Arusha, Tanzania. - Callixte Nzabonima, 59-year old former Rwanda minster was sentenced to life in prison Friday by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for playing a pivotal role in the country's 1994 genocide.
According to the ICTR report, Nzabonima was convicted of crimes against humanity consisting of committing genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and direct and public incitement to commit genocide.
The former minister of Youth and Associates Movement was arrested in February 2008 and the trial began in November of 2009.
The 1994 Rwanda genocide was an ethnic conflict between the East African country's ethnic majority Hutus and the minority Tutsis. During the 1994 months of April to July (a span of approximately 100 days) the Hutu militias killed over 800,000 Tutsis.
The ICTR was set up in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council as Resolution 955 specially created to trial participants in the genocide. The tribunal deals with cases of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
