early as the early 1990s , '' Mutangana said . Former president was killed in April 1994 when his plane was shot down near the capital , Kigali . The mass killings began hours later , and by the time they ended 100 days later , some 800,000 people had been killed . Most were members of the country 's Tutsi minority , killed by members of the Hutu majority . The circumstances surrounding Habyarimana 's death remain a mystery . He was a Hutu , and speculation immediately fell on Tutsis as the perpetrators of the attack -- but some have also speculated that Hutus themselves shot down the plane to provide cover for the genocide . Top officials such as army generals and politicians who allegedly took part in the genocide have been tried in the Rwandan justice system and the International Criminal Tribunal , which is based in Tanzania . Civilians who allegedly contributed either directly or indirectly are tried by local communities in `` gacaca '' courts , which allow survivors to confront their attackers . Some human rights organizations have criticized the gacaca courts for falling short on delivering justice . Agathe Habyarimana is now
Paris , France -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The widow of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana , whose assassination sparked the 1994 genocide , was arrested Tuesday in Paris on a Rwandan warrant , French and Rwandan officials said . Agathe Habyarimana was arrested at her French home Tuesday morning and is scheduled to appear in court later in the day , said a deputy prosecutor who declined to give his name because he is not authorized to speak about the matter . Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo told CNN that Habyarimana was arrested on genocide charges . They include genocide , conspiracy to commit genocide , complicity to commit genocide , and direct and public incitement to commit genocide , said John Bosco Mutangana , the head of Rwanda 's Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit . The charges also cover crimes against humanity , specifically murder and extermination ; creation of a criminal gang , namely the Hutu militias ; and aiding and abetting the killings perpetrated by soldiers in violation of the Geneva Convention , Mutangana told CNN . `` We have of course strong evidence linking her to the genocide and the planning of the genocide itself , as