Rwandan man accused in 1994 genocide repatriated from Norway

A Rwandan man, who was arrested in Norway for crimes he allegedly committed during the East African nation's 1994 genocide, has been repatriated, a spokesperson for Rwanda's prosecutor's office said on Friday.

François Gasana, who was a student during the genocide in which more than 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically massacred by Hutu extremists, was arrested in Norway in 2022.

Norwegian police announced in March that he would be sent back to Rwanda after a court said conditions for his extradition had been met.

Faustin Nkusi, spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, confirmed his arrival in Kigali, adding that Gasana was accused of killing a child during the genocide and inciting others to participate in the killings.

"The crimes we are charging him (with) are crimes of genocide," Nkusi told journalists at Kigali's airport after Gasana's arrival.

It was not immediately known whether Gasana had secured legal representation, and he was not allowed to speak to journalists.

Photos published in Rwandan media showed police officers escorting Gasana from the plane that flew him from Norway.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was set up in Tanzania in late 1994 to try the masterminds of the genocide, closed in 2015 after convicting 61 suspects.

Other prominent suspects have since been captured around the world following decades on the run, and Rwanda's own internal justice system has handled nearly 2 million cases.