François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye is a former Rwandan soldier, who is chiefly known for his role in the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed H ...

Background and role in genocide

Nzuwonemeye was born in Kigali-rural préfecture, Rwanda; he is of

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the p ...

ethnicity. Nzuwonemeye entered the

Rwandan Armed Forces french: Forces rwandaises de défense sw, Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda , image = Rwanda Defense Force emblem.png , alt = , caption = , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 ...

, and by 1994 held the rank of major. In 1993, he was commander of the 42nd battalion of FAR; he was subsequently promoted to commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion. The ICTR indictment alleges that between 1990 and 1994, Nzuwonemeye and other officers conspired to exterminate the

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic ...

civilians and political opponents, and helped to train ''

interahamwe The Interahamwe ( or ) is a Hutu paramilitary organization active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The Interahamwe was formed around 1990 as the youth wing of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND ...

'' and militia groups who committed the genocide.Indictment against Nzuwonemeye
from the ICTR After Habyarimana's death and the start of the genocide, members of the Reconnaissance Battalion commanded by Nzuwonemeye's subordinate,

Innocent Sagahutu Innocent Sagahutu (born 30 May 1962) is a former Rwandan soldier, who is chiefly known for his role in the Rwandan genocide. Background and role in genocide Sagahutu was born in Cyangugu Province, Rwanda. Sagahutu entered the Rwandan Armed ...

, "tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed" Rwandan Prime Minister

Agathe Uwilingiyimana Agathe Uwilingiyimana (; 23 May 1953 – 7 April 1994), sometimes known as Madame Agathe, was a Rwandan political figure. She served as Prime Minister of Rwanda from 18 July 1993 until her assassination on 7 April 1994, during the opening stage ...

. They also took into custody ten

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

peacekeepers from

UNAMIR The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 872 on 5 October 1993. It was intended to assist in the implementation of the Arusha Accords, signed on 4 August 1993, wh ...

who had been guarding her house. They were taken back to Camp Kigali, a FAR encampment, where they were "attacked and beaten" by members of RECCE under Sagahutu's command and were later killed. They were accompanied in this by members of the Presidential Guard commanded by Major Protais Mpiranya. During the same operation, the Rwandan Army soldiers took into custody ten

peacekeepers from

who had been guarding her house.

After the genocide

Nzuwonemeye fled Rwanda after the RPF victory. In an indictment last amended on 25 September 2002, the

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR; french: Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda; rw, Urukiko Mpanabyaha Mpuzamahanga Rwashyiriweho u Rwanda) was an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nation ...

(ICTR) charged Nzuwonemeye with "conspiracy to commit

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...

, genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the

Geneva Convention upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conve ...

." Nzuwonemeye was arrested in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on 15 February 2000, the same day as his former deputy,

, was arrested in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. He was transferred to the authority of the ICTR on 23 May 2000. As of 2006, his joint trial with other FAR officers implicated in the genocide is currently underway. On 11, February 2014, Nzuwonemeye was acquitted by the ICTR.UN Court, On Appeal, Acquits 2 Rawandans in 1994 Genocide
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Feb 11, 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nzuwonemeye, Francois-Xavier Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Rwandan soldiers People indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda