A Rwandan man accused of masterminding the murder of 2,000 people in the country's 1994 genocide led a militia that made victims dig their graves then killed them with hand grenades and machetes, witnesses told an Oslo court on Wednesday.
Sadi Bugingo, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder, funded the militia, led its attack and worked with the local mayor to organize the murder spree, several witnesses testified.
Bugingo moved to Norway in 2002. He was arrested and put on trial there after Rwanda told Norwegian authorities in 2008 he was suspected of taking part in the genocide.
Police and the mayor of Kibungo municipality told Tutsi civilians to gather in a group saying they wanted to hand out rice, then let the militia kill about a 1,000 people in a few hours, said Antoine Rusheni, who lost five of his seven children in the genocide.