Madjaliwa Safari’s trial begins in Paris
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Rwanda News Agency
The trial of Madjaliwa Safari, accused of participating in the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi, is due to open on 17 November 2026 before the Paris special assize court. The former Rwandan trader is being prosecuted over executions of civilians, including children, according to the Rwanda News Agency.
Madjaliwa Safari will stand trial in Paris for genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda. The former trader from Nyanza is notably accused of ordering the execution of Tutsi civilians, including children, at the Bigega roadblock, known as “Chez Premier”, as well as during attacks attributed to the Abakono clan, according to the Rwanda News Agency.
Sentenced to 15 years in prison by a gacaca court in Rwanda in 2007, Madjaliwa Safari moved to France in 2009 and obtained refugee status in 2017. He was arrested on 4 July 2023 by the Central Office for the Fight against Crimes against Humanity, then charged and placed in pre-trial detention on 7 July. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office requested that he stand trial on 29 October 2024, and he was committed to the criminal court on 6 December 2024, according to the Rwanda News Agency.
The trial is due to take place from 17 November 2026 at the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité in Paris. The Rwandan authorities had requested his extradition in 2019 so that he could be tried in Rwanda, but France refused, according to the Rwanda News Agency.
The trial comes after the arrival in Rwanda of genocide suspect Teganya Jean Léonard on 9 November 2026 and the expulsion to Rwanda by the United States of another genocide suspect on 10 November 2026. The two decisions were reported in Rwanda receives genocide suspect Teganya Jean Léonard and US expels 1994 genocide suspect to Rwanda.
