In a development long-awaited by survivors and international justice advocates, the last two fugitives wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) have been confirmed dead.
More than 25 years after their disappearance, Charles Sikubwabo and Ryandikayo were found to have died in 1998, according to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).
Both men were indicted for their roles in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, a horrific period that saw the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people.
Sikubwabo, the former mayor of Gishyita, and Ryandikayo, a local businessman, were accused of leading attacks and massacres in Kibuye prefecture, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Tutsis.
Their indictments included genocide, complicity in genocide, and crimes against humanity.
The IRMCT prosecutor’s office conducted a comprehensive investigation, concluding that Sikubwabo died in Chad in 1998, while Ryandikayo likely succumbed to illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo shortly after arriving there.
While this marks the end of the ICTR’s hunt for fugitives, the fight for justice in Rwanda is far from over.
Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz highlighted the daunting task of locating over 1,000 genocide suspects still sought by national authorities.
The confirmation of Sikubwabo and Ryandikayo’s deaths offers a measure of closure for survivors and a testament to the unwavering pursuit of accountability for such heinous crimes.
However, the ongoing search for remaining fugitives underscores the immense challenge of achieving full justice for the Rwandan genocide.
