Félicien Kabuga, the 91-year-old Rwandan businessman accused of bankrolling the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, died in custody at a medical facility in The Hague on Wednesday. His death marks the end of a long-running legal pursuit by the United Nations’ International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, effectively closing the judicial chapter on one of the primary financiers of the 100-day massacre that claimed over 800,000 lives.
A Legacy of Atrocity
Kabuga was long considered one of the most significant fugitives of the 1994 genocide, having evaded international authorities for over 26 years before his arrest in a Paris suburb in 2020. Prosecutors alleged that he used his vast wealth, built through tea and coffee exports, to import hundreds of thousands of machetes into Rwanda and to co-found the Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM). This radio station played a pivotal role in inciting violence by broadcasting anti-Tutsi propaganda and identifying the hiding spots of potential victims.
For decades, Kabuga’s influence and alleged protection from various international networks allowed him to remain at large, moving between several African countries before ultimately settling in France. His eventual apprehension and extradition to the Hague in 2020 were hailed by human rights organizations as a crucial step toward accountability for the victims of the genocide.
The Stalled Legal Proceedings
The legal proceedings against Kabuga were marked by significant complications, primarily centered on his deteriorating health. In 2023, judges ruled that Kabuga was unfit to stand trial due to severe dementia, leading to a decision to hold a simplified
