Human Rights Watch emphasized the critical imperative of pursuing the remaining leaders implicated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, just five days before the onset of commemorations marking the 30th anniversary.
The genocide, orchestrated by the Hutu extremist regime, resulted in the slaughter of approximately 800,000 people, predominantly from the Tutsi minority, over a span of 100 days, constituting an ethnic massacre, according to United Nations estimates.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, HRW acknowledged that significant progress had been made in bringing many individuals accountable for the genocide to justice, including former high-ranking government officials and other key perpetrators.
However, the organization stressed that the recent deaths of several high-level alleged masterminds and the declaration of one planner as unfit to stand trial underscored the pressing need to persevere in the pursuit of justice.
Last June, a UN court in The Hague ruled that an octogenarian suspected of financing the genocide couldn’t be prosecuted due to his deteriorated mental health.
Moreover, international prosecutors confirmed in November that Aloys Ndimbati, one of the few remaining fugitives linked to the genocide, had indeed passed away in Rwanda in 1997.
Despite these developments, two senior genocide suspects remain at large, highlighting the ongoing challenges in holding all perpetrators accountable for their actions.
