French prosecutors drop charges against widow of former Rwandan Pres. Habyarimana

The French judicial prosecutors have stopped investigations into the widow of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana over claims that she was involved in various atrocities during the 1994 genocide.

Agathe Habyarimana, the widow of Rwanda’s former president has been under investigation in France since 2008 for her alleged involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity.

The French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) has submitted an appeal in March to formally charge Agathe as part of an ongoing inquiry into her suspected role in the 1994 Tutsi genocide.

Now 82 years old, Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana has been accused for years of being a key member of the “Akazu,” the inner circle of Hutu power believed to have planned the genocide. She has consistently denied these claims.

She was evacuated to Europe with her family on April 9, 1994, at the request of French President François Mitterrand, a close associate of her husband.

Since 1998, she has resided in France without legal status.

Despite Rwanda's requests for extradition, France has declined to return her, citing concerns about her involvement in one of the 20th century’s most horrific events.

A complaint filed in 2008 by the Civil Parties Collective for Rwanda (CPCR) initiated a French investigation into her alleged complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity.

In February 2022, the investigating judge declared the case closed, indicating a probable dismissal. The defense contended that the duration of the investigation was excessive.

Nevertheless, in August 2022, PNAT sought additional hearings and cross-examinations, labeling it one of the most intricate cases still being examined.

During the genocide in 1994, approximately 800,000 individuals—primarily Tutsis and moderate Hutus—were killed by the Rwandan Armed Forces and extremist Hutu militias.