ICTR seeks support of DRC, RoC in netting suspects

The registrar of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), has visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo (ROC) to seek the cooperation of their governments in handing over to the court persons indicted or suspected of crimes of genocide and other violations of international humanitarian law in Rwanda in 1994, the ICTR reported on Monday. The ICTR registrar, Adama Dieng, visited the DRC from 12 to 16 February. During this time, he met DRC President Joseph Kabila, who expressed support for the work of the ICTR and assured Dieng of the cooperation of the DRC government. Dieng, in turn, told Kabila of the need to arrest and hand over to the ICTR suspects believed to be living in the DRC. "The Democratic Republic of Congo is a key state in the central African region for the ultimate success of the ICTR in discharging its mandate," Dieng said. "We are very pleased with President Kabila's assurances of support, and look forward to expected further developments on this matter." Several high-ranking individuals suspected of involvement in the Rwanda genocide fled to the DRC in its aftermath, a factor which has contributed to the conflict in the DRC in recent years. The Lusaka peace agreement of 1999 on the conflict in the DRC called for the handing over to the ICTR of combatants in that conflict who had participated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Dieng is currently visiting the neighbouring RoC to seek its cooperation with the ICTR in handing over suspects wanted by the Tribunal. On Monday, he met the RoC foreign minister, Rodolphe Adada, and is scheduled to conclude his visit with a meeting with President Denis Sassou-Nguesso. "Like the DRC, the Tribunal believes that some important suspects of the genocide are residing in ROC," said an ICTR statement.