In Kigali, the Residual Mechanism in charge of the remaining files of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda announced the closure of its local office for August 31. Thirty years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, a page is turning for the United Nations body.
2 mins
with our correspondent in Kigali, Lucie Mouillaud
According to the Registrar of the Mechanism, Abubacarr Tambadouthe decision to close the Kigali office was taken after the indefinite suspension of the trial of Félicien Kabuga for health reasons last August.
Read alsoGenocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda: the inability of Félicien Kabuga to be tried “is a failure in terms of justice”
“ We are changing our approach due to the reality of our situation, that is, we no longer have ongoing investigations or a trial as such at the Mechanism, and therefore we can no longer justify maintaining in operation of a local office, and the Kigali office closes “, declares Abubacarr Tambadou.
Félicien Kabuga was the last case to be tried by the Mechanism. The three remaining files, Fulgence Kayishemaarrested last year in South Africa, Charles Sikubwabo and Charles Ryandikayoboth fugitives still sought by investigators, must be handed over to Rwandan justice.
“ The Mechanism Prosecutor’s Office will retain a limited number of staff in Rwanda to continue their collaboration and cooperation with the Rwandan authorities, and the provision of assistance in the search for fugitives who are to be tried here in Rwanda. »
Other operations in Rwanda will continue to be carried out by the mechanism’s headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, in particular the witness protection services.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda created in 1994 after the Rwandan genocide formally closed its doors in December 2015. The ICTR then transmitted its latest cases to the Residual Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, which monitors the cases.