Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
9 June 2008
Kigali — One of the most notorious names in the Rwandan Genocide - an officer whose troops allegedly raped and killed the former Rwandan prime minister and the Belgian soldiers protecting her - is living in Zimbabwe, RNA reports.
Major Protais Mpiranya, a former head of the Presidential Guard is wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and has a $5 million (about Rwf 2.7 billion) bounty on his head as part of the U.S. government 'Reward for Justice' program.
UN sources tell The Sunday Times that Major Mpiranya established personal business links with several Zimbabwean officers, some of whom set up their own companies to plunder DR Congo wealth - during the bitter occupation by different countries including Rwanda.
He falls in the same category with suspected financer of the mass killings millionaire Felicien Kabuga, and 11 others still at large.
Major Mpiranya is suspected of enjoying business links with former army officers close to the country's president, Robert Mugabe. It is these links that enable him to feel secure in Zimbabwe, the paper said.
However, the presence in Zimbabwe of Mpiranya has never been officially admitted by the authorities. He is one of a handful of top leaders of the genocide to have got away.
In a year 2000 indictment, the Tanzania-based court accuses him General Augustin Ndindiliyimana; the former chief-of-staff of the FAR, General Augustin Bizimungu, and two commanding officers in the reconnaissance battalion, Major François Xavier Nzuwonemeye and captain Innocent Sagahutu.
They are charged under the group Military II. The first military trial, currently in progress for years, groups together four senior officers of the FAR, including the former director of cabinet in the ministry of defence, Colonel Theoneste Bagosora - considered the brain behind the mass killings.
The UN Tribunal alleges that Major Mpiranya 'supervised trainings' of the interahamwe militia in northern Rwanda - with collaboration from General Augustin Bizimungu.
In 1993, Major Mpiranya along with his co-accused distributed weapons to the militia and certain carefully selected members of the civilian population with the intent to exterminate the Tutsi population and eliminate its "accomplices", the indictment claims.
On April 09 1994, the fugitive former government insider apparently 'tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted and killed" Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. She was assassinated with her 10 Belgian guards that were part of the Belgian contingent on the UN mission.
Their murder precipitated the immediate withdraw of the Belgians troops. Major Mpiranya is said to have adopted a strategy aimed at provoking the Belgian soldiers, in order to force them into withdrawing. With this in mind they waged an anti-Belgium propaganda campaign, the indictment alleges.
In July 1994, faced with the advance of the troops of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, Major Mpiranya fled Rwanda most probably towards the Democratic Republic of Congo - then Zaire.
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Tongai: Grow up and wake up. We are sick and tired of criminals hiding behind being African. By the sound of your name, you are from Zimbabwe. How ironic that a Zimbabwean would talk about Africans solving African problems.
Thisis: Your name simply suggest that you do not know where you are going or come from.
I tried to find the relationship between my comment and growing up and waking up and i couldn't find it. The only conclusion I could come up with was that maybe the author is the one who needs growing up and working up.
Africans criminals should tried by African courts in Africa, not Americans who have committed every crime that can be committed against humanity especially against Africans. If you are an African and you don't think this is right, then you must… [Read Full Text]
Zimbabwe solution? Do you mean beating and murdering and torturing people who might put their vote in the wrong box? Do you mean keeping the aid agencies out of the country so people will go hungry and potentially starve to death? Another form of punishment for not voting for Mugabe. Do you mean continually arresting and harrasing opposition candidates so they have no time to rally their supporters? Do you mean burning all foreign newspapers? Do you mean putting an import tax on foreign newspapers so no one can read them? Do you you mean making up sanctions to be… [Read Full Text]
Tongai, you are from lala land. As Thisis has said, "grow up and wake up" The fact that you could not find that connection to your name, means that you are a sleeping fool. I suggest that you take a good look at Awt_independence's post and digest it before you write anymore rubbish and make a fool of yourself. Do you just walk around in Zimbabwe with your finger in your nose and your eyes closed?
Tongai, I really pity you. What Thisis stated is what you need, to grow up and wake up. My advice is to start by reading and understanding that will help you to differentiate between issues and interests and of course to know what media needs to report and justice doing its work. Am sorry if you are Zimbabwean you need more help than you think you can have.
I read through all your comments, and sorry to say, found them off the mark and childish to say the least. The meaning of Tongai's name, his origin, or suggestion on the US are non issues here and not worthy a point of discussion. The issue is here is whether the Rwanda genocide suspect should be arrested and brought to book by a competent court. It doesn't matter whether this court is in Zimbabwe, US or Arusha as longer as it can be impartial and has jurisdiction over such international crime cases. It would even be proper if such a… [Read Full Text]
How much luck have African leaders had solving Zimbabwe's problems? None. The entire continent is ruled by a fraternity of dictators only interested in protecting themselves and not their people. Rwanda demands Justice!! Why should Rwanda have to wait for other African countries before seeking justice. Did even one African country send troops to end the genocide? No. Rwandan troops ended the genocide. We cannot wait for the entire continent to unite before pursuing reasonable goals.
Major Protais Mpiranya, a former head of the Presidential Guard is wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and has a $5 million (about Rwf 2.7 billion) bounty on his head as part of the U.S. government 'Reward for Justice' program.
Who the hell is the US? They killed two cities in Japan and they continue to kill in Iraq and they go around the world giving bounties for "Justice". What justice???
The US enslaved Africans and you want them to come to Africa to talk about Justice!!!!!! ICC is not an African organisation and if its going to… [Read Full Text]