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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

RWANDA: Kagame welcomes return of Hutu rebel

KIGALI, 18 November 2003 (IRIN) - The return on Saturday of Rwandan Hutu rebels from the Democratic Republic of the Congo would help speed up the repatriation of more rebels remaining in the jungles of the vast central African nation, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Tuesday.

"We are going to treat them in a manner that will encourage others to come," Kagame said after a meeting with the US ambassador at large for war crimes, Pierre Richard Prosper, in the capital, Kigali.

Kagame said the government would explore ways of integrating the rebels into Rwandan society. "The fact that they made this decision is important and sets an example for others to follow," he told reporters.

Rebel commander Paul Rwarakabije, who was with 103 fighters, surrendered on Saturday to the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan government when he arrived from the Congo.

Rwarakabije's movement, the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, has been based in eastern Congo for nine years. It was established following the flight of Hutu extremists to the Congo after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Prosper, who is on a Great Lakes visit to revive the US government's "rewards for justice" initiative, welcomed Rwarakabije's return.

"The timing is good and the surrender is something that we hope sends a signal to people out there that they should re-evaluate their future to either voluntarily return or be arrested," Prosper said.

During his visit, Prosper will attempt to put more pressure on governments in the region to expedite the process of tracking down fugitives responsible for Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

"We are approaching the 10-year mark [since the genocide], time has come for these people to be brought to justice," Prosper said. "We are going to continue to be more aggressive and send out a strong message that time has come for these people to be brought to justice."

He said that since the US government initiated the "rewards for justice" programme, four key alleged perpetrators of the genocide had been arrested and trial proceedings initiated.

Regarding the alleged mastermind of the genocide, businessman Felicien Kabuga who is still at large, Prosper said, "The Kenyan officials need to understand that if Kabuga is on their soil, then they have to find him."

Theme(s): (IRIN) Human Rights

[ENDS]

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