Democratic Republic of Congo Foreign Affairs Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba said on Monday that his country was seriously considering the list of over 6,000 genocide suspects accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, APA has reliably learned.
Speaking on eastern Congo based radio Okapi, Mwamba said that his government was analyzing the list of suspects provided by the Rwandan prosecution and that it is committed to ensuring that it fights the crime of genocide from its soil.
“We are analyzing the list of genocide suspects who could be living on our soil and we continue our discussions with the Rwandan authorities on this issue to ensure the eradication of genocide crime in the region,†he said.
The Rwanda-Congo crisis is blamed on the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group that committed the genocide in 1994 and others who fled the country when the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPF) seized power in the same year.
Under the Tripartite Plus Agreement, Rwanda provided Congo with a list of over 6,000 suspects of the 1994 genocide who are believed to be roaming the jungles of the Congo posing a security threat to Rwanda.
Congo is believed to harbor the biggest number of genocide fugitives, most of who have been indicted by the Rwanda national public prosecution authority while others are wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The head of Rwandan National Public Prosecutions Authority, Martin Ngoga was quoted by pro-government English daily, The New Times, saying that the development was a clear indication that the ongoing bilateral talks between the two countries were paying off.
“The general framework of the Tripartite Plus in terms of normalizing the relations between the two countries is positive, however, there has never been any particular development on the list Rwanda sent to Congo of FDLR rebels and genocidaires before,†said Ngoga.
The two countries have agreed to a joint military operation expected to begin this January when Rwanda expects the fugitives to surrender and return home to face justice.
Source African Press Agency
