A letter to African States

It defeats logic when outsiders rise up to put down the fire, when the inhabitants of the house are looking on motionless!This paradigm is derived from some of the fellow African countries that have not collaborated fully in the arrest and bringing to book the 1994 Genocide fugitives still hiding in African countries. It’s true that some of these suspects are moving freely in the European countries. They carry out businesses, eat, laugh and build castle. But it is dangerously myopic to perceive that the 1994 Genocide that happened in Rwanda as a Rwandan phenomenon. Well, it is crystal clear that the genocide’s immediate impacts affected Rwandans, but the fact that Rwanda is a place on Earth, living alone her status of being a country in Africa which is part of the world, the whole world was affected as well. The West has showed positive gesture. European countries have already arrested some suspects. Though Rwanda would want these countries to do even more but the steps taken are commendable. The African States are not showing serious commitment and have not fully collaborated with Rwanda in pursuing and arresting genocide fugitives. One may wonder whether its out of the remorseful feeling, due to the fact that they did almost nothing to stop the death of a million people in Rwanda. European countries like Sweden and Britain have arrested several genocide fugitives, with an aim of transferring them for trial back home, which has been seen as a logical move, and a sign of respect to Rwanda’s judicial system. The United States of America has gone a head to put a bounty of five million dollars on the head of Rwanda’s key Genocide suspect, Felicien Kabuga. Kenya has had her input in the search of Kabuga believed to be hiding in the east African country but the fugitive is yet to be apprehended. Apart from Tanzania which arrested Callixe Nzabonimana, being reinforced by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, having its base in the country, there has not been many genocide fugitive arrested from African countries lately which puts fellow African countries in a questionable situation. Reports in the past have revealed that many genocide fugitives, are hiding in African countries like Zambia, DRC, Congo, Mozambique, and other Rwandan neighboring countries, but efforts of their apprehension are painfully slow. The countries that have not attempted to apprehend Genocide fugitive give lack of sophiscated tracking systems that the Western countries use to track down the fugitives, like fingerprints scanners at air ports. But this also sounds an excuse on the side of African States because the Genocide suspects live with residents of these countries. African States should also make good use of the various committees and forums like the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (ISSA), to corner these criminals. In truth, African countries are the ones which would have pioneered the mantle to track down and bring Rwandan genocide fugitives to book; they should close down on their excuses and walk the talking on arresting Genocide fugitives. George Kagame is away.