Washington, DC — War criminals sought by the the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda "transit" between countries in the region, according to Pierre-Richard Prosper, U.S. ambassador at large for war crimes issues.
"They are mobile," he said in during a press briefing Tuesday. "They transit between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Angola and some other states."
Prosper called on nations in the region to help hunt them down. "Only through a concerted regional and international effort will we be able to take the steps that are necessary to achieve lasting peace in the region."
According to Prosper, 15 to 20 people are being sought by the Arusha-based tribunal. "We're really looking for the leadership, the people who not only played a key role in the [Rwanda] genocide, but also persons who are playing a key and fundamental role in fueling the [Congo] conflict."
The 1994 slaughter in Rwanda took an estimated one million lives. So far nine persons have been indicted by the Tribunal for genocide and crimes against humanity, including Felicien Kabuga, who has been described as the main supporter and financier of the Interahamwe militia that directed the killings. He has been reported as living in Kenya.
In May 1994, Kabuga, a member of the inner circle of the late Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, addressed an open letter to Rwandan Hutu's in which he called for the total elimination of Tutsis. The letter read in part: "In order to go on fighting and winning this war that we have been obliged to accept by the enemy, strong battles should be set up to fight the enemy once and for all. Given that (our) youngsters are many but have not got enough advanced weapons, an urgent study should be made to make traditional weapons (bows, machetes and arrows) available in big quantities inside Rwanda in preparation for guerilla warfare ..."
U.S. interest in Kabuga is partly driven by his suspected role in the kidnapping and murder of five American tourists in Uganda's Ruwenzori mountains two years ago. Stability in the resource-rich DRC is another important element of U.S. concern.
Heavily armed battalions of the country's former Hutu-dominated army and Hutu militias fled into the DRC after committing the 1994 genocide, and have since conducted repeated incursions into the country, according to the Rwandan government, which in response, has sent troops deep into the DRC to fight them. In a peace accord signed in South Africa last month, Rwanda agreed to withdraw its troops from the DRC as the Congo government rounds up and disarms the militias that fled there from Rwanda.
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"It is our firm belief that a key to ending the war in the Congo between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and thus bringing peace and stability in the region is arresting and apprehending these key tribunal indictees," Prosper said.
The United States is offering a reward of US$5m for information leading to this group's arrest. Three American officials have been stationed in Kenya to assist in the manhunt for Kabuga.
The international tribunal has come under criticism for its slow pace and cost overruns. Prosper says the United States would back an increase in the number of judges. "What we are doing in the Security Council now is discussing this precise issue. The United States is prepared to agree to a complement of 18 judges, new judges, as a pool for the Tribunal for Rwanda, recognizing that a limited number will be used at a given time, perhaps four, six, nine, depending on immediate need."
Currently there are 14 judges, five of whom are assigned to the Appeals Chamber.
