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https://www.ktpress.rw/2025/06/u-s-arrests-alleged-butcher-of-nyanza-genocide-fugitive/

U.S. Arrests Alleged “Butcher of Nyanza” Genocide Fugitive

Vincent Nzigiyimfura, Accused of Leading Killings During the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, Caught in Ohio

Nzigiyimfura, Vincent

Ugirashebuja, Célestin

Uwimana, Jean

KT Press

Article de journal

EN

A genocide fugitive, Vincent Nzigiyimfura, also known as Vincent Mfura, has been arrested in Dayton, Ohio, by U.S. authorities on charges of immigration and naturalization fraud after allegedly concealing his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Nzigiyimfura faces one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud.

Prosecutors say he lied on his immigration documents and falsely claimed he fled Rwanda because of the genocide, omitting his alleged role as a key instigator and local leader of massacres.

“As alleged, Vincent Nzigiyimfura directed and encouraged murders during the genocide in Rwanda and then lied to U.S. authorities to start a new life in this country,” said Matthew Galeotti, head of the DOJ’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for human rights violators.”

If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison, and possible deportation to Rwanda.

Nzigiyimfura’s arrest comes just weeks after the apprehension of Jean Uwimana, another Rwandan genocide suspect, in New Jersey, as the U.S. intensifies efforts to hold accountable those who committed atrocities and later entered the country under false pretenses.

From Nyanza to Malawi to Ohio

Suspect Nzigiyimfura Vincent in a photo at time when he was in Malawi

Nzigiyimfura has been the subject of investigations for more than two decades.

In 2009, the London-based human rights organization African Rights published a detailed report titled “Vincent Nzigiyimfura in Malawi: A pillar of the 1994 genocide.”

The report accused him of orchestrating killings in the southern Rwanda communes of Nyanza, Kavumu, Remera, Nyabisindu, and Kigoma.

According to the report, Nzigiyimfura collaborated with military officers, politicians, local leaders, and fellow businessmen to plan and execute massacres.

He was said to be particularly close to Célestin Ugirashebuja, the former Mayor of Kigoma who fled to the UK to escape prosecution.

After the genocide, Nzigiyimfura fled to Malawi, assumed the name Vincent Nzigiye, and established a business in Lilongwe.

African Rights alleged he helped smuggle other genocide suspects into Malawi and lobbied to obtain local citizenship.

Rwanda’s Longstanding Pursuit

In 2019, the Prosecutor General’s office revealed that Nzigiyimfura had resurfaced in the United States, living in Dayton, Ohio.

The Prosecution called on the U.S. government to investigate and arrest him, citing extensive evidence collected by Rwandan investigations and shared with American authorities.

Rwanda had also indicated readiness to cooperate in case the U.S. opted to try him domestically.

Nzigiyimfura earned the nickname “Butcher of Nyanza” ( ‘Umubazi wa Nyanza’) for his alleged role in coordinating killings and setting up roadblocks used to capture and kill Tutsi civilians.

Numerous testimonies in Gacaca community courts linked him to mass killings, weapons distribution, and logistical support to extremist Interahamwe militias.

No Safe Haven for Genocide Fugitives

Nzigiyimfura’s arrest is part of a broader U.S. initiative to investigate and prosecute immigration fraud cases involving crimes against humanity.

The Department of Justice reiterated that the U.S. will not serve as a sanctuary for individuals who took part in genocide or other atrocities.

The arrest now opens a path to possible extradition, prosecution in the U.S., or revocation of citizenship and deportation, depending on further legal proceedings and diplomatic discussions with Rwanda.