Rwandan genocide suspect arrested in S.Africa, to face extradition hearing

A Rwandan man accused of ordering the killing of some 2,000 Tutsis who were seeking refuge in a church during the 1994 genocide has been arrested in South Africa, a UN war crimes tribunal and South African police said on Thursday.

Former police officer Fulgence Kayishema had been on the run since 2001, when the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) indicted him for genocide over his role in the destruction of the Nyange Catholic Church in Kibuye Prefecture.

“His arrest ensures that he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes,” said Serge Brammertz, prosecutor at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), which has replaced the ICTR since it wound up in 2008.

An elite South African police unit known as the Hawks said its officers had arrested Kayishema, who was living under the false name Donatien Nibashumba, at a grape farm in Paarl, in Western Cape province, on Wednesday.

Kayishema will stay in custody and appear in Bellville Magistrate’s court on Friday, pending his extradition to Rwanda, the unit said in a statement.

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Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the arrest sent a powerful message to those who commit crimes like Kayishema’s.

“Ending impunity is essential for peace, security and justice,” he said in a statement.

In her first comment on the arrest, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo tweeted: “Finally.”

An estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and Hutu moderates were killed during Rwanda’s genocide, orchestrated by an extremist Hutu regime and meticulously executed by local officials and ordinary citizens in the rigidly hierarchical society.

“Seeing these people arrested brings healing to the survivors,” said Naphtal Ahishakiye, executive secretary of Ibuka, an umbrella group representing survivors.

Kayishema has been on the U.S. State Department’s wanted list under the Rewards for Justice Programme, with a $5 million reward offered for his arrest.

Brammertz said the investigation that led to his arrest spanned multiple countries in Africa and beyond, and was made possible through the support of South African authorities.

In May 2020, another mastermind of the genocide, Felicien Kabuga, was arrested in France after 26 years on the run.

Kayishema’s arrest means there are now only three fugitives indicted by the international tribunal whose whereabouts remain unknown, though Makolo said Rwanda considers that a greater number of suspects have yet to be caught.

“Nearly 30 years later, we have a long list of Rwandan genocide fugitives still at large in several countries around the world,” she told Reuters.

“We will continue to work with partner states and institutions to ensure that they are held to account.” (Reuters/NAN)

Tony Mwaba Kazadi, the Minister of Education for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is alleged to have impregnated his Deputy Minister, Aminata Namasia.

In his defense, Kazadi claims that the pregnancy was accidental.

According to The Heritage Times, the two ministers are both married and are said to have been involved in an extramarital affair with each other.

The affair was brought to light by a DRC journalist named Lungila John, who shared the details on Twitter. The revelation of the affair and the pregnancy has sparked a scandal in the DRC and quickly spread across social media, going viral.

However, earlier this month, Namasia dismissed the allegations.

“Beyond my official and public duties, I have a personal life that deserves respect from everyone. It is a right guaranteed to all Congolese citizens by our Constitution. Tarnishing my reputation should not be tolerated. In fact, it could not only harm my own commitments but also the reputation of my married male colleagues and their families,” Namasia was quoted as saying by Fox Times.

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“As we approach the upcoming elections scheduled for December this year, political critics are welcome to challenge my political opinions and actions instead of resorting to tactics that aim to defame me.”

It is unclear what the future holds for Kazadi and Namasia. Both politicians haven’t commented on the recent allegations. The DRC government has not yet commented on the situation, and it is possible that both ministers could be fired.

Background

Sama Lukonde, the DRC Prime Minister, appointed Namasia as education minister on April 12, 2021. She joined Tony Mwaba Kazadi who was appointed two months earlier, in February.

Namasia is a lawyer by training, and she has worked in the education sector for many years. She is a member of the DRC’s ruling party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD).

At 25, Namisa was the youngest member elected to parliament. She was appointed as a Deputy Minister at the age of 28 in 2021. She is 30.

Kazadi is a businessman and politician. He is also a member of the PPRD. He has served in various government positions, including Minister of State for Planning and Development.

The DRC is a country in Central Africa. It is the second-largest country in Africa by area, and it has a population of over 80 million people.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is scheduled to hold elections in December of this year. In the previous elections held in December 2018, the incumbent, Félix Tshisekedi, emerged as the winner with a total of 7 million votes, which accounted for 38 percent of the overall vote.

He secured victory over his opponents Martin Fayulu and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who respectively received 6.4 million and 4.4 million votes.

A total of 38.5 million people registered to vote; however, only 13.3 million individuals actually participated in the voting process. While the elections are set to take place on December 20, 2023, the presidential swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for January 20, 2024.

Tunisia president pledges safety for Jewish citizens after synagogue attack

Tunisian president Kais Saied pledged on Wednesday to guarantee the safety of Jewish citizens and their temples, after meeting the country’s chief rabbi in the wake of a deadly attack at a synagogue.
Last Tuesday a National Guardsman killed two Jewish visitors and two policemen at the synagogue on Djerba island – Africa’s oldest – before being shot dead. He had earlier killed a colleague at a naval installation.
Saied last week blamed the attack on “criminals” seeking to harm the tourism sector.
On Wednesday he met with Tunisia’s chief rabbi, chief Christian archbishop and Muslim mufti, saying that receiving clerics sent a “historical message” of coexistence and tolerance.

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“We will provide you security in your temples. Live in peace and security, and we will provide you with all security conditions,” Saied said in a broadcast of part of the meeting.
The Jewish victims of the attack, which occurred during an annual festival, were two cousins, one French-Tunisian and the other Israeli-Tunisian.
“The president gave us guarantees that what happened recently would not happen again”, Chief Rabbi Haïm Bittan said.
Saied did not describe the shooting as terrorism, a term he has sometimes used to label interventions by his political opponents since he extended his powers in 2021.
Mainly Muslim Tunisia is home to one of North Africa’s largest Jewish communities with about 1,800 members.
The pilgrimage to the Djerba festival regularly draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel and has operated under tight security since al Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists.

Tunisia president pledges safety for Jewish citizens after synagogue attack