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Government angry over release of genocide suspect

[Cote d'Ivoire] President Laurent Gbagbo in his study at the presidential residence in Abidjan. November 2004. IRIN
President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire
    YAMOUSSOUKRO

    Rwandan Foreign Minister Amri Sued Ismail has reacted angrily to the release of genocide suspect Major Bernard Ntuyahaga by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). In a statement, reported by the Rwanda News Agency (RNA), he said the government was “surprised and shocked” by the decision. “The investigations carried out by Rwandan intelligence services on his role in the genocide have highlighted the existence of irrefutable proof of his guilt,” the statement said. The ICTR yesterday ordered the release of Ntuyahaga - accused of the murder of former prime minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian UN peacekeepers - due to lack of evidence.

    Belgium is also seeking the extradition of Ntuyahaga, who was in charge of logistics at the Kigali military camp during the 1994 genocide. According to RNA, Rwandan Justice Minister Jean de Dieu Mucyo suspected a plot was hatched between the ICTR and Belgium to drop charges so that Ntuyahaga could be handed over to Brussels.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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