'Heinrich Himmler of Rwanda' who masterminded slaughter of 800,000 in 1994 ...

'Heinrich Himmler of Rwanda' who masterminded slaughter of 800,000 in 1994 ...
'Heinrich Himmler of Rwanda' who masterminded slaughter of 800,000 in 1994 ...

Theoneste Bagosora died in prison in Mali

Theoneste Bagosora died in prison in Mali

Theoneste Bagosora, the Rwandan military leader described as the 'Heinrich Himmler of Rwanda', has died in a prison in Mali where he was serving a sentence for masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 people during the 1994 genocide.  

Bagosora, who died aged 80, was serving a 35-year sentence after being found guilty of being in charge of the troops and militia who butchered minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 100 days in 1994. 

His son Achille Bagosora announced the death in a Facebook post: 'Rest in Peace, Papa.'  

'Theoneste Bagosora died in a hospital in Mali yesterday (Saturday) late morning,' said Abubacarr Tambadou, registrar for the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, which oversees prosecution of those responsible for the genocide.

Bagosora was jailed for life in 2008 for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, though his sentence was reduced to 35 years on appeal in 2011. 

The Rwandan genocide saw 800,00 ethic Tutsis, Hutu moderates and their political allies massacred in 100 days of bloodshed. 

Bagosora died in prison where he was serving a 35-year sentence for masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 people during the 1994 genocide

Bagosora died in prison where he was serving a 35-year sentence for masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 people during the 1994 genocide

Known as a hardliner within the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development party of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, Bagosora in 1993 was appointed cabinet director in the defense ministry and took control of military and political affairs in the country. 

Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, head of United Nations peacekeepers in Rwanda at the time, described Bagosora as the 'kingpin' behind the genocide. 

Once a close ally of then President Juvenal Habyarimana - they both came from the same northwestern province of Gisenyi - he later reportedly held a grudge after being passed over for promotion to general.

The Rwandan genocide saw 800,00 ethic Tutsis, Hutu moderates and their political allies massacred in 100 days of bloodshed

The Rwandan genocide saw 800,00 ethic Tutsis, Hutu moderates and their political allies massacred in 100 days of bloodshed

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide 

The Rwandan genocide saw 800,00 ethic Tutsis, Hutu moderates and their political allies massacred in 100 days of bloodshed. 

The majority of Rwandans are ethic Hutus, but the country was ruled by the Tutsi minority for decades until 1959 when the Tutsi monarchy was overthrown.

In 1990, a Tutsi rebel group called the Rwandan Patriotic Front that had formed in Uganda invaded the country.

After several years of guerrilla fighting, a peace deal was signed in 1993 between President Juvénal Habyarimana and RPF leaders.

However, the fragile peace lasted only until the night of April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, president of Burundi and a Hutu, was shot down.

The Hutus blamed the RPF for the attack and enacted a 'final solution' to rid the country of Tutsis, with militias handed lists of names and told to kill them.

Neighbours turned on each other, husbands murdered their Tutsi wives, and there were even accounts of priests and nuns killing those who sought shelter in churches.

It lasted 100 days and 800,000 Tutsis were killed, alongside thousands of Hutu moderates who objected to the killing. 

They were slaughtered by supporters of the Hutu government, who claimed to be ‘weeding out the

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