Paris – A French court has ruled that investigations into Agathe Kanziga’s alleged role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi must continue, marking a significant development in one of the long-running genocide-related cases being handled in France.
The Paris Court of Appeal ordered the continuation of investigations into Kanziga, the widow of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, over allegations linking her to both the planning and execution of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
The decision was welcomed by Me Richard Gisagara, one of the lawyers representing genocide victims in French courts. He described the ruling as an important step toward justice and stressed that Kanziga would ultimately be held accountable if evidence confirms her involvement.
In a message posted on X, Me Gisagara wrote, “She will not escape justice.”
The ruling, issued on May 6, 2026, overturns a previous decision made by investigative judges on August 21, 2025, which had suspended the inquiry originally opened in 2008. At the time, the judges argued that there was insufficient evidence to establish Kanziga’s direct involvement in the Genocide.
However, France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT), which also oversees genocide-related crimes, challenged that ruling. Prosecutors argued that important evidence and witness testimonies had been overlooked and required further examination before the case could be closed.
The legal case against Kanziga, now 83 years old, began in 2008 when organizations representing genocide victims filed a complaint in France seeking an investigation into her alleged involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity.
In February 2022, judges had previously moved to close the case, stating that there was no substantial evidence directly linking her to the Genocide or crimes against humanity.
Because Kanziga was evacuated from Rwanda on April 9, 1994, under orders from then-French President François Mitterrand, earlier investigations focused mainly on the first three days of the Genocide.
In September 2024, PNAT criticized the investigation as incomplete and insufficient. Prosecutors argued that the inquiry covered too short a period, examined too few activities, and relied on a limited number of witnesses.
The prosecutor’s office subsequently requested a broader investigation into Kanziga’s activities between March 1 and April 9, 1994, while also accusing her of involvement in a conspiracy to commit genocide.
Following the August 2025 ruling that suspended the investigation, organizations representing genocide victims expressed shock that Kanziga had not been identified as part of the “Akazu,” the influential inner circle composed of Habyarimana’s relatives and close associates. The group has long been accused of playing a central role in organizing and supporting the Genocide against the Tutsi.
These organizations argued that substantial evidence linked Kanziga to that network and questioned the basis upon which investigators had chosen to halt the inquiry.
Victims’ organizations also criticized the judges for relying on testimony from controversial figures, including Gaspard Musabyimana, who was reportedly treated as an expert witness despite his known association with RTLM, one of the extremist media outlets accused of spreading hate propaganda and inciting violence during the Genocide.
Musabyimana has also faced repeated accusations of promoting genocide denial narratives and defending the former Habyarimana regime through a publishing company he established in Belgium.
The latest ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal means that the investigation into Kanziga’s alleged role in the Genocide against the Tutsi will continue as French authorities reexamine evidence, testimonies, and allegations that have remained the subject of international attention for nearly three decades.
