Augustin Bizimungu: Difference between revisions

[[File:Augustin Bizimungu.jpg|thumb|294px|right]]  

'''Augustin Bizimungu '''was a Rwandan army general.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Armed_Forces Rwandan Armed Forces] (FAR). In 1994, he briefly served as chief of staff of the army. During this time, he trained the soldiers and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare guerrillas] who carried out the [[Rwandan Genocide]].

Bizimungu was born in Byumba préfecture, Mukaranje Commune, Mugina Secteur, Nyange Cellule, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda Rwanda].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ictr-indictment_2-0"></sup>

An ethnic [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutu Hutu], Bizimungu held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the FAR on 6 April 1994. That day, following the death of army chief of staff Déogratias Nsabimana in a plane crash alongside President Juvénal Habyarimana, Bizimungu was promoted to Major-General and appointed as permanent chief of the army.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dallaire_3-0"></sup>

Upon fleeing the country following the RPF victory, he allegedly said "the RPF will rule over a desert." <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4"></sup>

On 12 April 2002, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Tribunal_for_Rwanda International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda] (ICTR) issued an arrest warrant for Bizimungu, who was apparently working with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola Angolan] rebel movement [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNITA UNITA]. In August 2002, he was arrested by the Angolan government and taken to the U.N. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crime War Crimes] Tribunal in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania Tanzania].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-globeandmail20020815a_5-0"></sup> The trial adjourned until September 2008, whereupon Bizimungu was tried along with fellow FAR officers Augustin Ndindiliyimana (Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie), François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye (Commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion of the Rwandan Army) and Innocent Sagahutu (Second-in-Command of the Reconnaissance Battalion of the Rwandan Army).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6"></sup> Bizimungu was sentenced to thirty years in prison for his part in the genocide on 17 May 2011.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7"></sup>

Bizimungu is portrayed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fana_Mokoena Fana Mokoena] in the 2004 movie ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Rwanda Hotel Rwanda]''.

[[Category:Military Villains]]

[[Category:Mass Murderer]]

[[Category:Imprisoned Villains]]

[[Category:War Criminal]]