Callixte Mbarushimana, Ex-FDLR Leader, Dies in France

• Callixte Mbarushimana, a former senior political leader of the FDLR, has died in France, with reports surfacing on October 5, 2026.
• He was never convicted of the serious crimes alleged against him, which included actions during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
• A French investigation into his alleged involvement in the genocide remained unresolved at the time of his death.
• Witnesses accused Mbarushimana of misusing his UNDP position, aiding militia, and being linked to the deaths of approximately 32 people, including Florence Ngirumpatse.
• Despite a UN investigator's findings and witness testimonies, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda did not indict him.

His passing comes as a French investigation, probing accusations that date back to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, remains without resolution.

Callixte Mbarushimana, who once held a senior political leadership position within the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), has reportedly passed away in France. News of his death began circulating on social media platforms on the evening of October 5, 2026. Mbarushimana had resided in France for a significant portion of his later life, a period during which he was never formally convicted of the serious crimes alleged against him.

His passing comes as a French investigation, probing accusations that date back to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, remains without resolution. Born on July 24, 1963, in Ndusu, an area now part of Rwanda's Musanze District, Mbarushimana initially trained as an information technology specialist. His professional career saw him join the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kigali around 1992. He notably remained in Rwanda even after expatriate UN personnel were evacuated at the onset of the genocide in April 1994, a decision that would later draw intense scrutiny regarding his actions during that period.

Mbarushimana's conduct during the genocide became the subject of multiple investigations, with witnesses leveling grave accusations against him. These allegations included claims that he exploited his position to target Tutsi colleagues and other civilians. Specifically, he was accused of diverting UNDP vehicles and supplies to the former Rwandan army and the Interahamwe militia. Furthermore, witnesses alleged his involvement in compiling lists of individuals slated for execution, with investigators linking him to the deaths of approximately 32 people.

Among those victims was Florence Ngirumpatse, who served as the UNDP's personnel chief in Kigali. President Paul Kagame publicly disclosed on April 7, 2024, that Ngirumpatse was his cousin and that they had been in contact during the genocide. She was killed alongside others she had provided shelter to. A UN war-crimes investigator, Tony Greig, reported Mbarushimana's implication in Ngirumpatse's killing and further alleged that Mbarushimana personally shot two other victims. Greig's investigation relied on testimonies from 20 to 25 witnesses who asserted Mbarushimana's direct involvement in killings or his role in identifying UN staff, as well as his support for the Interahamwe. Despite these detailed accounts, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda reviewed his file but ultimately did not issue an indictment against him.

Florence Ngirumpatse, a UN employee for over 15 years, had previously been imprisoned by Rwanda's former government in 1990 during a crackdown on suspected opponents, and former colleagues noted her unpopularity among Hutu extremists. Trapped at her home near Camp Kigali with her niece, other children, and neighbors—many of whom were schoolgirls she had taken in—Ngirumpatse believed her UN status would offer protection. President Kagame recounted speaking with her multiple times via satellite phone, during which she described militia presence, repeated rapes of women, and a situation she characterized as 'like death.' Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) forces were unable to reach her location, and a planned rescue operation was tragically preempted when militia members entered her home on May 16, 1994, killing Ngirumpatse and most of those present, though one niece managed to escape with a neighbor's help.

Former UN officials later indicated that this attack occurred just before a UN armored vehicle was set to evacuate the group, an operation that had reportedly received authorization. The timing of the attack, preceding the rescue, raised suspicions about a potential leak of information. Mbarushimana, a UNDP computer specialist and Ngirumpatse's colleague, was reportedly distrusted by her before the genocide, with suspicions of his ties to the Interahamwe. One account suggests Mbarushimana insisted on knowing her address after the killings commenced, and a witness later informed former UN official Charles Petrie that Mbarushimana was observed celebrating the deaths in a bar. Despite the gravity of these allegations and the unresolved French investigation, Mbarushimana was dismissed by the United Nations in 2001, later working for the UN in Angola and Kosovo, before obtaining political-refugee status in France around 2002 or 2003 and subsequently working in IT in the Paris area. He was never convicted for Ngirumpatse's death or any other alleged crimes.

Source: Original reporting via unnamed source