On 9 February 2006, the Defence closed its case in the trial of Jean Mpambara, the former bourgmestre of Rukara commune in Kibungo Préfecture. Mpambara is charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, and crimes against humanity (extermination) for his alleged involvement in massacres of Tutsi civilians in Rukara commune, in eastern Rwanda, between 7 and 16 April 1994.

Mpambara was arrested at a refugee camp in northern Tanzania on 20 June 2001 and transferred to the U.N. Detention Facility in Arusha shortly thereafter. On 29 April 2005, Mpambara pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial commenced on 19 September 2005 before Trial Chamber I, composed of Judges Jai Ram Reddy of Fiji (presiding), Sergei Alekseevich Egorov of Russia, and Flavia Lattanzi of Italy . The Prosecution presented ten witnesses over eight trial days, and the Defence called sixteen witnesses over eighteen trial days, making it one of the shortest trials in the history of the Tribunal.

The Prosecution is led by Senior Trial Attorney Richard Karegyesa of Uganda. The Defence is headed by Arthur Vercken and Vincent Courcelle-Labrousse of France.

In addition to Mpambara, 27 accused are presently on trial or awaiting judgement. The Tribunal has handed down judgments involving 26 persons, of whom 23 were convicted and three acquitted.