Probe launched into genocide-linked deaths

Rwandan Prime Minister Bernard Makuza told the Senate on Thursday that government had launched investigations to unearth the masterminds of the killings of survivors of the 1994 genocide.

"We are determined to root out the ideology of genocide and encourage the unity of Rwandans," Makuza told the senators. "We have mounted investigations into this matter, the culprits will be brought to justice."

He said the police and other security organs had been directed to apprehend the suspected killers.

An umbrella organisation for genocide survivors in Rwanda, known as IBUKA, denounced in December 2003 the killing, harassment and intimidation of its members over their testimony under the "Gacaca" justice system.

Makuza acknowledged that the killings were directed at genocide survivors to discourage them from testifying before the Gacaca courts.

"The government is doing all it can to put a halt to these killings," said Makuza, who hails from Gikongoro - a province in southwestern Rwanda where such killings have been reported.

A report presented by a select committee of senators said that the genocide survivors in Gikongoro were living in fear following threats on their lives. "This province is still affected by the mentality of genocide," the senators said in the report. "The majority of the survivors have been traumatised by the latest killings - many more still live under a state of fear."

The Gacaca justice system, based on traditional village courts, was introduced in the country in 2001 to expedite trials for an estimated 85,000 suspects held in prisons across the country, in connection with the 1994 genocide that claimed the lives of at least 800,000 people.

The Gacaca justice system supplements the country's regular courts and is intended to boost the reconciliation of all ethnic communities in the country.

IBUKA reported in December that four of its members were killed in Gikongoro after they showed interest in testifying in the Gacaca courts.

"These killings are well planned and target one section of people with the intention of keeping their lips shut," IBUKA said then.