Information from the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions state that close to 700 of the 200,000 people elected as judges in the Gacaca tribunals were accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. They were asked to resign.

Judges in the semi-traditional Gacaca courts are elected by their community. They do not need to have studied law, as long as they are people of morale integrity.

Kigali province (Central Rwanda) had the largest number of judges who were accused- 131. Next come the provinces of Kibuye (West, 123) and Ruhengeri (North, 90).

"It is not over yet. More and more judges are being accused", a Rwandan human rights activist pointed out to Hirondelle News Agency.

Ancilla Kamatamu, the president of the Gacaca tribunal of Mushubati Secteur in Kibuye, was accused of participating in the genocide as she was about to open the first trial in her jurisdiction.

People in the audience stated that she would cook for militias after they had returned from their murderous expeditions.

The vice-president of the tribunal took over from Kamatamu after the latter was stripped of her chair.

"Some people think that by virtue of sitting in a Gacaca tribunal makes them immune from prosecution", continued the human rights activist. "Others believe that no witness to their crime still exists".

He was however quick to point out that there could be some innocent people among the accused judges.

Some of the judges who were accused for their alleged roles in the genocide were immediately arrested.