This week was marked with news of the transfer of former planning minister Augustine Ngirabatware to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Ngirabatware, a man believed to have funneled weapons to militia men during the 1994 Genocide, was transferred from Frankfurt, Germany. A few weeks ago, the spokesman of the tribunal, Roland Ammousouga, had told journalists that the accused would soon be brought to the Arusha based UN court. As soon as we stepped out of the press room from where we were being addressed by ICTR officials then, there were arguments as to whether this promise would ever come to pass. Why? Members of the media argued that the ICTR has for a long time said that the former minister would be transferred but he had remained comfortably in Germany. But this time, it came to pass and the accused was brought to the court. The lesson to be learnt from this step is that there has to be a will for justice to be rendered. With the will to have justice prevail, we implore UN member states to cooperate in bringing Genocide fugitives to justice. In this particular case, Germany authorities showed some level of cooperation, but how many UN member states learnt from its example?. Much as the states are obliged by the UN to cooperate in the arrests, we will not see the remaining 13 fugitives face justice unless the will is there. Every state should be concerned with what happened to Rwanda and they can only contribute to the ‘Never Again’ notion if people carrying on the ideology of Genocide are dealt with accordingly. Instead, just next door, we see a national army (Forces Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo (FARDC)) allied with Genocidal forces (Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR)). The FDLR are remnants of the former Rwandan army (ex FAR) and Interahamwe militia that spearheaded the 1994 Genocide of Tutsi in which over one million people were brutally massacred. In May this year, DRC’s interior minister Denis Kalume had warned that the FDLR would face the wrath of the international community if they don’t lay down their arms and be repatriated. Not even one year down the road, Kalume’s same government is reported to be in an alliance with the same force. Shouldn’t the international community wrath come down upon the Kalume’s government now that they are one with the FDLR? It seems a lot still has to be done by the international community if they really want to bring justice to those responsible for atrocities committed in Rwanda in 1994.But rest assured, where there’s a will, there’s a way. gmuramila@gmail.com
