Rwanda: Kabuga Rewarded Interahamwe for Killing Tutsi - Witness

Pictures of Felicen Kabuga on the U.S. State Department's website about fugitives from justice (file photo).

A new witness in the ongoing trial of the alleged financier of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Felicien Kabuga, revealed how Interahamwe were awarded by the accused for massacring Tutsis.

Testifying before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), the protected witness code-named KABO85 said: "I remembered listening to RTLM as it broadcasted congratulatory messages to Interahamwe of Kimironko for massacring Tutsis and directed them to head to Kabuga's home to be rewarded."

The witness added that he saw Kabuga at several rallies in 1994 along with several leaders of CDR and MRND extremist parties.

KABO85 said that the majority of the people attending the rallies were Interahamwe while Kabuga and Joseph Nzirorera graced the rallies.

"I attended the rally only at the beginning since I became afraid and left when the Interahamwe president said that am not one of them and went into hiding at my brother's house," he said

KAB085 pointed out that his brother-in-law told him that speakers at the rally had identified Tutsi that would be killed and according to him, Kabuga called on the Hutu to collaborate and to know that the common enemy was the Tutsi.

After the rally, the Interahamwe started attacking Tutsis, "one of my children was beaten up and my shop was looted," the witness told the court.

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