Fulgence Kayishema, a former police officer in Rwanda who is accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide, has given up on his bail request and applied for asylum in South Africa, according to prosecution authorities, who made the announcement on Tuesday.
Kayishema, who has been missing since 2001, was apprehended last month on a vine estate outside of Cape Town while using the fictitious name Donatien Nibashumba.
He was charged with genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) because of his alleged involvement in the Nyange Catholic Church’s destruction, one of the worst incidents of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed 2,000 lives.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stated in a statement that Kayishema, 62, “has abandoned his bail application and will instead launch an asylum application today” in reference to his 54 offences in South Africa, some of which are connected to immigration fraud.
However, it was unclear from the announcement what grounds Kayishema was requesting refuge.
During a 100-day period of bloodshed, Hutu soldiers and vigilantes massacred more than 800,000 Rwandans, the majority of whom belonged to the Tutsi ethnic minority. The violence, which is regarded as one of the worst massacres of the 20th century, also resulted in the deaths of thousands of moderate Hutus.
Hutu militia fired grenades at the Nyange church before dousing it in petrol and setting it ablaze. When that failed, they used bulldozers to destroy the church, killing the majority of those hiding within.
Despite having declared he was “sorry” for the killings during his court appearance in Cape Town, South Africa, in May, he has denied any involvement in violence during the genocide.
Only three of the fugitives charged by the international tribunal remain at large after Kayishema’s detention. The arrest, according to South African police, was undertaken in response to an Interpol red alert.
He is still in detention, and the case has been tabled until August 18 to allow for more research.
