Jean Kambanda

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Jean Kambanda (born October 19, 1955 ) is a former Rwandan politician . He was Prime Minister of Rwanda during the 1994 genocide . He is the first and only former head of government to have pleaded guilty to the crime since the United Nations prohibited genocide in 1951.

Kambanda holds a degree in industrial engineering and began his career with United Popular BPR Bank. He rose from the position of technocrat to chairman of the bank. At the time of the crisis in April 1994, he was vice president of the Butare local branch of the opposition Democratic Republican Movement (MDR).

On April 9, 1994, two days after former Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana was assassinated, he assumed the office of Prime Minister. The MDR had been promised the post of prime minister in the transitional government, but Kambanda jumped several levels in the party hierarchy and took the post in place of the original candidate, Faustin Twagiramungu . He remained in office through the 100 days of the genocide until July 19, 1994. During the massacre, Kambanda spread calls for violence, one example being: “Genocide is justified in the fight against the enemy.” (“Genocide is justified by the fight against the enemy.”). After he resigned from office, he fled the country.

Responsibility for crime

Kambanda was arrested on July 19, 1997 in Nairobi and handed over to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The court charged him with distributing weapons and ammunition in Butare and Guitarama , knowing that these weapons were used in massacres of civilians.

On September 4, 1998, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the ICTR . He became the crime

• of genocide and consent to commit genocide,
• the public call to commit the genocide,
• the support of the genocide,
• the failure as prime minister to prevent genocide; and
• against humanity in two cases

for guilty found.

Kambanda is currently detained in Mali .