Charles Ntahontuye Ndereyehe, alias Karoli—one of the masterminds of the Genocide against the Tutsi at ISAR Rubona in 1994 was arrested by the Netherlands authorities on Tuesday, September 8 and there is a possibility that he will be extradited to Rwanda to be tried for Genocide crimes. Ndereyehe is among many genocide suspects who have been roaming freely around the world for years without being apprehended despite the government providing evidence of their alleged crimes. Another key genocide suspect, Felicien Kabuga, one of the major financiers of the Genocide against the Tutsi who had a $5m bounty on him was arrested in France, in May this year. The arrest of the two key genocide masterminds through international cooperation like Interpol is a small relief for genocide survivors who want justice for their loved ones, however more concerted efforts are needed to apprehend everyone who played a role in the Genocide. Statistics released by the National Public Prosecution Authority last year showed that the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda host the largest number of genocide fugitives in the region while France and Belgium host the biggest number of indicted suspects in Europe. There are many other countries who harbour many genocide fugitives like the US, Malawi, Canada, Tanzania etc. The government has in the past voiced its frustration by the slow progress – and in some cases indifference to bring to book key architects of a genocide that claimed the lives of more than a million people. Many of the countries where these genocide fugitives dwell have the capacity either to locate, extradite or try these suspects but very few have been cooperative, which could imply that they condone impunity. As the legal maxim, “Justice delayed is Justice denied” suggests, Genocide survivors should not suffer more trauma of waiting for justice to be served, when International cooperation can be used to facilitate delivery of justice.
