Kigali — The first genocide judgments by Rwanda's quasi-traditional genocide courts known as Gacaca were on Thursday delivered only hours after the courts began trials.

"Reports are coming in from a few places around the country where trials began yesterday and were completed the same day", said the director of documentation in the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions (NSGJ), Anastase Barinda.

"An ex-militia leader in Kigali was sentenced by the Rugenge court to 30 years in prison. A similar thing happened in Ntenyo (Gitarama province)", he added.

Gacaca courts began proper trials on Thursday. Since their opening, the courts had been in an investigative pre-trial phase.

"Given that the pre-trials gathered all elements required for the trials. The process at this level is quick", Barinda said of yesterday's judgements. "You shouldn't also forget that these trials take place in the communities where everyone knows each other and the accused. That makes everything quicker than conventional courts".

"In other areas, the first trials were completed but the judgments and sentences are scheduled for next week", he said.

Gacaca courts sit once a week on a day chosen by the community. At present, there is about 100 courts in trial phase. At the peak of operations, it is estimated that about 12,000 courts will be running in Rwanda.

Officials project that the number of genocide suspects will increase from the current 80,000 to over half a million at the end of pre-trial phases in all courts later this year.