Rwandan ex-army chief denies genocide charge

The former chief of the Rwandan armed forces pleaded not guilty yesterday to genocide charges for his role in the 1994 massacres that left almost one million people dead.

General Augustin Bizimungu, who was captured in Angola last week and transferred to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania, is considered one of the architects of the genocide, which left about 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead. The orchestrated killings were triggered by the mysterious death in a plane crash of the Hutu president Juvénal Habyarimana.

The charges against General Bizimungu, 50, include genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity. After listening impassively to the long indictment, the general said: "I plead not guilty."

He is accused of setting up and arming the Hutu militia, known as the Interahamwe, which undertook much of the slaughter. He fled into exile after being defeated by the Tutsi forces who have ruled Rwanda ever since. Many of the Interahamwe crossed into the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, from where they continued to stage incursions.

While in Congo, General Bizimungu formed the rebel Army for the Liberation of Rwanda, made up of Interahamwe and former Rwandan soldiers, who tried to seize power in Rwanda in 1997-98 and again last year.

General Bizimungu is accused by the UN court of distributing weapons to militiamen, and publicly stating in February 1994 that if Tutsi- led rebels attacked Rwanda again, he would not want to see any Tutsi alive in his sector of operations. He has been quoted as describing the Tutsis as "cockroaches".

His arrest last week when he was found among demobilised Unita rebels in Angola was a coup for the tribunal, which has been dogged by scandal and accusations of foot-dragging. The court has handed down only nine judgments – eight convictions and one acquittal – since it began work in 1995. Those convicted of genocide include the former prime minister Jean Kambanda, who pleaded guilty to the charge.

General Bizimungu is the first of nine genocide suspects to be arrested after the American State Department announced on 29 July that it would pay up to $5m (£3.2m) for information leading to their arrest and transfer to Arusha.

General Bizimungu was named army chief of staff with the backing of Theoneste Bagosora, a shadowy figure alleged to have masterminded the genocide from behind the scenes, who is also on trial in Arusha. Col Bagosora was commander of the Kanombe air base in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, when President Habyarimana's plane went down.

No date for General Bizimungu's trial was set yesterday. He is to remain in jail in Arusha until the trial takes place, possibly at the end of next year.