The United States has deported a 55-year-old Rwandan national accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, bringing an international manhunt spanning more than three decades to a critical turning point.
Jean Léonard Teganya arrived at Kigali International Airport on Monday, November 9, 2026, under US escort before being handed over to Rwandan authorities to face allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) confirmed his return, saying he had been indicted in 2014 over alleged involvement in atrocities committed in the southern district of Huye, formerly known as Butare.
Prosecutors say Teganya was a medical student at the former National University of Rwanda and an intern at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare when the genocide began in April 1994.
A 32-Year Pursuit Ends as US Deports Rwandan Genocide Suspect to Face Trial
The United States has deported a 55-year-old Rwandan national accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, bringing an international manhunt spanning more than three decades to a critical turning point.
Jean Léonard Teganya arrived at Kigali International Airport on Monday, November 9, 2026, under US escort before being handed over to Rwandan authorities to face allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) confirmed his return, saying he had been indicted in 2014 over alleged involvement in atrocities committed in the southern district of Huye, formerly known as Butare.
Prosecutors say Teganya was a medical student at the former National University of Rwanda and an intern at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare when the genocide began in April 1994.
Allegations of involvement in hospital killings
According to evidence presented during his trial in the United States, Teganya was allegedly associated with the Interahamwe militia, which played a central role in the genocide.
US authorities said he helped lead soldiers and militia members through the hospital searching for Tutsi patients and refugees who had sought shelter there.
Those identified were allegedly taken away and killed. Prosecutors also presented evidence linking him to killings at the hospital and a student dormitory.
However, these allegations have not yet resulted in a genocide conviction, and Teganya denied involvement when questioned about the accusations in earlier proceedings.
Convicted in the US over immigration fraud
Teganya fled Rwanda in July 1994 and subsequently travelled through several countries before settling in Canada, where he applied for asylum in 1999.
After Canadian authorities rejected his asylum claim and ordered his removal, he crossed into the United States in August 2014 and sought protection there.
His immigration application eventually triggered a criminal investigation after authorities discovered that he had allegedly concealed information about his political affiliations and activities during the genocide.
In April 2019, a federal jury in Boston convicted him on two counts of immigration fraud and three counts of perjury. He was sentenced to 97 months in prison in July that year. His American conviction concerned immigration offences, not genocide.
Rwanda prepares for prosecution
Following his deportation, Teganya was arrested and placed under police interrogation before his case file is forwarded to prosecutors.
NPPA spokesperson Faustin Nkusi described him as the eighth genocide suspect deported to Rwanda from the United States since 2007.
His return has been welcomed by genocide survivors, including Yolande Mukakasana, who told the Associated Press that perpetrators should face justice regardless of how much time has passed.
