KINSHASA, Congo—The suspected leader of an extremist Hutu militia was arrested in eastern Congo after years on the run, a Congolese official said Friday.
Bernard Munyagishari was wanted on charges of genocide and other crimes.
North Kivu governor Julien Paluku said Munyagishari was arrested and taken to Kinshasa, Congo’s capital. The prosecutor of the Tanzania-based United Nations court for Rwanda’s 1994 genocide says he will be brought for trial.
Munyagishari is alleged to have led the Interahamwe militia that committed mass rapes and killings of Tutsis in western Rwanda.
The UN Security Council on Friday welcomed Munyagishari’s capture, and congratulated Congolese authorities on their participation in the arrest and cooperation with the international court.
The council’s 15 members reiterated their support for the search of the remaining fugitives, and called on UN member states “to continue to fight all forms of impunity in the Great Lakes Region.”
Justice Hassan Bubacar Jallow says Munyagishari’s arrest leaves nine fugitives still at large.
At least 500,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during Rwanda’s genocide.