French soldiers stationed in Rwanda are recorded here training civilians in armed combat skills, in what would later become the Interahamwe civilian militias. This was part of the preparation of the 1994 genocide
KIGALI – Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) has confirmed the arrest in Germany of Innocent Sebagoyi, a genocide suspect wanted in connection with the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In a statement issued on July 16, the NPPA said Sebagoyi was arrested by German judicial authorities on July 1, 2026.
The arrest was carried out pursuant to an indictment and an international arrest warrant issued by Rwanda in 2019.
According to the NPPA, Sebagoyi was born on September 20, 1967, in Mushonyi Sector, Rutsiro District.
During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, he served as Assistant Bourgmestre in charge of administrative and legal affairs in the former Kayove Commune, now part of Rutsiro District.
Kayove Commune was among the areas where anti-Tutsi violence erupted before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In late 1992, Kayove and neighboring Mutura communes witnessed the Abagogwe massacres, in which many Tutsi were killed in what has since been recognized as one of the major rehearsals for the genocide.
Investigations into the massacres by international human rights organizations also uncovered evidence that mass graves had been prepared in parts of Gisenyi and Ruhengeri prefectures, underscoring the systematic planning that preceded the 1994 genocide.
Rwandan prosecutors accuse Sebagoyi of genocide, extermination as a crime against humanity, and direct and public incitement to commit genocide.
The NPPA alleges that he participated in the killing of Tutsi in several parts of Kayove Commune, including attacks on Tutsi who had sought refuge at Muyange School.
German federal prosecutors announced Sebagoyi’s arrest on July 1, saying he is suspected of being an accomplice to genocide and 25 counts of murder during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
They allege he ordered the killing of 25 Tutsi victims on five separate occasions while serving as assistant to the mayor of Kayove. Prosecutors also allege he personally participated in one killing by stabbing a victim and used his official position to incite the extermination of Tutsi and compile lists of people to be killed.
The NPPA welcomed the cooperation of Germany’s Federal Public Prosecution Authority in pursuing justice for genocide crimes.
It commended Germany’s continued commitment to identifying, arresting and prosecuting individuals suspected of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The arrest marks the latest example of international judicial cooperation in efforts to bring genocide suspects living abroad to justice.
On June 29, 2026, Dr. Wibabara Charity, Director of the International Justice and Inter-State Cooperation Unit at Rwanda’s Ministry of Justice, announced that only 63 of the 1,199 genocide suspects whose arrest warrants were sent abroad have been brought to justice.
Thirty-two were transferred to Rwanda, while 31 were tried in other countries.
Government has persistently blamed delays on political, legal and identity-related challenges, warning that impunity fuels genocide denial and hate speech.
Rwanda has worked with several countries over the years to investigate, extradite or prosecute individuals accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
