( CNN ) -- The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on Thursday convicted the `` mastermind '' of the Rwandan genocide and sentenced him to life in prison for genocide , crimes against humanity , and war crimes . Theoneste Bagosora , right , and his co-defendant Anatole Nsengiyumva , left , arrive in court . It is the first time the tribunal has convicted high-level officials for the 100-day genocide in 1994 which left an estimated 800,000 people dead . Theoneste Bagosora , 67 , a colonel in the Rwandan army , was found guilty along with two other men -- Major Aloys Ntabakuze and Lieutenant Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva . All were sentenced to life in prison . The tribunal -- located in Arusha , Tanzania -- acquitted General Gratien Kabiligi , the former head of military operations , and ordered his immediate release . CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour -- who covered the story -- called the verdicts `` a real turning point and a milestone in justice . '' Watch CNN 's Christiane Amanpour on the verdict » . `` It sends a message that right up the chain of command , you can not hide , '' Amanpour said . The court said Bagosora was a key figure in drawing up plans for the genocide . A Hutu , Bagosora was convicted of ordering Hutu militia to slaughter rival Tutsis . The massacres began after a plane crash on April 6 , 1994 that killed the presidents of Rwanda and neighboring Burundi . The court said the plane was brought down by a surface-to-air missile fired from the airport in Kigali , the Rwandan capital . Watch what happened in the court » . Bagosora decided the military should take over and he refused to involve the prime minister , Agathe Uwilingiyimana , in any discussions , the court found . April 7 , while Bagosora held a crisis meeting with top military officials , the prime minister was arrested , sexually assaulted and killed by top members of the Rwandan Army , the court found . Find out more about the world 's killing fields » . That made Bagosora the head of all political and military affairs in Rwanda , and in that capacity , he was at the top of the chain of command . The same day the prime minister was killed , the court said , army personnel confined and killed four important opposition leaders -- including the president of the constitutional court and government ministers -- and murdered 10 Belgian peacekeepers who had been dispatched to the prime minister 's residence . The court found Bagosora bore responsibility for those and other killings because he commanded those who carried out the crimes . `` Bagosora was the highest authority in the Ministry of Defense and exercised effective control of the Rwandan army and gendarmerie , '' said Presiding Judge Erik Mose . `` He 's therefore responsible for the murder of the prime minister , the four opposition politicians , the 10 Belgian peacekeepers , as well as the extensive military involvement in the killing of civilians during this period . '' ICTR Prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow said the convicted men `` prepared , planned , ordered , directed , incited , encouraged and approved the murder of innocent civilian Tutsis . '' The killings were carried out by military personnel on the orders of Rwandan authorities including Bagosora , the court said . The court found that from April to July 1994 , Bagosora exercised authority over members of the Rwandan Army and their militiamen , who committed massacres throughout Rwanda with Bagosora 's knowledge . `` In all the regions of the country , members of the Tutsi population who were fleeing from the massacres on their hills sought refuge in locations they thought would be safe , often on the recommendation of the local civil and military authorities , '' the indictment said . `` In many of these places , despite the promise that they would be protected by the local civil and military authorities , the refugees were attacked , abducted and massacred , often on the orders or with the complicity of those same authorities . '' The indictment against Bagosora alleged he had been opposed to concessions made by his government to Tutsi rebels at 1993 peace talks in Tanzania , and had left the negotiations saying he was returning to Rwanda to `` prepare the apocalypse . '' The U.N. established the tribunal in late 1994 . The trial began in April 2002 and has been deliberating since June 1 , 2007 . During the trial , the court heard 242 witnesses -- 82 for the prosecution and 160 for the defense . The three convicted men will be held in the tribunal 's custody until a state can be found to house them . The genocide 's impact is still be felt today , with recent fighting in neighbouring Congo blamed on lingering tensions from the slaughter . Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda says his forces are fighting to defend Congolese Tutsis from Hutu militants who escaped to Congo .
Bagosora guilty of masterminding genocide which left at least 800,000 dead . Genocide began after plane carrying the leaders of Rwanda , Burundi crashed . Bagosora was charged with genocide and crimes against humanity . He is currently in prison for life.