Malawi accused of blocking hunt for Rwanda genocide suspects
Malawi government has been accused by Rwanda for “doing nothing” to arrest genocide suspects hiding in the country.
The Prosecutor General of Rwanda, Martin Ngoga said Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia were not cooperating in hunting for genocide suspects.
“Despite reiterated requests for legal procedures to be engaged, nothing has been done”, Ngoga told Hirondelle News Agency from Kigali.
He underlined that Malawi did not react to the indictments transmitted by the Rwandan prosecution.
Ngoga regretted “such inaction from African countries at a time when Western countries seem to be finally willing to put an end to the genocidaires’ impunity”.
Bosco Mutangana, head of the unit tracking those suspected of involvement in the 1994 killings, told the BBC they all had files and arrest warrants.
Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the 100-day massacre.
Mutangana said Rwanda’s chief prosecutor was still waiting for an appointment from the authorities in Malawi.
“They have the dossier of the names, where they’re living, but we notice they don’t want to do anything about it,” he told BBC.
He said in comparison to how Europe has dealt with requests from Rwandan prosecutors, Malawi and other southern African countries were dragging their feet.
Those most responsible for the genocide are being tried by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) based in Arusha, Tanzania.
Several other countries – including Canada, Finland and France – have tried genocide suspects rather than extradite them to Rwanda where they fear they may not get a fair hearing.
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