Rwanda ambassador to Zimbabwe, James Musoni, has hailed Zimbabwe for signing an extradition treaty with Rwanda which will enable the extradition of any person who is wanted for prosecution.
Under the treaty, any fugitives that could be hiding in Zimbabwe will be extradited to face justice in Rwanda.
He said this as Rwandans and friends of Rwanda met in Harare to mark the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Rwanda and Zimbabwe signed the extradition treaty in 2022 as part of efforts to account for individuals who participated in the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 in which more than one million people were killed in cold blood.
Musoni said Rwanda is expecting the ratification of the treaty to be concluded soon.
The ambassador said this during 30th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi (Kwibuka30) held in Harare, Zimbabwe on Thursday, April 11, 2024.
"Let me take this opportunity to thank the Government of Zimbabwe for signing an extradition treaty with Rwanda aimed at extraditing to the other, upon request, any person who is wanted for prosecution of an extraditable offence,” Musoni said, adding "We expect its ratification to be concluded soon.”
Musoni urged countries across the world to enact laws that facilitates the arrest of genocide fugitives who are still roaming in different parts of the world.
"We call upon your advocacy to enact legislations that will facilitate arresting and bringing to justice genocide fugitives residing in your respective countries as adopted by the UN Security Council in its Resolution number 2150 of April 16 2014 asking member states to judge or extradite genocide fugitives on their territories,” Musoni said.
Rwanda, through the National Public Prosecution Authority has sent to different countries including in Africa indictments of wanted people accused of playing a role in the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Musoni urged the international community to consider it as a prime obligation to fight any form of hatred, ethnic division, genocide denial and its ideology to ensure that Never again is meaningful.
"Thirty years later, it is unfortunate to witness the ideology of hatred and divisionism is resurging in the region especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where authorities and public figures openly call for extermination and massacres of Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese of Tutsi affiliation at the silence of the international community,” Musoni said.
Musoni said it is important to note that the current violence in region is a consequence of the genocide government and its forces that crossed the border into the DRC having massacred more than a million Tutsi.
He said these forces then formed armed groups including the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) which is active in the eastern DRC.
Representing Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Acting Chief Director Multilateral Affairs, Pearson Chigiji paid tribute to President Kagame for providing visionary leadership that steered Rwanda towards national healing, reconciliation, peace as well as inclusive and sustainable development.
"Our presence today at the commemoration is not only a demonstration of our solidarity with you and your country, Dear Ambassador, but this is also our way to express our admiration to your country’s visionary leadership under President Paul Kagame, in steering Rwanda towards national healing, reconciliation, peace, as well as inclusive and sustainable development,” Chigiji said.
"It can only take the extraordinary strength and will-power to overcome such profound pain and loss. Let us therefore ensure that the barbaric acts that began on 7 April 1994 are never to be repeated anywhere and at no other time.”
Chigiji said Zimbabwe was satisfied with the level of bilateral cooperation that exists with Rwanda.
"In particular, I wish to note that, in pursuit of deepening that cooperation, several Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding have been signed to promote close cooperation in various economic, social, legal and political areas of mutual interest,” he said.