The government has adopted a ‘wait and see attitude’ regarding the possible extradition of Innocent Bagabo, a genocide suspect currently held by French authorities. A French court yesterday approved the suspect’s extradition to face justice in Rwanda following a formal request for his extradition by the government. However a section of Rwandans remain skeptical on whether France will follow through with the extradition given the previous experiences where they refused to honour request extradition petitions and let suspects go free. Among the suspects that France has let go free include; Charles Twagira, Claude Muhayimana The Minister of Justice, Johnston Busingye told The New Times that he will only count the extradition when Bagabo is officially handed over to Rwanda. “I will only count it when he is handed over to Rwanda, however I want to believe that France knows that they have an international obligation to make sure that people who are suspected to have committed genocide, have been indicted and are living in their soil, have their day in court”. “If they do not, then we will be correct to claim that France is insensitive to Rwanda’s post-genocide justice process”, Bugingye said. The approval came two days before the 21st anniversary of the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Bagabo, a 49-year-old former teacher has been living in France where he had been granted citizenship. Among the charges in his indictment include genocide, aiding and abetting the genocide, and committing crimes against humanity.
