Nairobi — The UN Security Council has for the second time extended the mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), by a year.

The court will go on until December 2010 instead of initial plans of winding up this December.

A decision of Resolution 1878 (2009) issued last Tuesday also stated that contracts of all judges will be extended to December next year.

The extension follows concerns by ICTR President Dennis Byron, expressed before the UN Security Council, that not all trials would be completed by the end of this year.

Addressing the Security Council over his six-monthly report, Justice Byron said at least one joint trial of three former ruling party leaders in Rwanda would spill over to 2010 and that at least 11 cases involving 24 people were underway.

He said the closing strategy would also be affected if the 13 "most wanted" fugitives were arrested.

At least four of them, he said, must be tried by ICTR. The 13 include Felicien Kabuga, believed to be hiding in Kenya, and others said to be holed up in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UN Court was established in November 1994 to try key suspects of the Rwanda genocide that left an estimated 800,000 people dead. It has convicted 39 people and acquitted six.

The extension comes in the wake of a decision by Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and the US to grant 35 million Euros (about $43.8 million) to Rwanda to reinforce its judiciary in preparation for the country's hosting of genocide cases after ICTR closes, and jailing of convicts.

The agreement was signed by Rwanda's Justice Minister James Musoni and donor representatives on Wednesday in Kigali.

Also extended are the trials before the semi-traditional court, Gacaca (which is trying the majority of the alleged authors of the 1994 genocide). These trials could continue until the end of this year.

The National Service of the Gacaca Courts had initially planned to wind up the trials last month.

Also getting a reprieve are staff of the ICTR, who had been asked to go home by September.

About 349 members of staff had been earmarked for separation from both the Kigali and the Arusha offices, leaving the UN court with 693 staff by the end of September.

About 11 cases involving 24 people are yet to be concluded, most of which are in the stage of drafting the judgments. Five are in the trial stages. Several judgements are expected to be delivered between now and mid next year.

Meanwhile, suspects from Rwanda and the Balkans living in Britain could be tried in the UK, under plans outlined by Justice Secretary Jack Straw. The proposals cover war crimes since 1991 -- 10 years earlier than the current law allows.