KIGALI - A top UN official has welcomed the trial, of two leaders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia that kicked off Wednesday in a German court.

According to the UN News Centre, Margot Wallström, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, issued a statement, applauding German authorities for "having apprehended these alleged perpetrators and for bringing them to justice.”

Wallström said the trial is "a clear sign that there is no safe haven for suspected criminals and that impunity for conflict-related sexual violence is not an option.”

FDLR president Ignace Murwanashyaka and Straton Musoni, his deputy, have been in pre-trial detention since their arrest in 2009. They are accused of masterminding atrocities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

They face 65 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Wallström said her office would continue to monitor the trial and all incidents of conflict-related sexual violence closely.
Press reports from Germany said the trial would go on for 27 days after which the Jury would give its verdict.

In June 2002, Germany introduced a new International Penal Code to deal with the crime of Genocide and other crimes against humanity and terrorism committed outside Germany.

German prosecutors say that as leaders of FDLR, the two accused are responsible for the crimes committed by the group.

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