A former Rwandan Minister of Planning accused of war crimes has been transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

According to an ICTR communique, a copy of which The New Times obtained, Augustin Ngirabatware was transferred yesterday from Frankfurt, Germany, to the UN Detention Facility in Arusha, Tanzania.

The accused will soon make his initial appearance before Trial Chamber II composed of Judges William Sekule, presiding, Arlette Ramaroson and Solomy Bossa.

Ngirabatware is accused of funneling weapons to Interahamwe militiamen during the 1994 Genocide of Tutsis, which claimed over a million people.

Meanwhile, Rwanda has welcomed the move, saying that if other countries acted like Germany, there would be an end to impunity.

Aloys Mutabingwa, Rwanda’s Special Representative to the ICTR called upon countries in the Great Lakes Region and Europe to emulate Germany and transfer the remaining 13 Genocide fugitives to the seat of ICTR.

"We are still concerned with the time it is taking to apprehend fugitives like Felicien Kabuga. We hope this transfer becomes a wakeup call to emphasize the need to intensify efforts in rendering justice,” Mutabingwa said.  

He also added that Rwanda doesn’t expect such cases to add up to cause another request for the extension of the ICTR mandate ‘unless it is justifiable’.

The accused is facing nine counts of Genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide; complicity in genocide; direct and public incitement to commit genocide; crimes against humanity for murder, extermination, rape, inhumane acts; and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions and of Additional Protocol II.

Initially, Ngirabatware was jointly charged with Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda, the former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research who, in January 2004, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment following a dismissal of his appeal in September 2005.

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