1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Rwanda

Bishop's body taken to Kigali for burial

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Monday transferred the body of Anglican Bishop Samuel Musabyimana from Arusha, Tanzania, to Rwanda for burial. In statement issued on Tuesday, the ICTR said it had arranged for Musabyimana's body to be flown to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, and that family members had received the body, which would be buried in the diocese of Shyogwe. Musabyimana, 47, on 24 January became the first person to die in ICTR detention. He died at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi, after what the tribunal described as a long ailment. According to the ICTR, Musabyimana was arrested in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on 26 April 2001. During an initial appearance before the tribunal on 2 May 2001, Musabyimana denied four counts of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity. The ICTR thanked the government of Rwanda for facilitating the transfer of Musabyimana's body. The UN Security Council established the ICTR in 1995 to try the alleged perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which claimed some 800,000 lives. The tribunal has handed down nine judgments since its inception - eight convictions and one acquittal.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join