Rwanda has urged the United Nations to proceed with transferring the archives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to Kigali, saying no outstanding technical or financial issues justify further delays. Speaking at a UN General Assembly debate on the tribunal’s work on Tuesday, October 21, Ambassador Martin Ngoga, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said the country has invested in archival infrastructure, developed expertise in digitisation and preservation, and put in place legal and security safeguards to host the records while they remain under UN authority. ALSO READ: Rwanda renews appeal to UN for return of ICTR archives to Kigali “We believe the essential questions of capacity, feasibility and financing have been addressed. What remains is a decision,” he said. He noted that Rwanda was prepared to meet the costs of transferring, preserving, digitising and managing the archives, removing the need for additional financial contributions from UN member states. The records contain testimonies from survivors and other witnesses, evidence presented during trials and judicial decisions relating to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. They are currently held in Arusha, Tanzania, under the custody of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). Rwanda has for years pushed for the archives to be relocated to Kigali, arguing that the country where the genocide was committed is the most appropriate place to preserve its judicial record. “Our position has been clear and consistent: the ICTR archives should be hosted in Rwanda,” Ngoga said. ALSO READ: UN should transfer ICTR archives to their natural home; Rwanda He stressed that Rwanda was not seeking to take ownership of the archives from the UN, but to host them under arrangements that preserve the organisation’s legal authority and ensure continued access for authorised users. “We fully recognise that these archives are, and must remain, United Nations property,” he said. “Our request is to host them under arrangements preserving United Nations legal authority, professional archival standards, confidentiality, witness protection and appropriate international access.” Ngoga said the decision on where to keep the records should be guided by their historical significance and accessibility to the people whose experiences they document. “Their permanent location should therefore be determined not by administrative convenience, but by historical relevance, accessibility and proximity to the people whose lives and history they record,” he said. Rwanda wants decision as UN negotiates closure The renewed appeal comes as the Security Council negotiates a resolution with implications for the IRMCT’s future, its remaining functions and the preservation of its legacy. ALSO READ: Rwanda steps up bid for ICTR archives Ngoga said the decisions should go beyond administrative and budgetary considerations, warning that the closure of the mechanism must not compromise the interests of victims and survivors. “The decisions being considered are therefore not simply administrative or budgetary. They concern the responsibilities that will remain when the institution has completed its work,” he said. He urged the Security Council to consider the views of Rwanda and survivors as it makes decisions, noting that countries directly affected by the outcome may not be represented on the council. “The countries most directly concerned may not be represented in the security council when these decisions are taken. But their absence from the council’s membership must never mean the absence of their voices from its decisions,” Ngoga said. For survivors and their families, he argued, transferring the archives would bring an essential part of their history closer to the communities whose testimonies and suffering are documented in the records. “For survivors and their families, bringing the archives to Rwanda would mean more than transferring documents. It would bring an essential part of their history closer to the communities whose testimony and suffering are recorded within them, and to the memorials where we honour those who perished,” he said. Rwanda maintains that the archives are important for remembrance, education, research and future prosecutions. Ngoga also warned that genocide denial and distortion continue to harm survivors and undermine reconciliation. He called for the judicial record to remain accessible for legitimate judicial, educational and research purposes, subject to safeguards. ALSO READ: Rwanda will never relent on demands for archives – Govt The ICTR was established by the UN Security Council in November 1994 to prosecute those responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda in 1994. It closed in December 2015, with its remaining functions transferred to the IRMCT, which also handles residual matters from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. More than 1,000 genocide suspects remain at large Beyond the archives, Rwanda called for continued international cooperation to bring genocide suspects to justice, warning that the mechanism’s closure must not weaken accountability efforts. Ngoga said more than 1,000 individuals suspected of participating in the Genocide against the Tutsi remain at large. “For survivors whose families have waited more than three decades, the passage of time is not an answer,” he said. “Witnesses are ageing, evidence is becoming harder to secure, and some survivors are dying without seeing justice done.” ALSO READ: Who are the genocide fugitives still roaming freely in UK? Rwanda urged countries with outstanding indictments and extradition requests to act and cooperate with its judicial authorities. Ngoga also called for arrangements to preserve the expertise and resources needed to support investigations and prosecutions after the mechanism completes its work. “The closure of an institution must never become an opportunity for fugitives to escape accountability,” he said. Rwanda further reiterated its readiness to receive convicted persons to serve the remainder of their sentences, subject to applicable legal frameworks and international safeguards. ALSO READ: After Kabuga’s arrest, which other Genocide fugitives are roaming freely in France? Ngoga said Rwanda was prepared to ensure humane detention conditions, independent monitoring and respect for the rights of convicted persons. “This offer, together with our proposal to host the archives, reflects our willingness to assume practical responsibilities as the mechanism completes its work,” he said.
