The former commander of the “Reconnaissance Battalion” in the Rwandan army during the 1994 genocide, Francois-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, was on Tuesday night transferred from France to the detention facility of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania, where he will face genocide charges. A statement from the ICTR said Nzuwonemeye is charged with conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the Geneva Conventions. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his initial appearance before the court on Thursday, the Arusha-based Internews agency reported. Nzuwonemeye was arrested in France on 15 February. According to the indictment, Nzuwonemeye, in concert with prominent civilian and military officials, worked out a plan with intent to exterminate the civilian Tutsi and eliminate members of the opposition. He exercised authority over members of the Forces Armees Rwandaises (FAR) who committed rapes and other crimes against the Tutsi population, it said. Military personnel under his authority also tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted and killed former prime minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, it added.
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