French judicial authorities have cleared the way for former Rwandan army lieutenant colonel Cyprien Kayumba to stand trial over alleged complicity in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Kayumba, a former officer in the Forces Armées Rwandaises (Ex-FAR), is accused of helping procure and deliver weapons allegedly used during the Genocide. He is expected to face charges of complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity.
Born in Byumba, now Gicumbi District, in 1955, Kayumba served as a lieutenant colonel in the former Rwandan Armed Forces. During the Genocide, he headed the financial services department at the Ministry of Defence, where his responsibilities included the procurement and distribution of military equipment, including weapons.
French prosecutors allege that his position placed him at the centre of efforts to procure and deliver weapons to the forces involved in the Genocide.
Kayumba has maintained that he did not know the weapons he helped procure would be used to kill Tutsi.
The case has been in the French judicial system for more than two decades. A complaint was first filed in 2001.
In January 2025, an investigating judge dismissed the case, citing insufficient evidence to proceed against Kayumba. French prosecutors and civil parties challenged the decision.
In April 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal overturned the dismissal and ordered Kayumba to stand trial.
The latest decision means the case will proceed before the Paris Assize Court, although a trial date has not yet been announced.
French authorities have placed Kayumba under judicial supervision and barred him from leaving France while the proceedings continue.
The case is part of a broader series of prosecutions in France involving people suspected of participating in or supporting the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Kayumba remains entitled to the presumption of innocence, and the allegations against him will be tested in court.
