The court also heard Munyemana himself recount his personal history. Born in 1955 in Musambira, he studied medicine at the National University of Rwanda before specialising in gynaecology in Bordeaux, France. ALSO READ: Genocide: ‘Butcher of Tumba’ sentenced to 24 years in France During the first week’s sessions, the court screened “Let’s Kill Them All,” a documentary tracing the colonial origins of ethnic divisions, the rise of extremist politics, and the descent into the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The film also explored the controversial role of France during the killings. Expert testimony One of the most well-known witnesses heard was Hélène Dumas, a French researcher with two decades of fieldwork on the genocide. Dumas emphasized that the genocide was carefully planned and systematically executed, echoing patterns observed in other genocides globally. She stressed that the Hutu-Tutsi divide was a colonial construct exacerbated by Belgian rule and pointed to earlier massacres, such as the killings of more than 20,000 Tutsi in 1963, as precursors to the 1994 genocide. The court also heard Belgian judge Damien Vandermeersch testify. Having investigated genocide cases in Belgium for a decade, he detailed his fieldwork in Rwanda and the prosecutions of perpetrators abroad. He criticised Belgium’s colonial role in cementing ethnic divisions and condemned Belgian troops in UNAMIR for abandoning civilians in 1994. Vandermeersch described the killings in Butare as widespread and systematic, noting how even previously moderate leaders, such as Bourgmestre Kanyabashi, succumbed to extremist pressure. His testimony, however, clashed with the defence’s narrative, leading to tense exchanges.
