At The Hague, a man accused of helping to finance and organize the 1994 Rwandan genocide has gone on trial at the International Criminal Court. Félicien Kabuga has pleaded not guilty to war crimes charges including genocide and crimes against humanity. On Thursday, U.N. prosecutor Rashid Rashid said Kabuga purchased machetes, grenades and other weapons for a notorious Hutu paramilitary group known as the Interahamwe, whose members were the main perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, which the U.N. says killed more than a million people in 100 days.
Rashid Rashid: “The charges against Kabuga reflects his status as a wealthy and well-connected political insider. In support of the genocide, Kabuga did not need to wield a rifle or a machete at a road block; rather, he supplied weapons in bulk and facilitated the training that prepared the Interahamwe to use them.”