Could trial see Rwanda, France bury the hatchet?
A relative of one of those who died in the genocide against the Tutsi
at the trial of Pascal Simbikangwa in France. Photo/AFP
By EDMUND KAGIRE The EastAfrican
Posted Saturday, February 8 2014 at 18:45
In Summary
Rwanda maintains that the Simbikangwa trial, though welcome, is just
"a drop in the ocean" considering that there are dozens of genocide
suspects roaming free on French soil.
Apart from fully restoring diplomatic ties, France has also shown that
it can tolerate Rwanda's demands and support its interests elsewhere.
Rwanda remains sceptical of French efforts to deliver justice to the
victims of the 1994 genocide, despite a suspect appearing in a Paris
court this week, 20 years after the human catastrophe that left at
least one million dead in just 100 days.
The trial came after many years of Kigali pushing Paris to either
extradite over a dozen key genocide suspects who sought refuge in
France, many of whom have since acquired French citizenship, or at
least try them in its courts.
Pascal Simbikangwa, 54, a former head of military intelligence,
appeared before a French court this week to answer charges of
complicity in genocide and war crimes in the first ever such trial to
be held on French soil.
READ: Landmark Rwanda genocide trial opens in France
Rwanda maintains that the Simbikangwa trial, though welcome, is just
"a drop in the ocean" considering that there are dozens of genocide
suspects roaming free on French soil.
Minister of Justice Johnston Busingye told The EastAfrican that the
trial should not be seen as a case of France developing the will to
try genocide cases but rather as raising the question of why it took
Paris so long to commence the process.
"It is the international obligation of any country that signed the
Geneva Convention to extradite or at least try any individuals on its
soil suspected to have taken part in a crime of international
magnitude such as genocide in any other part of the world," said Mr
Busingye.
Kigali and Paris have over the past 20 years disagreed on the issue of
genocide suspects with the former accusing the latter of providing a
safe haven to some of the most wanted genocide suspects, mainly those
linked to the government and family of former president Juvenal
Habyarimana.
Paris for its part argued that there were fears that the suspects
would not get a fair trial once extradited to Rwanda.
However, attempts to address the issue of genocide suspects were
clouded by politics related to the genocide and the events that led to
the killings, with the Rwandan government accusing Paris of playing a
role in the genocide while France on the other hand accused Rwanda
Patriotic Front (RPF), the current ruling party, of igniting the
killings.
Relations between the two countries reached breaking point in November
2006 when Rwanda expelled the French ambassador after Rwanda's former
director of state protocol Rose Kabuye was arrested following
indictments issued by French Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere targeting top
RPF commanders including President Paul Kagame.
In 2009, the two countries mended fences after President Kagame and
his then French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy met, restoring diplomatic
relations.
One of the commitments then made by France was to expedite the issue
of the pending genocide cases.
READ: France and Rwanda progress on restored diplomatic ties
Mr Simbikangwa was a member of "Akazu," the inner circle of people
around president Habyarimana and is considered a "big fish." If found
guilty at end of the seven-week trial, he is likely to get a life
sentence.
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Could-trial-see-Rwanda--France-bury-the-hatchet/-/2558/2198066/-/wxnd3nz/-/index.html
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