Essonne - A request for asylum by the former First Lady, Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana, was turned down again by the French interior ministry.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Prefecture of Essonne, near Paris.

Alain Gauthier, the President of the Paris-based rights group – "Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda” (CPCR), indicated that little was known of her fate now.

Her lawyer Philippe Meilhac told AFP that he would file another appeal

In October 2009, a top French court – le Conseil d’Etat – rejected her appeal for asylum but she continues to reside in France along with several other suspected Genocide fugitives.

John Bosco Siboyintore, the head of the Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit (GFTU) said: "We welcome the development, since she is a high-profile Genocide fugitive whom we have indicted.

"Her denial of asylum would actually complement our wish that at some time, she will be extradited to come and face trial for her crimes - at the place where she committed them”.The CPCR also filed a lawsuit against her.

She is among the most wanted fugitives responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

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