Editing Félicien Kabuga

|Image = Felicien Kabuga.jpg

|fullname = Félicien Kabuga

|origin = Muniga, Ruanda-Urundi

|occupation = Businessman<br>Director of ''[[Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines]]'' <small>(allegedly)</small>

|type of villain = Genocidal Businessman

|goals = Kill all Tutsis in Rwanda and never get caught <small>(all failed)</small>

|crimes = [[Genocide]]<br>[[Xenophobia]]<br>[[Misogyny]]<br>[[War crimes]]<br>[[Crimes against humanity]]<br>[[Mass murder]]<br>[[Kidnapping]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>[[Propaganda]]<br>[[Ethnic cleansing]]<br>Conspiracy

 

'''Félicien Kabuga''' (born 1 March 1933) is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda Rwandan] businessman, accused of bankrolling and participating in the [[Rwandan Genocide|Genocide of the Rwandan Tutsis]].<ref name = kabuga></ref>

 

In 2020, Kabuga was arrested by the [[W:Law enforcement in France|French police]] in [[W:Paris metropolitan area|Greater Paris]] at the age of 87 after 26 years as a fugitive. As of September 2022, he is currently tried in custody of the [[W:IRMCT|IRMCT]] branch in [[W:The Hague|The Hague]].

Kabuga was born in Muniga, in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commune_%28administrative_division%29 commune] of Mukarange, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefecture prefecture] of Byumba, [[W:Ruanda-Urundi|Ruanda-Urundi]], roughly 30 kilometers off the Rwanda-Uganda Border. Kabuga amassed his wealth by owning tea farms in northern Rwanda, among other business ventures. A multimillionaire, he was closely connected to [[Juvénal Habyarimana]]'s [[MRND]] party and the [[Akazu]], an informal group of Hutu extremists from northern Rwanda that strongly contributed to the Rwandan Genocide.

Kabuga was also allegedly heavily involved in the founding and bankrolling of [[Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines]]<ref name = machetes></ref>, as well as ''[[Kangura]]'' magazine. In 1993, at an RTLM fundraising meeting organized by the MRND, Felicien Kabuga allegedly publicly defined the purpose of RTLM as the defence of [[Hutu Power]]. During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICTR ICTR]'s so-called "media trial", former RTLM presenter [[George Ruggiu]] named Kabuga as the "Chairman Director-general" of the station, with duties such as "presiding over RTLM" and "representing RTLM."<ref name = kabuga>[https://www.irmct.org/en/cases/mict-13-38 KABUGA, Félicien (MICT-13-38)], International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals</ref>

From January 1993 to March 1994, a total of 500,000 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machetes machetes] were imported into Rwanda, statistically one for every three adult Hutus in the country. Kabuga has been named as one of the main importers of these machetes.<ref name = machetes>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-rwandan-genocide-felicien-kabuga-arrested-20200516-ml6iuarta5emdhcrlnttmplngi-story.html Fugitive accused of supplying machetes, propaganda during Rwanda’s genocide is arrested outside Paris], ''Chicago Tribune''</ref>

In June 1994, after Rwanda was conquered by the [[Rwandan Patriotic Front|RPF]], Kabuga fled the country. He first attempted to enter [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland Switzerland], but was ordered to leave. He went to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinshasa Kinshasa] in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo], and was later believed to be residing in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi Nairobi], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya Kenya].

In 2003, a young Kenyan journalist helping American agents from the [[W:Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] track down Kabuga was murdered.

KTN news network in Kenya reported on June 14, 2008 that Kabuga had been arrested by Kenya Police the day before and is being held at Gigiri Police Station in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi Nairobi]. Later, the suspect was found to be a local university lecturer, not Kabuga as previously thought, and released.  

 

On 16 May 2020 after spending 26 years as a fugitive, Kabuga, aged 87, was caught by police in [[W:Asnières-sur-Seine|Asnières-sur-Seine]] then apprehended in Paris, France, in a collaboration between the French police and the IRMCT.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2020/05/16/857390356/rwandas-most-wanted-fugitive-f-licien-kabuga-arrested-for-war-crimes Rwanda's Most-Wanted Fugitive, Félicien Kabuga, Arrested For War Crimes], ''NPR''</ref> French authorities expressed a desire to prosecute him for [[crimes against humanity]] committed against the people of Rwanda.

 

The French initially intended to extradite Kabuga to Tanzania, however Kabuga's lawyers argued that this would endanger his life because Tanzanian leader [[John Magufuli]]'s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic meant he would likely not get treatment if he caught the disease. On October 26, authorities transferred Kabuga to the United Nations court at [[W:The Hague|The Hague]] to face charges of, incitement to and complicity in genocide, persecution and extermination. In November, Kabuga pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial began on September 26, 2022.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/world/europe/rwanda-genocide-trial-felicien-kabuga.html Rwanda Genocide Tribunal's Most Wanted Man Finally Faces Trial], ''The New York Times''</ref>

[[Category:Rwanda]]

[[Category:Mass Murderers]]

[[Category:Genocidal]]