By Patrick Jaramogi
KIGALI-RWANDA: “Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword,” so goes the saying. This has happened to Rwandan most wanted fugitive and 1994 genocide suspect Ladislas Ntaganzwa who is currently awaiting genocide charges in Kigali Rwanda.
Ntaganzwa, aged 54 who was arrested in the North Kivu Democratic Republic of Congo in December last year was extradited to Kigali yesterday (Sunday) after massive international pressure and a US bounty of USD$5m on his head. He is accused of orchestrating the murder of over 20,000 Tutsis and raping of hundreds of innocent women.
He becomes the third person to be transferred to Rwanda from the ICTR, after Jean Uwinkindi, whose trial concluded last year with a life sentence against him. Another is Bernard Munyagishari, whose trial is currently ongoing.
These were part of the 800,000 ethnic Tutsis who were killed in a 100-days rampage of murder by the Hutu clandestine group in 1994. Ntaganzwa was one of the scores of other fugitives wanted for allegedly organizing the mass killing.
There was “jubilation and tears” in Kigali when the plane carrying Ntaganzwa touched Rwandan soil. Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye told the press in Kigali that the extradition was “long overdue” and a good step towards achieving justice.
Ntaganzwa will be tried under the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) that replaced the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which was based in Arusha, Tanzania.
The United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals was established in 2010 to oversee prosecutions of Rwandan genocide suspects.
Ntaganzwa was a former Mayor of Butare, a southern Province in Rwanda. He is remembered for his role in establishing and training of the Interahamwe militia that orchestrated the 1994 Rwandan genocide.