Félicien Kabuga, the Rwandan businessman accused of playing a central role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has died in The Hague, the Netherlands, while under the custody of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).
According to the IRMCT, Kabuga died on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in a hospital where he had been receiving medical treatment under judicial supervision. The institution said legal and medical procedures required under Dutch law following a death in detention had immediately begun.
Kabuga had been facing genocide-related charges, including conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity such as murder, extermination, and persecution committed against Tutsi during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
For years, he remained one of the world’s most wanted fugitives before being arrested in France on May 16, 2020, after decades on the run. He was later transferred to The Hague in October 2020 to stand trial before the IRMCT.
His trial opened in September 2022 but was later suspended indefinitely after judges ruled that his deteriorating health no longer allowed him to meaningfully participate in court proceedings.
Following the ruling, the court ordered that Kabuga remain under detention at the United Nations Detention Unit while efforts continued to identify a country willing to host him under provisional release arrangements.
Kabuga died before a final decision was reached regarding his possible relocation to a host country.
