20110118
reuters

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - An ethnic Hutu mayor from Rwanda residing in Germany went on trial on genocide charges in Frankfurt on Tuesday over his suspected involvement massacres against the Tutsi minority in 1994.

The former mayor, Onesphore Rwabukombe, faces charges of genocide, murder and incitement to genocide and murder, the court in Frankfurt said. Prosecutors say he is responsible for the deaths of more than 3,730 Rwandans.

Rwabukombe was the mayor of Muvumba in Rwanda in 1994. He has lived in Germany since 2002, the court said.

An estimated 800,000 people were killed in the central African nation in 100 days between April and June of 1994.

Hearings continue on January 25 with the first witnesses being questioned on February 15. A further 42 hearings are scheduled and the trial is expected to continue until the end of October.