ICC terminates proceedings against Sylvestre Mudacumura

On 12 November 2026, Pre-trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) terminated proceedings against Sylvestre Mudacumura, following the notification of his passing. According to the ICC legal framework, the Court’s jurisdiction cannot be exercised over a deceased person. 

The Chamber has considered the information provided by the Registry and the Prosecution as to the reported death of Mr Mudacumura during an operation of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on or around 17 September 2019, including open-source reports and public statements, and found that there is no indication that Mr Mudacumura is still alive. The Chamber granted the Prosecution’s request to withdraw the Warrant of Arrest and terminated the proceedings against Mr Mudacumura. Accordingly, any outstanding requests for cooperation related to these proceedings are no longer in effect.

Background: The arrest warrant for Mr Mudacumura, alleged Supreme Commander of the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda, was issued on 13 July 2012, for 9 counts of war crimes, allegedly committed from 20 January 2009 to the end of September 2010, in the context of the conflict in the Kivus, in the DRC: attacking civilians, murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, rape, torture, destruction of property, pillaging and outrages against personal dignity. 

Decision terminating the proceedings against Mr Sylvestre Mudacumura

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