Abdul Ruzibiza
Encyclopedia
Abdul Joshua Ruzibiza was a former member of the Rwandan Patriotic Front
who at one time claimed to be part of a group that carried out the assassination
of President of Rwanda
Juvénal Habyarimana
and Burundi
an president Cyprien Ntaryamira
in April 1994, an event that marked the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide
. Ruzibiza later retracted many of his statements.
in Gitagata, Kanzenze commune in Bugesera
He joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front
(RPF) in 1987 while in Burundi
and participated in the 1990 attack launching the Rwandan Civil War
. In 2001, he left Rwanda for "security reasons" and subsequently released a book entitled Rwanda. L'histoire secrète (Rwanda: The Secret History). In the book, Ruzibiza accused the RPF of assassinations and mass human rights abuses. His testimony was subsequently heavily relied upon in reports prepared by Jean-Louis Bruguière
, the magistrate in charge of investigating the deaths of several Frenchmen in the presidential assassinations
. Ruzibiza stated that he was responsible for surveying the sites used for the missile attack on the presidential plane. Due to his testimony, Ruzibiza gave testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
in 2006. In November 2008, Ruzibiza recanted at least parts of his story, stating that his account of the assassination in Rwanda: The Secret History is not true and that the book was actually written by several people. This was occasioned by the trial of Rose Kabuye
, an aide to Rwandan president Paul Kagame
, whom Ruzibiza asserted he never named as an accomplice. Ruzibiza criticized Bruguière, stating, "If he is basing his investigation on me, then I have the right to say that he is a big manipulator… he is saying what I have not said."
Ruzibiza died on September 22, 2010 at the age of 40. He was living in Norway and had been suffering from cancer for some time.
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
who at one time claimed to be part of a group that carried out the assassination
Assassination of Habyarimana and Ntaryamira
The assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira on the evening of April 6, 1994, was the catalyst for the Rwandan Genocide. The airplane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali, Rwanda....
of President of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana was the third President of the Republic of Rwanda, the post he held longer than any other president to date, from 1973 until 1994. During his 20-year rule he favored his own ethnic group, the Hutus, and supported the Hutu majority in neighboring Burundi against the Tutsi...
and Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
an president Cyprien Ntaryamira
Cyprien Ntaryamira
Cyprien Ntaryamira , was President of Burundi from 5 February 1994 until his death when his plane was shot down on 6 April 1994.-Biography:...
in April 1994, an event that marked the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. Ruzibiza later retracted many of his statements.
Biography
Ruzibiza claimed to have been born a TutsiTutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
in Gitagata, Kanzenze commune in Bugesera
Bugesera
Bugesera is a district in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Nyamata.The district is the location of two memorial sites of the Rwandan Genocide: the Ntarama Genocide Memorial Site and the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site.- Geography :...
He joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
(RPF) in 1987 while in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
and participated in the 1990 attack launching the Rwandan Civil War
Rwandan Civil War
The Rwandan Civil War was a conflict within the Central African nation of Rwanda between the government of President Juvénal Habyarimana and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front...
. In 2001, he left Rwanda for "security reasons" and subsequently released a book entitled Rwanda. L'histoire secrète (Rwanda: The Secret History). In the book, Ruzibiza accused the RPF of assassinations and mass human rights abuses. His testimony was subsequently heavily relied upon in reports prepared by Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière was the leading French investigating magistrate in charge of counter-terrorism affairs. He was appointed in 2004 vice-president of the Paris Court of Serious Claims . He has garnered controversy for various acts, including the indictment of Rwandan president Paul Kagame for the...
, the magistrate in charge of investigating the deaths of several Frenchmen in the presidential assassinations
Assassination of Habyarimana and Ntaryamira
The assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira on the evening of April 6, 1994, was the catalyst for the Rwandan Genocide. The airplane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali, Rwanda....
. Ruzibiza stated that he was responsible for surveying the sites used for the missile attack on the presidential plane. Due to his testimony, Ruzibiza gave testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
in 2006. In November 2008, Ruzibiza recanted at least parts of his story, stating that his account of the assassination in Rwanda: The Secret History is not true and that the book was actually written by several people. This was occasioned by the trial of Rose Kabuye
Rose Kabuye
Rose Kabuye is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Rwandan Army and remains the highest ranking woman ever to serve in her country's armed forces...
, an aide to Rwandan president Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...
, whom Ruzibiza asserted he never named as an accomplice. Ruzibiza criticized Bruguière, stating, "If he is basing his investigation on me, then I have the right to say that he is a big manipulator… he is saying what I have not said."
Ruzibiza died on September 22, 2010 at the age of 40. He was living in Norway and had been suffering from cancer for some time.