A French court will try former Rwandan army lieutenant colonel Cyprien Kayumba over alleged complicity in the 1994 genocide.
Kayumba, 71, is accused of delivering weapons used during killings that claimed more than 800,000 lives, mostly Tutsi civilians.
The trial is the latest in France to address crimes from the genocide under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
Kayumba, a Hutu who has lived in France since 1998, has consistently denied knowing the weapons would be used to kill.
Judges ordered him to surrender his passport and barred him from leaving France while setting an undetermined trial date.
His lawyers described the trial order as a shock after a magistrate previously ruled against hearings following a two-decade investigation.
French courts have previously convicted Rwandans for genocide, including a hotel chauffeur jailed for transporting militias to massacre sites.
The case highlights France’s ongoing effort to confront international atrocities and pursue justice decades after one of history’s worst crimes.
Prosecutors appealed the initial magistrate ruling, emphasising accountability for crimes against humanity beyond national borders and legal limbo.
Kayumba’s trial will join a string of proceedings reflecting both judicial persistence and the haunting legacy of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.