Rwanda in Brief

RWANDA UN ROW

Relationship between Rwanda and the United Nations Tribunal (ICTR) is in the doldrums again after the appeals chamber based in the Netherlands decided to set free one of the leading suspects of genocide.

Jean Bosco Barayagwiza has been in custody for the past three years and the judges said he had never been informed of the charges brought against him. He said his rights, laid down by the court under international conventions had been violated.

The Rwandan Government swiftly condemned the move, saying the reasons given for Barayagwiza's release could be used by other suspects. Rwanda said that it has suspended its cooperation with the ICTR. Officials said they would not meet the new chief prosecutor of the ICTR, Carla del Ponte, who announced her intention to visit Rwanda to try to win back its support.

The Rwandan Government says that Barayagwiza "is not a common criminal. He is one of the intellectual architects of a planned campaign of genocide." The chief prosecutor of Rwanda Gerald Gahima said, it was unacceptable that Barayagwiza will be released and never be re-arrested.

Thousands of angry genocide survivors demonstrated in Kigali in mid November protesting against the release of Barayagwiza. They blocked the main gates of ICTR's office in Kigali. The Secretary General of the Survivors Organisation-IBUKA- Anastase Murumba shouted at the demonstration, "Tutsis and Hutus alike know that Barayagwiza is a killer."

Barayagwiza who was a director in the ministry of foreign affairs in Habyarimana's government was among the committee members of the notorious Radio Milles Collines which incited the massacres. He was also one of the leading figures of the extremists party Coalition for the Defence of the Republic-CDR- which was against the Arusha peace accord and spearheaded the massacres.

The appellant judges ordered the ICTR to hand him back to Cameroon where he was arrested. His repatriation was delayed after he had asked the court to allow him to go to the country of his choice although later he withdrew his request. Meanwhile the Rwanda government has issued an international arrest warrant against him. It has also requested Tanzania, where the ICTR is based, to extradite him to Rwanda.

BUDGET

Finance minister Donald Kaberuka has announced a budget for the year 2000. The budget totalling 169 billion Rwandan Francs (545 million dollars), provides a 62 million franc reduction in defence spending.

He said the government w ill allocate 3.2 percent of the gross domestic product for defence. Up to 30 per cent of the budget will depend on foreign donors. Rwanda's exports of 65 million dollars remain about one third of imports at 300 million dollars.

About 60 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. To reduce the government expenditure the minister announced that the number of ministries would be reduced and foreign embassies will be cut by half. Government houses will be sold and value added tax will be introduced. About 32 million dollars have already been pledged for the next year's budget.

FAMINE

The Rwanda government has said the country faced a 158,000 mt cereal deficit and required 10 million dollars to provide emergency assistance to some 78,912 families for at least six months.

The prime minister P.Rwigema said families in five prefectures-Umutara, Gitarama, Kigali-rural, Kibungo and Butare were devastated by food shortages.

He explained that the causes of such food shortages is the increment in population which is nearly eight million now, climate changes, lack of inter regional trade due to security reasons and lack of cash to buy food from neighbouring countries.

Unconfirmed reports said that at least 14 people have already died of hunger.

TANZANIA ARREST

Authorities in Tanzania-acting on a warrant from the International Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) have arrested a genocide suspect, Mikaeli Muhimana. Reports from Dar es Salaam said that Muhimana was a councillor in Gishyita commune, Kibuye prefecture.

He is wanted by the ICTR for charges of conspiring to kill Tutsis in Kibuye and to have participated in attacks on Bisesero hill where thousands of Tutsis sought refuge during the 1994 genocide. He has been transferred to the ICTR detention centre.

RWANDA BRITAIN SUSPECT

The British daily THE TIMES has brought to light reports about a genocide suspect who has been given refuge in England.

In a long report, the TIMES said that Colonel Tharcise Muvunyi was the commander of Butare and Gikongoro prefectures where over 100,000 people were killed during the 1994 genocide.

The British Foreign Office says that it knows about the presence of Muvunyi in London but the British government has no extradition treaty with Rwanda. Colonel Muvunyi refused to talk to the press.

Meanwhile the SUNDAY TIMES has published a long investigative report on a Roman Catholic priest who is in hiding in Italy. It said Father Athanase Seromba is now a deputy priest in a parish in Florence where he regularly celebrates mass and hears confession under the name of Anastasio Sumba Bura.

However in interview with Reuters, the priest denied the accusation of responsibility for the killing of about two thousand people who were bulldozed in Nyange church which was under him.