On August 20, 2025, investigative judges in France decided to halt the probe into Kanziga, the widow of former Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana, who was accused of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The judges explained that Kanziga did not play a role in the genocide or its preparation, but was rather affected by the April 6, 1994 attack on the plane carrying her husband.
In 2008, genocide survivors' organizations filed a complaint demanding an investigation into Kanziga's alleged role in crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity.
In February 2022, judges ruled to close the case, stating that there was no substantial evidence linking her to participation in the genocide.
Since Kanziga was evacuated from Rwanda on April 9, 1994, under orders from then French president François Mitterrand, the investigation into her actions only covered the first three days of the genocide.
In September 2024, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said the investigation was too limited in scope and time, and relied on very few witnesses. PNAT requested further inquiry into Kanziga's activities between March 1 and April 9, 1994, and accused her of an additional crime of participating in the genocidal plan.
On May 18, 2025, the judges rejected PNAT's request, saying no evidence supported claims that Habyarimana's widow was involved in planning genocide. PNAT appealed, but on August 20 the judges upheld their earlier decision from three months prior, without even examining the appeal.
The ruling will be appealed
The decision pleased members of the Habyarimana family, including her son, Jean-Luc Habyarimana, and others who supported them, claiming that the investigation into Kanziga had been permanently closed.
However, on August 22, 2025, lawyer Gisagara stressed that despite some celebrating the decisionâ€"including perpetrators of genocide, deniers, hatemongers, and their alliesâ€"the case is not over.
He said: 'Do not be discouraged by the celebrations of génocidaires, deniers, hatemongers, and their supporters. This is only one step in the case. The next steps are appeal and annulment. The case cannot be declared closed until it has gone through all these stages.'
He noted that in May, PNAT had already expressed disagreement with the judges' decision to halt the investigation into Kanziga, and therefore the organizations representing survivors are confident that an appeal will proceed.
He added: 'There is no reason why the prosecution, having already disagreed with the earlier judges, would stop this case before it reaches the appeals chamber, as the law allows.'
Why judges resist prosecuting Kanziga
François Mitterrand, who ordered Kanziga's evacuation from Rwanda, was a close ally of Juvénal Habyarimana and a strong supporter of his government during the war with the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA).
Since her arrival in France, the now 82-year-old Kanziga has not held any known job but has lived on state support.
Through a 2008 report on France's role in the genocide, Gen Maj (Rtd) Paul Rwarakabije said that Kanziga received financial support by France's intelligence agency, DGSE for a long time.
Part of this money was allegedly sent to Colonel Aloys Ntiwiragabo, one of the founders of the FDLR, an armed militia opposed to the Rwandan government.
Political analyst Tite Gatabazi told IGIHE that the reluctance of French judges to prosecute Kanziga is rooted in remnants of the Mitterrand era, which continue to shield her.
He said: 'She holds secrets about France's role in the genocide. She was evacuated by a French plane. To this day, she lives on support from the French state, apart from a little she earns elsewhere. But since she arrived there, the order from the presidency has been to offer full support.'
Gatabazi added that even though French governments have changed over the past 31 years, Kanziga still has powerful protectors.
He concluded: 'These individuals, who sometimes act beyond the official line of the sitting government, are the ones who continue to support Agathe Habyarimana.'
IGIHE
