Rwanda genocide 'kingpin' Théoneste Bagosora dies in prison
Théoneste Bagosora, 80, was a senior figure in Rwanda's ministry of defence at the killings. An UN-backed criminal tribunal sentenced him to life in prison, later reduced to 35 years.
His son Achille died at a hospital in Bamako, where he was being treated for heart issues. Around 800,000 people - mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group were killed in 100 days during the genocide.
The massacres began after a plane carrying Rwanda's then-President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down on 6 April 1994, killing everyone.
Around 800,000 people, mainly from the Tutsi ethnic group, were killed in 100 days during the genocide. The massacres began after a plane carrying Rwanda's then-President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down on 6 April 1994, killing everyone.
Bagosora was arrested two years later in Cameroon, where he fled after Paul Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front seized power.
In 2008, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda found him guilty of crimes against humanity and orchestrated the murder of several political figures, including Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana.
At his trial, Bagosora maintained he was a victim of propaganda by Rwanda's current Tutsi-dominated government.
Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, head of the UN's peacekeeping force during the genocide, described Bagosora as the "kingpin" behind the killings and alleged that the former colonel had threatened to kill him.
Bagosora was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, some charges overturned three years later, and his term reduced to 35 years.
Earlier this year, he was denied a request for early release and was due to finish his sentence at 89. He was serving his sentence in Mali's Koulikoro prison, along with many others convicted for roles in the Rwandan genocide.
0 Comment