The National Service of Gacaca Jurisdiction (SNJG) has disclosed that the courts are remaining with only 54 cases before concluding their activities in December this year.

This was announced yesterday by the Executive Secretary of Gacaca services, Domitille Mukantaganzwa, during a news conference.

Gacaca are semi traditional courts introduced to deal with the backlog of over a million cases involving persons suspected taking part the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"We should have completed all the cases but we were challenged by the new cases that were brought about by the Rwandan refugees from DRC who voluntarily returned home recently,” she said.

"We were also derailed by some suspects who take their time, intentionally delaying proceedings. They sometimes they claim that their eyewitnesses are not around and the courts should wait for them to return”.

Mukantaganzwa stated that the final overall report on Gacaca courts will be made public before the end of the year and will contain the achievements, challenges and recommendations.

Some of the pending cases include convicts who appealed, and those convicted in absentia after fleeing the country.

She assured Rwandans that her team is doing everything possible to conclude all the pending cases within the next two months.

Mukantaganzwa added that the cases of the refugees who recently returned are currently handled by the courts at the sector level in Rutsiro and Karongi districts in the Western Province.

Gacaca tried all cases except those involving key masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which were referred to conventional courts.

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