Rwanda genocide suspect arrested in DRC

Rwanda genocide suspect arrested in DRC

2011-05-27 02:09:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

KINSASHA, CONGO (BNO NEWS) -- One of the most wanted suspects of the Rwandan genocide was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo, All Africa news reported on Thursday.

Bernard Munyagishari was arrested in an operation mounted by the Congolese army, in collaboration with a tracking team from the Office of the Prosecutor in Kichanga, North Kivu. He is currently pending transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), where he is wanted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, including rape.

The Prosecutor of the ICTR, Hassan Boubacar Jallow, said this was a "defining moment" after many years of intensive search and hailed the DRC authorities for their cooperation.

According to the indictment, the suspect recruited, trained and led Interahamwe militiamen in mass killings and rapes of Tutsi women, after the death of President Habyarimana on 6 April 1994. In addition, Munyagishari allegedly created a special group of young Interahamwe, called the Intarumikwa, with a mission to rape and kill Tutsi women and young girls.

An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slain in less than 100 days starting in April 1994. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is a United Nations court set up after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

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