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One of the most wanted fugitives in the world, Fulgence Kayishema, was arrested in Cape Town after being on the run for over two decades for crimes relating to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He has been on the run since 2001.
Kayishema was nabbed on Wednesday by a joint operation between South African and Rwandan authorities. He allegedly orchestrated the killing of more than 2 000 Tutsi refugees at the Nyange Catholic Church.
He is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates' Court on Friday.
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Chief prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) Serge Brammertz said that his arrests would ensure that he faced the might of the law for alleged crimes against humanity.
He said:
Lack of cooperation previously hampered investigations
Brammertz added that the investigation that led to his arrest spanned multiple countries in Africa and beyond, and was made possible through the support and cooperation of South African authorities.
The Tanzania-based Rwanda tribunal wound up its cases in 2008 when the IRMCT was established to complete its remaining work.
In recent years, the IRMCT prosecutor has complained about the lack of cooperation from South African authorities, and there have been a series of near misses capturing Kayishema.
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Direct participant in genocide
The events in Nyanga, Rwanda, were one of the most brutal of the genocide in which an estimated 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed over 90 days.
The tribunal alleges that Kayishema directly participated in the planning and execution of this massacre.
The indictment alleges that he bought and distributed petrol to burn down the church while refugees were inside.
Kayishema and others are also accused of using a bulldozer to collapse the church following the fire, while refugees were still inside.
The office of the IRMCT has proclaimed that the investigation spanned multiple countries across Africa and other regions.
