The 53-year-old, who had been living in Norway under the false identity of Franky Dusabe, was received and subsequently arrested at Kigali International Airport on Friday morning.
According to the NPPA, he was born in 1972 in Bitabage Cell, Ndaro Sector, Ngororero District, in Rwanda's Western Province. At the time of the genocide, he was a student living in the same district.
In 2007, the Gacaca Court of Nyange convicted him in absentia, sentencing him to 19 years in prison for his role in the Genocide against the Tutsi. The NPPA says he will now face trial before Rwandan courts.
His return follows a lengthy legal battle in Norway. Gasana was arrested in Oslo in October 2022 after an investigation by the Norwegian Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos). The Oslo Court approved his extradition in September 2023, a decision upheld by the appellate court in April 2024 and later by the Supreme Court in June 2024. The Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Cabinet gave final approval in February 2025, paving the way for his handover.
Norwegian police attorney Thea Elize Kjaeraas stated in June that Gasana's extradition was in line with Norway's commitment to international agreements, including United Nations conventions on preventing genocide.
In its statement, the NPPA expressed appreciation for Norway's cooperation.
'The National Public Prosecution Authority of Rwanda thanks the cooperation of the judicial authorities of Norway in the fight against crimes in general, as well as their role in the fight against the culture of impunity,' NPPA spokesperson Nkusi Faustin said in a statement.
Gasana's extradition adds to a growing list of genocide fugitives returned to Rwanda in recent years, as the country continues its pursuit of justice for the 1994 atrocities.
Among the most recent cases is that of Ahmed Napoleon Mbonyunkiza, who was extradited from the United States in March this year. Other genocide suspects previously deported by the U.S. to Rwanda include Dr. Léopold Munyakazi (2016), Marie Claire Mukeshimana (2011), Jean Mary Vianney Mudahinyuka (2011), and Enos Iragaba Kagaba (2005).
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/norway-extradites-genocide-fugitive-francois-gasana-to-rwanda
