A day after he was arrested in the Ugandan capital Kampala, efforts are underway to deport Genocide fugitive Thadee Kwitonda to Belgium, Police in Uganda has said.This is despite efforts by the Rwanda National Police to bring him to Rwanda to serve a 30 year prison sentence handed to him in absentia by a Gacaca court in 2008.He is reported to have committed crimes of Genocide against the Tutsi in Ngoma District in the Eastern Province and Butare District in the Southern Province. In 1994, he acted as Deputy Secretary General of the National Bank.Asan Kasingye, the Ugandan Director Interpol and International relations, said Kwitonda would be put on an immediate flight to Belgium because it is the place that is currently trying him.“We are not extraditing him to Belgium because Uganda and Belgium have not signed an extradition treaty, but we are deporting him there today as a Belgian citizen,” he said.Kasingye told The New Times, yesterday, that Internal Affairs Minister, Hillary Onek, had already signed the deportation order of the genocide fugitive.“We are working on a flight for him as soon as possible today,” the Police official said.However, Rwandan authorities have requested Uganda to put his deportation to Belgium on hold in order to negotiate for his extradition to Rwanda.“Kwitonda is a genocide fugitive and it is in the interest of justice that he serve his sentence in Rwanda. A formal request has been sent to Uganda through the National Police and both countries are currently working out a solution,” John Bosco Siboyintore, the Head of Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit, said yesterday in an interview.He however hinted that if Kwitonda is eventually deported to Belgium, the decision would be welcome.“Belgium issued an international arrest warrant for Kwitonda and have been hunting him, therefore, if he is sent to there, we will welcome the decision and follow up to make sure that justice is served, although our wish is to have him in the territory where he committed the crimes,” Siboyintore added.“At the moment, we are waiting to see the outcome from the negotiating teams of both Rwanda and Uganda.”The 51year old who has been going by the name John Tumwesigye, was trailed by Uganda Police authorities from April this year and was finally arrested on Thursday near the Belgian Embassy in Kampala.
