November 7 – Rwanda is seeking the extradition from Britain of four Rwandans whom they allege masterminded the 1994 genocide. The four are accused of crimes against humanity and of planning the genocide. The suspects allegedly entered Britain, sought asylum and changed their names.
November 10 - A Catholic Rwandan nun was sentenced to 30 years in prison for orchestrating the murders of hundreds of people hiding in a hospital during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Sister Theophister Mukakibibi was sentenced by a traditional Gacaca court for helping Hutu militiamen kill ethnic Tutsis seeking refuge from the slaughter in the hospital where she worked. Her role was to select Tutsis who hid in the hospital and turn them over to the killing squads.
November 23 - A French judge in Paris has accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of ordering the April 6, 1994 downing of an airplane carrying former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana. The French investigated the incident because the flight crew on the plane were French citizens whose surviving relatives demanded an official inquiry by their own government.
The judge posits that the elimination of Habyarimana was the only way for Kagame to seize power. Kagame was rebel leader of the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) at the time. If you recall, Kagame’s RPF later toppled the Hutu extremists and seized power. Although the facts surrounding the assasination remain shrouded in mystery, many believe the act sparked the genocide that left hundreds of thousands of people – mostly Tutsi – dead or displaced. French judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere requested international arrest warrants for nine senior officials close to Kagame including the Armed Forces and Army Chiefs of Staff in connection with the attack on the aircraft. Since French immunity laws prohibit warrants from being issued to sitting heads of state, Kagame cannot be arrested on this charge as long as he is president.
November 22 – An estimated 22,000 people participated in an organized protest in a show of support for President Paul Kagame. Kagame was recently accused by a French judge of ordering the 1994 destruction of an aircraft carrying former Rwandan President Habyarimana.
November 24 – Rwanda has offically severed diplomatic ties with France. The French ambassador leaves Rwanda today (Saturday) followed
by remaining embassy personnel on Monday. Earlier this year, France cancelled RwandaÂ’s debt (US $45 Million) but relations between the two countries remained strained because Rwanda always maintained that France did not do enough to help prevent the genocide.
