14 Facts About Protais Mpiranya

Protais Mpiranya, known as Sambao Ndume, was a Rwandan military officer and war criminal who was internationally wanted for his alleged role in the Rwandan genocide.

Protais Mpiranya became highly involved with the leadership of the Interahamwe shortly thereafter and was radicalised as an avowed Hutu supremacist.

Protais Mpiranya became a fugitive from justice after the RPF defeated the genocidal government in the Rwandan Civil War, and disappeared without a trace in the aftermath.

Protais Mpiranya's whereabouts remained unknown, but in 2012, under pressure from Kigali, the Zimbabwean government admitted that he could possibly be at large in the country, and promised to find him "dead or alive".

For four years, Protais Mpiranya evaded capture by living under the assumed name Sambao Ndume, living in affluence in Harare while he continued "his engagement with Zimbabwean military officials" and received a series of visitors from overseas.

On 5 January 1994, the day that the Broad-Based Transitional Government specified by the Arusha Accords was to be sworn in, Protais Mpiranya prevented the access of political opponents onto the premises of the Conseil national de developpement, particularly Lando Ndasingwa and his Liberal Party.

Protais Mpiranya allegedly responded by asking his soldiers why they were keeping them.

For several years Protais Mpiranya was still at large and believed to be with other Rwandan emigres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or in Zimbabwe.

Protais Mpiranya was charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Protais Mpiranya remained at large and was one of the most wanted men by the Tribunal.

In February 2010, Protais Mpiranya was reported by Belgian authorities to be sheltered by the Zimbabwean government, operating businesses in Harare, on top of acting as mercenary for the ruling party ZANU-PF to silence the opposition.

Protais Mpiranya was instrumental during the DRC war after he worked side by side with southern African Allied forces, which included Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia.

Protais Mpiranya is believed to have supplied strategic information about the Rwandan military and mobilised and trained Rwandans in refugee camps in eastern DRC to fight against the Rwandan army.

Protais Mpiranya had died in October 2006 of a heart attack.