Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
1 October 2007
Kigali — As an Interpol member, the Democratic Republic of Congo has the legal obligation to arrest Gen. James Kabarebe and to extradite him to France, where he is under criminal investigation, controversial UDF-Inkingi said on Monday.
The Netherlands based group wants all concerned police officials from France, DRC and Interpol to comply with their national and international legal obligations and to bring to book Gen Kabarebe.
The Rwanda defense Forces chief arrived in the DRC's capital Kinshasa yesterday to attend an extraordinary Tripartite Plus military chiefs meeting, scheduled to take place in Lubumbashi this week.
Gen. Kabarebe is among nine Rwandan officials subject of arrest warrants issued by Anti-terrorist Jean-Louis Bruguière on charges of shooting down of Rwanda presidential jet on the night of April 6, 1994.
The arrest warrants led to the severing of relations between France and Rwanda but moves are ongoing to mend them.
On the list also includes: Lt Gen. Charles Kayonga - Land Force Chief of Staff, Lt Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa - envoy to India, Brig. Jackson Nkurunziza a.k.a Jack Nziza - d of Political Education (J5) and Gen. (rtd) Samuel Kanyamera - now member of parliament.
Others are Col. (rtd) Jacob Tumwine, Franck Nziza, Eric Hakizimana and Rose Kabuye, a.k.a Rose Kanyange, director general of State Protocol.
"The UDF-Inkingi is convinced that there will be no lasting peace and no stability in the Great Lakes Region if all those crimes remain unpunished", the group said in a statement.
"The UDF-Inkingi believes that if justice continues to be delayed or denied, no reconciliation will be possible, an unavoidable pre-requisite to reconstruction and shared economic growth in that part of the African continent".
It says Interpol should act on the Rwandan officials as it did with former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori - who was arrested and later extradited to Peru from Chile on September 24.
Meanwhile, Generals Charles Kayonga and Jack Nziza have petitioned a Belgian court demanding the warrants against them be quashed and disregarded with damages of up to 62.5million Euros each.
Court set September for the start of the proceedings. Media reports from Belgium indicate that Judge Bruguiere was not in court but would testify by video conference link up.
In France, Samuel Kanyemera (Sam kaka), retired Col. Rose Kabuye (Kanyange) and Jacob Tumwine have also gone to court in Paris demanding that the warrants are thrown out.
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