Félicien Kabuga yitabye Imana

Urwego Mpuzamahanga rwasigariyeho kurangiza imanza z’Inkiko Mpuzamahanga, IRMCT, rwatangaje ko *Félicien Kabuga* yitabye Imana ku wa Gatandatu tariki ya 17 Gicurasi 2026 ari mu bitaro i La Haye mu Buholandi. Kabuga wari ufite imyaka 93 yari amaze igihe arwariye muri ibyo bitaro, akurikiranirwa n’ubuvuzi bwa Loni. IRMCT yavuze ko hagiye gukorwa iperereza ryimbitse ku rupfu rwe nk’uko amategeko y’u Buholandi abiteganya.

Félicien Kabuga yari umwe mu bo Urukiko Mpuzamahanga Mpanabyaha rwashyiriweho u Rwanda, ICTR, rwashakishaga cyane. Yashinjwaga ibyaha bya Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi mu 1994 birimo gushishikariza abantu gukora jenoside, ubufatanyacyaha, n’ibyaha byibasiye inyokomuntu. Yari akekwaho kuba yaracuruzaga imihoro n’ibikoresho byakoreshejwe mu bwicanyi, akanatanga amafaranga yo gutera inkunga Interahamwe.

Kabuga yamaze imyaka 26 ari ku rutonde rw’abashakishwa n’inkiko mpuzamahanga. Yafatiwe mu Bufaransa mu Gicurasi 2020 i Asnières-sur-Seine hafi ya Paris, aho yari yihishe yitwaje izina ritari rye. Ifatwa rye ryavuzweho cyane kuko ryari intambwe ikomeye mu gushakira ubutabera abarokotse Jenoside. Yahise ajyanwa i La Haye aho urubanza rwe rwatangiye mu Ugushyingo 2022.

Urubanza rwa Kabuga rwahise ruhagarara mu 2023 nyuma y’uko abaganga bemeje ko afite uburwayi bwo kutibuka neza no kutabasha gukurikirana imanza. ICTR yemeje ko atazongera kuburanira imbere y’urukiko kubera imiterere y’uburwayi bwe, ahubwo hafatwa ingamba zo kumuvura no kumwitaho. Guhera ubwo yabaye mu maboko y’ubuyobozi bw’ishami rya Loni rishinzwe gufunga abaregwa.

Kabuga azwi cyane nk’umwe mu bafatanyabikorwa bakomeye ba Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, RTLM. Ubushinjacyaha bwavugaga ko yakoresheje ubushobozi bwe bw’amafaranga n’ubucuruzi bwe kugira ngo iyo radiyo ikomeze gutangaza ubutumwa bubiba urwango no gushishikariza abaturage kwica Abatutsi. Ibyo byatumye izina rye riza ku isonga mu bantu bafatwa nk’abateguye Jenoside mu buryo bw’ubukungu n’itangazamakuru.

Urupfu rwa Kabuga rusize urubanza rwe rutarangiye, bivuze ko nta mwanzuro w’urukiko wigeze utangazwa ku byaha yari akurikiranyweho. Ku barokotse bamwe, ibi ni igihombo kuko bari bategereje ko urukiko ruvuga ijambo ryayo. Abandi bavuga ko urubanza rwamaze kubera mu ruhame n’ibimenyetso byasomwe, bikaba bihagije kugira ngo ukuri kumenyekane nubwo ataburanishijwe kugeza ku ndunduro.

Félicien Kabuga asize amateka y’umugabo wari umwe mu bakire b’u Rwanda mbere ya 1994, ariko akaba yaraje kumenyekana ku isi yose kubera uruhare aregwa muri Jenoside. Urupfu rwe rwohereza ubutumwa ku bandi bakekwaho ibyaha nk’ibi ko nta muntu wihisha ubutabera iteka. IRMCT ivuga ko izakomeza gukorana n’u Rwanda mu gukurikirana abandi bakiri hanze. Ku ruhande rw’u Rwanda, urupfu rwe rwibutsa akamaro ko gukomeza kubungabunga ukuri no kurwanya ihakana n’ipfobya rya Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi.

In English

Félicien Kabuga has passed away.

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) announced that *Félicien Kabuga* died on Saturday, May 17, 2026, in a hospital in The Hague, Netherlands. Kabuga, who was 93 years old, had been in the hospital for some time and was being monitored by UN medical staff. The IRMCT said that a thorough investigation into his death will be conducted in accordance with Dutch law.

Félicien Kabuga was one of the most wanted men by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). He was charged with crimes related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, including incitement to commit genocide, complicity in the crime, and crimes against humanity. He was suspected of trafficking in machetes and other killing equipment, and of providing funds to support the Interahamwe.

Kabuga spent 26 years on the wanted list of international courts. He was arrested in France in May 2020 in Asnières-sur-Seine near Paris, where he had been hiding under an assumed name. His arrest was widely reported as a major step towards justice for genocide survivors. He was immediately transferred to The Hague, where his trial began in November 2022.

Kabuga's trial was halted in 2023 after doctors declared him mentally ill and unable to follow the proceedings. The ICTR ruled that he would not stand trial again due to his medical condition, but that measures would be taken to provide him with medical treatment and care. He has since been in the custody of the UN detention unit.

Kabuga is widely known as one of the most influential figures in the Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, or RTLM. The prosecution alleged that he used his financial and business influence to ensure that the station continued to broadcast hate speech and incite the population to kill Tutsi. This made him a prominent figure in the economic and media circles who were accused of orchestrating the genocide.

Kabuga's death left his trial unfinished, meaning that no verdict has been issued on the charges against him. For some survivors, this is a loss because they had been waiting for the court to speak. Others say that the trial has already been held in public and the evidence has been read out, which is enough to establish the truth even though he has not been tried to the end.

Félicien Kabuga leaves behind a legacy of a man who was one of Rwanda’s richest men before 1994, but who became known worldwide for his alleged role in the Genocide. His death sends a message to other suspects in similar crimes that no one can escape justice forever. The IRMCT says it will continue to work with Rwanda to prosecute others who are still at large. For Rwanda, his death is a reminder of the importance of continuing to preserve the truth and fight against denial and marginalization of the Genocide against the Tutsi.