Three Rwandan men are in custody in Belgium after they were separately apprehended last week in different towns of the European country. Their arrest comes years after Rwanda, through the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) issued indictments against the trio, pinning them on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The three are; Pierre Basabose, Séraphin Twahirwa and Christophe Ndangali. Though it is not clear if Belgian authorities will be sending the three to Rwanda to face charges, Belgium has previously tried fugitives arrested there. Just last year, 71-year old Fabien Neretse, another mastermind of the Genocide, was tried in Belgian courts and sentenced to 25 years. Before him, others including two Catholic nuns were tried and convicted. It may not be at the pace that Rwandans, especially survivors of the Genocide wish for, but this still is a positive step on the part of Belgium, in ensuring that crimes against humanity do not go unpunished. However, there is so much that needs to be done to ensure every one of those who masterminded the Genocide are brought to book. It is not only genocide perpetrators that have found a safe haven in Belgium, where they continue their activities aimed at completing the work they left unfinished 26 years ago. Even more worrying is that the same ideology continues to be passed on, generation after generation. Over the past few years, a group that consists mainly of descendants of architects of the Genocide against the Tutsi has been taking root in Europe and mainly anchored in Belgium. This group, whose members are carefully selected, has joined forces through an organization called Jambo ASBL, which in so many ways is an extension of Hutu Power, the virulent ideology behind the Genocide against the Tutsi. Members of this group are children and grandchildren of key masterminds of the Genocide and their raison d’etre is none other than furthering the campaign to exterminate Tutsi. Most recently, one of Jambo ASBL members, genocide denier in the Group of Experts to assist the Parliamentary Commission on Belgium’s colonial past. The organization has for years now been used as a platform to deny the Genocide against the Tutsi, despite a law that was passed by Belgian parliament, criminalizing the denial or trivializing this Genocide. So, while Rwandans welcome the arrest of these three men who played a significant role in the Genocide, they continue to urge Belgium to rein in these extremist ideologues.
