Callixte Mbarushimana, a Rwandan rebel leader wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and rape, was arrested in Paris on Monday, ICC officials in The Hague said, dpa reported.
The 47-year-old Mbarushimana, head of the Forces Democratiques pour la Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), committed his alleged crimes during the armed conflict that was waged in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Kivus region in 2009.
According to ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, during the course of that year the FDLR leadership decided to attack civilians in the north and south Kivu provinces in order to create a massive humanitarian catastrophe.
"The FDLR then tried to blackmail the international community and to extort concessions of political power, in exchange for ending the atrocities. As a result of this deadly blackmail, victims were killed, raped and forcibly displaced, and entire villages were razed to the ground," the prosecutor said.
Moreno-Ocampo thanked France for a smooth and efficient operation, describing the arrest of Mbarushimana as a "crucial step in efforts to prosecute the massive sexual crimes committed in the DRC."
More than 15,000 cases of sexual violence were reported in the Central African country in 2009 alone.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mbarushimana on September 28 on five counts of crimes against humanity - murder, torture, rape and inhumane acts - and six counts of war crimes - attacks against the civilian population, destruction of property, murder, torture, rape, inhuman treatment and persecution.
"This is a good day for the victims. This is a good day for justice. But there is still a lot to do to break the cycle of impunity in the DRC," Moreno-Ocampo said.
The prosecutor's office said the arrest was the result of almost two years of investigations conducted by France, Germany, DR Congo, Rwanda and the ICC.
Another commander sought by the ICC for widespread crimes, Bosco Ntaganda, is still at large in Goma and his forces "continue to roam the Kivus killing and raping," Moreno-Ocampo said.
"He must be next," he added.