Uganda arrests Rwanda genocide suspect (newsvision.co.ug)

THE Ugandan Police have arrested one of the four most wanted suspects from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, Idelphonse Nizeyimana, after he sneaked into the country by bus from the Democratic Republic of Congo last week.

A former Rwandan army captain and senior intelligence officer, Nizeyimana is accused of organising the slaughter of Tutsi civilians in the southern province of Butare and ordering the murder of the former Queen of Rwanda.

He was captured on Monday from a motel in Rubaga, a Kampala suburb, by a joint team of Interpol Uganda and a tracking team of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha.

Nizeyimana was detained at Jinja Road Police station before being transferred to Arusha aboard a UN chartered flight yesterday.

The United States had offered a $5-million reward for his capture. The UN court issued an indictment against him in 2007, charging him with genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.

The prosecutor accused Nizeyimana and others of preparing lists of Tutsi intellectuals who were handed to soldiers and militia to be killed.

Nizeyimana is also accused of setting up roadblocks where Tutsi civilians were slaughtered, and of providing weapons and transport to militia in the knowledge that they were being used for such attacks.

He is also alleged to have sent soldiers to the home of the former Queen of Rwanda, Rosalie Gicanda - a symbolic figure for all Tutsis - who executed her on his orders.

“Nizeyimana, through the chain of command, is alleged to have exercised authority over soldiers and personnel at the camp and was perceived as a member of the elite inner circle (Akazu) of the late President Habyarimana,” said a statement by the Rwanda tribunal in Arusha yesterday.

Following the indictment, Interpol, which is headquartered in Paris, issued a red notice which calls for a suspect’s arrest and extradition.

Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba yesterday said Interpol Uganda had been tracking him since he crossed the border at Bunagana on October 3.

“He used temporary travel documents to enter the country,” Nabakooba said, adding that he did not resist arrest.
To beat security, he reportedly used a pseudonym, Itamana Kamogo, and was trying to make his way to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

"Although we were aware of his presence in Uganda for a couple of days now, we couldn't arrest him immediately before we could cross-check thoroughly to ensure he was the person we were looking for," Nabakooba said.

Rwanda's government said he had spent the 15 years since the genocide fighting for a Hutu rebel group in the forests of neighbouring Congo.

"In Kinyarwanda, his name would translate as 'I believe in God,' which unfortunately is not the case. He believes in death," said Rwandan Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama.
"He was an agitator, a handler, the chief killer in Butare. The arrest of this man ... is a very big relief to survivors of the genocide."

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed his capture and said it marked an important step forward in the fight against impunity in Africa's volatile Great Lakes region.

The Rwanda tribunal commended Uganda for its cooperation, saying such support was crucial to enable it do its work.

“This is the second time Uganda has cooperated with the tribunal in arresting an accused person,” the statement said.

“The tribunal has commended Interpol and the Ugandan authorities for their close cooperation. This level of cooperation is highly appreciated.”
Nizeyimana is the second to be arrested in the list of 13 fugitives in less than two months.

Gregoire Ndahimana, a local administrator in Rwanda during the genocide, was caught in August by Congolese troops during operations against Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).


Idelphonse Nizeyimana: The ‘butcher of Butare’

Captain Idelphonse Nizeyimana, who was arrested in Kampala on Monday morning, is one of the four most wanted suspects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, that claimed over 800,000 lives.

The captain and intelligence officer in the former regime’s army is accused of having ordered the killing of Tutsi Queen, Rosalie Gicanda, on April 20, 1994.

His men also carried out the raids on Butare University, in which at least 600 Tutsi students were killed, and the raids on Butare Hospital where Tutsi patients were dragged from their beds and slaughtered, according to Human Rights Watch.

“At 11:00 am, a detachment of soldiers commanded by Lt. Pierre Bizimana, acting under the orders of Capt. Nizeyimana, invaded the modest home of Rosalie Gicanda,” said Human Rights Watch in its 1994 report ‘Leave none to tell the story’.

Gicanda was the widow of Mutara Rudahigwa, the ruler of Rwanda who died in 1959 just before the Hutu revolution that overthrew Tutsi rule. About 80 years old, she lived a quiet life as a devout Catholic sharing her home with her bed-ridden mother.

“Because she eschewed any involvement in politics and behaved with discreet dignity, even the most anti-Tutsi politicians had left her largely undisturbed throughout the 30 years of Hutu rule,” the report said.

When the killings in Butare began, the queen had trusted that the prefect and the mayor would look after their safety. According to testimony, she called on the mayor for protection but he replied that he could do nothing for her.

“The soldiers passed through the wooden enclosure that protected the house from the main street and entered the little house with its air of faded respectability. They seized the former queen and six others,” the report said.

“The soldiers then took Gicanda and the others to a place behind the national museum where they shot them. One teenaged girl, left for dead, survived to recount the murders. The soldiers returned to pillage Gicanda’s home in the afternoon and, two days later, they killed her mother.”

The news that the queen had been taken away by soldiers in the back of a pickup truck spread rapidly and alarmed Tutsi and all others who opposed the genocide. “They concluded that if soldiers dared to seize even this revered person, then no one was safe.”

Besides the horrendous killings at the university and the hospital in late April, Nizeyimana’s men were also involved in slaughtering targeted people from the intellectual and political elite of Butare, including Hutu believed to oppose the genocide.

Nizeyimana, according to Human Rights Watch, personally supervised the murder of his neighbour, deputy prosecutor Matabaro.

The rights group repeatedly pointed out that Nziyemana was a key figure in pushing the genocide agenda in Butare, taking charge of army operations after accusing his boss of sympathy with the Tutsi.
“The commanding officer for the Butare-Gikongoro operational zone during the worst of the killing was Lt. Col. Muvunyi,” the report noted.

“But military and civilian witnesses present in Butare at the time agree that it was not Muvunyi but rather his subordinates, Capt. Nizeyimana and Lt. Hategekimana, who aggressively pushed the genocide while accusing Muvunyi of being Tutsi himself and threatening him with death for his efforts to help Tutsi.”
The two had divided the tasks, with Nizeyimana taking care of exterminating the Tutsis in the central part of Butare town, including in the residential section of Buye.

“Soldiers had orders to take identity cards from those whom they killed. According to one witness, Nizeyimana regularly received these cards from his men as they reported on the progress of the killings,” Human Rights Watch wrote.

“They often appeared at his house shortly after a volley of gunfire was heard and handed the cards to the captain with the report: Mission accomplished. In the captain’s absence, his wife received the cards.”

OUCH!

In preparation for my upcoming trip in T - 72 days (and counting!), I went for my vaccinations today, which I discovered will take more time, effort and money than the "get them all over with in one go" appointment I had hoped for. It seems I haven't had any travel inoculations in nearly 10 years so I had to have three today, which will be followed by three more in the next few weeks. Ouch!

On a positive note, is it slightly morbid that needles have made me really excited about this trip?!!

Next one on the list - my visa for Kenya where I will spend nearly two weeks on safari after volunteering in Rwanda...

Interview with Rwandan President Paul Kagame

Here is a video of president Paul Kagame talking about Rwanda helping themselves through an entrepreneurial based economy and creating a strategy for self sustaining growth.

Art for Africa - Buy Tickets or Donate

www.artforafrica.info

FOR TICKET SALES OR TO MAKE A DONATION, VISIT www.artforafrica.info
(you can also donate by clicking the "Donate" button under my picture on this page)
All proceeds go directly to GRDP - a registered non-profit.

If you’re unable to attend Art for Africa, please donate $50 (split it with a friend if you REALLY have to). Here’s what $50 will buy in Rwanda and how your money will make a difference:

1. A small piece of land to start an agricultural business that can employ hundreds
2. A woman can buy thread and embroidery supplies for her business and send her kids to school
3. Will buy a 50kg (110 lbs) bag of sugar for a bakery

Here’s what you’ll spend $50 on:

1. One night out for dinner or 2-3 alcoholic drinks (if you live in Toronto!)
2. Starbucks – one week of Starbucks coffee
3. A book or 2 from Chapters
4. One tank of gas
5. A night at the movies (for two)
6. Tell me, what have you spent $50 on lately?

Art for Africa site launch - www.artforafrica.info

I'm very excited about the trip and my first travel experience in Africa and hope that you can also be part of the journey...

Earlier this summer, I decided to raise funds for GRDP through donations and by throwing a fundraising event. If you are not able to come to the fundraiser, please help me raise my CA$10,000 goal by donating to GRDP. (please see the invite, website and ticket purchase and donation information below)

You are invited to a unique fundraising event - Art for Africa.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

6pm - 9pm

The SHAMBA Foundation, located at 48 Yonge Street, Suite 1200 (Yonge and King)

The evening includes cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music, plus as part of your ticket purchase, an original piece of art generously donated from one of over 100 local artists. The evening promises to be lively, fun and inspiring!

As part of a project created by Global Relief and Development Partners' (GRDP) Social Entrepreneurship Program, the funds raised will help Rwandan entrepreneurs rebuild their country after the 1994 genocide and emerge from poverty.

As a GRDP representative, I have volunteered to finance my trip to Rwanda in order to be a part of this initiative. The hope is to add value to the Rwandan community, bring investment, jobs, and expertise in to the country.

This evening is truly special, as not only are the Rwandan people benefiting from the proceeds raised from this evening, but Art for Africa also creates a venue for local artists to showcase their work. These talented artists cover a vast array of styles and mediums sure to catch the eye of everyone in attendance. Plus you will have the unique opportunity to discuss the pieces with the artists and even have them signed.

I hope to see you there!

For ticket sales or to make a donation visit www.artforafrica.info

WHY GRDP?

Many people have been asking me why GRDP and why Rwanda - especially since Rwanda conjures up images of the 1994 genocide and the nearly one million people that were slaughtered over 100 days. I am sitting here reading this and realize that that's the same time frame from today until I leave for Rwanda on December 11. 100 days. Just over three months. One quarter in the business world. However you want to look at it, it's not a lot of time to murder (approximately) 10,000 people each day.
I can't begin to fathom the destruction, and it's apparent to me at this very moment - while my stomach hurts from reading the above - that the answer to the question is "why not GRDP?"

It's important to find your passion and support it. I've found mine. For years I've been searching for an organization in Africa that empowers people and provides them with the tools they'll require to sustain themselves, their families and their communities, and when I found GRDP I knew I had to volunteer with them because that's their mission: "...enabling them to lead their countries out of the cycle of poverty, corruption, and violence."

Originally it wasn't my intent to visit Rwanda, but after hearing the stories of friends who've recently been there, I am thrilled that it's the first country in Africa that I will experience, and I am sure the people of Rwanda will teach me far more than I can begin to teach them. I look forward to the journey and to changing my life forever.

And, I look forward to raising money to support this incredible organization, their mission and the Rwandan people.

Rwanda Fact - Rwanda is half the size of Nova Scotia and about the same size as Massachusetts.

Art for Africa update

We're working away on the fundraiser and the website will be up and running in the next week. The site will give you more information about the event, my trip to Rwanda, and will allow you to buy tickets for the fundraiser and/or make a donation.

To-date, the event is 100% volunteer driven and corporate sponsored so all the proceeds will support Global Relief and Development Partners and their Social Entrepreneurship Program. My goal was to raise $10,000 for GRDP.

Thanks to Keza jewelry www.keza.com for partnering with us for the fundraiser. Check out their gorgeous line of one-of-a-kind African jewelry - all made by women who are now being educated and employed thanks to this great organization.

Also, thank you to everyone who voted for me in the "Release Your Goodness" contest. Once I know the results, I'll let you know too!

We continue to look for artists (that represent all mediums) and are able to donate one or two pieces of their art to the fundraiser. If you're an artist or know an artist, please contact me at artforafricainfo(at)ymail.com