Felicien Kabuga, once among Rwanda’s richest businessmen and later accused of helping finance the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, has died in detention while awaiting further legal proceedings before a UN-backed tribunal in The Hague.
Born in 1935 in northern Rwanda’s Byumba prefecture (now Gicumbi district), Kabuga rose from modest origins as a market trader selling small goods, cigarettes, and second-hand clothing.
He later moved to Kigali, where he built a business empire including shops, a tea plantation, a mill, and real estate holdings.
By the early 1990s, he was widely regarded as one of Rwanda’s wealthiest individuals and had developed close ties within political and business circles.
Alleged role in the 1994 genocide
