French investigators into Habyarimana plane crash arrive

KIGALI - TWO French judges and a bevy of experts are in the country to investigate charges instituted by French Judge Louis Brugueire against top Rwandan officials. In 2006, Judge Brugiere issued arrest warrants for 40 Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) officials accusing them of downing the plane in which former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed in 1994. The French team that arrived in the country yesterday will spend a week in Rwanda to try to determine how a plane carrying the president was shot down. “We shall offer them maximum cooperation to conduct free, fair and transparent investigations,” said. Rwanda’s Justice Minister, Tharcisse Karugarama. “Whatever they need so as to conduct their investigation, we shall be able to provide to them”. The 17-person team also wants to determine where the missiles were fired as a possible clue as to who was behind the attack. In discussions held recently between the Minister of Defence, Gen. James Kabarebe and the French Ambassador to Rwanda, Laurent Contini, they agreed to begin a new chapter of clean joint investigations into the accusations, disregarding Brugueire’s findings or allegations. Ends