UK charges man over alleged Rwanda genocide offences

A wreath is seen at the Genocide Memorial in Gisozi in Kigali, Rwanda April 6, 2019.REUTERS/Baz Ratner

LONDON, Sept 21 - A 65-year-old Rwandan man has been charged with genocide-related offences allegedly committed during the 1994 Rwanda Tutsi killings, British prosecutors said on Monday.

Vincent Brown, formerly known as Vincent Bajinya, was charged with one offence of conduct ancillary to genocide and six offences of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity.

Britain's Counter Terrorism Policing War Crimes Team said Brown was accused of encouraging others to kill Tutsis in Kigali in April 1994. The investigation began in 2019 following a request from the Rwandan government and involved years of international cooperation, it added.

Brown was accused of having "directed and incited acts of murder and genocide carried out by others", the Crown Prosecution Service said.

The charges against Brown were the first brought in the United Kingdom relating to the Rwandan genocide, the CPS added.

Brown, who is remanded in custody, is due to appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Police said investigations into six other individuals remain ongoing, including two men arrested in 2024 and 2026 on suspicion of genocide and crimes against humanity who remain on bail.

More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days in the 1994 genocide, orchestrated by the Hutu ruling majority and meticulously executed by local officials and ordinary citizens. REUTERS