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The London-based NGO African Rights accused the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday of harbouring Colonel Tharcisse Renzaho, accused of involvement organising the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
In an attempt to encourage the DRC government to work with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), African Rights has released a 26-page charge sheet detailing Renzaho's alleged crimes.
African Rights said that Renzaho's role as an officer commanding Congolese troops came to light during the fighting between government and rebel forces in Pweto, Katanga province, in December 2000. Renzaho is reported to be commuting between Kinshasa and Lubumbashi in the DRC.
African Rights said Renzaho was the governor (prefet) of Kigali before and during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and was involved in the planning and execution of the slaughter of Tutsis and leading Hutu politicians to take place.
"[Renzaho] had the authority and the resources to stop the killings, but he only did so only in a few very public instances. More often, he intervened to sponsor or authorize massacres, directly ordering militia to round up selected groups, then to take them to be killed, or sending others to organise killings in his name," it reported.
"The evidence suggests that Col. Tharcisse Renzaho has the blood of tens of thousands of the people of Kigali on his hands. In continuing to harbour him and others like him, the Government of Congo risks undermining efforts to promote stability in the Great Lakes region," it added.
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
