Rwanda : France arrests 2nd genocide suspect
The French government has made another significant move in response to Rwanda’s request to arrest genocide suspects who are living in France and need to be brought to justice for crimes committed during the 1994 genocide against the Rwandan Tutsi.
The arrest of Vénuste Nyombayire came just a few days ahead of the Rwandan people starting the 18th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, in which over 1 million people were massacred during the regime of former Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana.
Another significant move made by the French government was seen late march, when the French court of Rouen announced intentions of referring to Rwandan courts the first genocide case, to try Claude Muhayimana in Rwanda.
The actions of French justice system may clear the bad air between the judicial systems of the two countries. Rwanda has accused France for not taking any action on the genocide suspects roaming around streets of France. 20 arrest warrants for genocide fugitives have been handed over to France though less has been done to arrest or depot them.
Prosecutor Jean Bosco Siboyintore, who is in charge of tracking genocide suspects outside Rwanda, hailed the French government for arresting the two genocide suspects, especially that it comes at the time when Rwandans are commemorating victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
Siboyintore noted that this particular case was submitted to the French judiciary in October, last year. “The next step, after the first arrest of the suspect (Nyombayire), is to follow judicial procedures of prosecution and analyze the accusations submitted by the Rwandan government in the genocide case files,” says Siboyintore.
Nyombayire was arrested in Paris. He is accused by the Rwandan government for committing genocide crimes, especially the killing of orphans at the SOS center in former Gikongoro province (now Nyamagabe district), in the southern province of Rwanda.
Vénuste Nyombayire escaped from Rwanda immediately after the genocide, and went to Germany. The Rwandan government apparently got clues of his presence in Germany and requested for his arrest, however, Nyombayire managed to run to France- where he finally caught up by the hand of Justice.
