Rwanda genocide person of interest Félicien Kabuga dies
By Kenneth Mwenda, May 16, 2026Félicien Kabuga, a Rwandan businessman accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, has died while being held in a United Nations detention facility in The Hague.
The UN Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (UNIRMCT) confirmed that Kabuga passed away on Saturday, May 16, 2026, while hospitalised in the Netherlands. He was in custody at the United Nations Detention Unit (UNDU) in The Hague.
“Mr. Félicien Kabuga passed away today while hospitalised in The Hague, The Netherlands,” the mechanism said in a statement. It added that medical staff at the detention unit were immediately informed, and Dutch authorities have begun standard procedures and investigations under national law.
Kabuga had been facing charges of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity. These included persecution, extermination, and murder, all linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
He had been in custody of the Mechanism since October 2020, after his arrest in France in May the same year. He had been on the run for years and was one of the most wanted suspects linked to the genocide.
Health condition stalled trial
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) had issued an arrest warrant for him in 2013. His trial began in September 2022 at The Hague branch of the Mechanism.
However, proceedings stalled after judges ruled in 2023 that Kabuga was unfit to stand trial due to his health condition. The case was then indefinitely stayed, meaning it could not continue in court, but also did not reach a final judgment.
At the time of his death, Kabuga was still in detention while discussions continued over possible provisional release to a country willing to receive him.
“The Trial Chamber issued a decision indefinitely staying the proceedings as Mr. Kabuga was considered unfit to stand trial,” the Mechanism noted in its case summary, adding that he remained under medical monitoring.
Death inquiry
Following his death, the President of the Mechanism, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding it. She appointed Judge Alphons Orie to lead the investigation.
The mechanism said the inquiry will examine all circumstances surrounding his death while in custody. Dutch authorities have also launched their own procedures in line with national law.
Kabuga’s case had drawn global attention for decades due to his claimed role as a financier linked to the operations of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), a station accused of spreading hate speech during the genocide.
According to the indictment, Kabuga served as president of RTLM’s committee of initiative and was also linked to funding and support structures connected to the Interahamwe militia.
Prosecutors claimed that he helped finance weapons and logistical support used in attacks during the genocide. He denied the charges throughout the proceedings.