Interview with US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Pierre-Richard Prosper

US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Pierre-Richard Prosper recently returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) three months after the launch of his country's Rewards for Justice programme, aimed at bringing about the arrest of members of the Interahamwe (Rwandan Hutu militias in exile) and the ex-FAR (Rwanda's former army), largely implicated in the 1994 massacre of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate ethnic Hutus in Rwanda. His visit to the DRC comes following the recent arrests of three primary genocide suspects, who have since been extradited to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania. Prosper has urged the government of the DRC to arrest another genocide suspect in the DRC - on whom he claims to have "clear and concrete" information - in an effort to support the 30 July peace accord between presidents Joseph Kabila of the DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. QUESTION: Ambassador Prosper, you have returned to the DRC three months after launching the US campaign aimed at apprehending leaders of the 1994 Rwandan genocide who are residing in the DRC. Do you believe that the campaign has produced tangible results? ANSWER: We think the campaign has had some success. Within three months, we've had three arrests: [Augustin] Bizimungu in Angola, [Jean-Baptiste] Gatete in Congo-Brazzaville and [Tharcisse] Renzaho in DRC. This shows that the campaign has worked, that things have changed in the region, and that genocidaires can no longer remain in the DRC or in the region with impunity and without fear of being sent to Arusha. Q: What is the purpose of your current visit to the DRC? A: It's basically to continue dialogue with the government, to let them know that all is well, things are moving along smoothly. We have seen progress, which is good, but the work is not finished. There are other accused genocidaires who we believe still to be here in the DRC, as well as others in the region. These are people accused of genocide, but there are also leaders of the Interahamwe, ex-FAR, and Alir [Army for the Liberation of Rwanda] who are playing a role in the current conflict. If we want the Pretoria peace accord to be a success, we must work together to find these accused individuals and see that they are sent to Arusha. Q: Like many nations in the central African region, the DRC has many difficulties in communicating with the interior of the country. Does your campaign reach those areas, where suspects could easily hide without any problem? A: Yes, we think our message has reached the interior of the DRC, since we have been contacted by numerous people there claiming to have information that they wish to share with us. We see that the Congolese people want to help us. We receive many phone-calls from people who have travelled very long distances to share their information with us. We are happy that the Congolese people see the campaign as a means of supporting the Pretoria peace accord by providing us with information on suspected genocidaires, people who have played a role in the conflict here in the DRC. Now that the Rwandans and other foreign armed forces have returned to their countries, we must find the ex-FAR and Interahamwe who continue to play a destructive role in the DRC. Q: The DRC government has said that the vast majority of genocidaires is hiding in DRC territory under control of the Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement. Have you taken any action in that territory? A: Yes, we have also taken action in eastern DRC. We are in contact with RCD-Goma. But we think that there are, nevertheless, suspects in territory controlled by the DRC government. We have explained to DRC government authorities that we have information we believe to be clear and concrete. We believe that the government has an obligation to take action and support us. Q: Efforts to apprehend suspected genocidaires is supposed to take place in tandem with the programme for the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration of combatants (DDRRR). Do you think that your campaign to arrest suspected genocidaires can succeed if the DDRRR programme is not effective? A: The two must go together. We cannot simply sit here in Kinshasa or in Washington and say that the task is difficult. If we are serious about finding peace, we must work together, we must go to the most difficult places in order to find a solution. We must work together to be certain that those of the ex-FAR and the Interahamwe who are not sought for genocide by the ICTR will be disarmed and returned to Rwanda. We must support MONUC [UN Mission in the DRC] and other organisations to be sure that these people will return to Rwanda. Q: In what ways are you contributing to this effort? A: We remain politically engaged with the parties to the Pretoria accord, regional groups and the United Nations. We are contributing financial support to make sure that the needs of MONUC are met. We are in daily contact with the Congolese government. The US government and President Bush himself are very involved. President Bush recently held meetings with presidents Kabila and Kagame. This is a matter of great importance for our government, and we will continue to remain engaged in the most appropriate manner. Q: How has the DRC government responded to your demands to arrest other suspected genocidaires currently residing on DRC territory controlled by Kinshasa? A: The DRC government has assured us of their involvement and willingness to collaborate with us in this effort. However, the work is not finished, even though we have made some good progress. This must continue. Let us see what happens in the weeks to come, because we have information about other suspected genocidaires who are here in the DRC. Therefore, it is up to the DRC government to take the necessary actions. And we hope that it can now be said that our collaboration is good.