OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that alleged Rwandan President Paul Kagame ordered the 1994 deaths of the leaders of Rwanda and Burundi.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver handed down the decision Wednesday in a lawsuit by the widows of the former presidents of Rwanda and Burundi.
The two leaders were aboard a plane that was shot down by missiles as it approached the Rwandan capital in April 1994. The decision by a three-judge panel says the deaths fueled Rwandan genocide, which spread violence across East Central Africa and led to the deaths of as many as one million people — but said Kagame has immunity.
The lawsuit was filed in Oklahoma because of Kagame's affiliation with Oklahoma Christian University.
