French police last Wednesday arrested Eugene Rwamucyo, a doctor suspected of involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

By Thijs Bouwknegt

Rwamucyo was arrested near Paris while attending the funeral of Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, who was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on genocide charges and who died in prison in Benin while serving his sentence.

Rwamucy, 50, was suspended from his job at a French hospital last year after a nurse found his name on the Interpol website, listing his alleged offences as “genocide and war crimes.”

French prosecutors opened an investigation into Rwamucyo in 2008 but did not question or indict him. He was refused status as a political refugee but nevertheless obtained a French residence permit. At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly living in Belgium.

Rwamucyo’s arrest comes nearly three months after French police detained Agathe Habyarimana, one of the alleged masterminds behind the 1994 massacre.

In March, French president Nicolas Sarkozy visited Rwanda where he said France would do everything possible to ensure that “all those responsible for the genocide are found and are punished.”

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