Hunt for Genocide suspects will not stop – Simburudari

THEODORE Simburudari, the president of IBUKA, the umbrella organization of Genocide survivors associations, has said that the hunt for Genocide suspects hiding in various countries across the world will continue for generations to come. While appearing on Rwanda Television, Simburudari noted that pursuing of genocidaires should not be perceived only in the context of the few coming years. “The youth of Rwanda should know that they will follow it up,” Simburudari said. He was appearing on a programme that focused on the trials of ‘genocidaires’, especially the case in which relatives of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi sued the Belgian government for having withdrawn its peacekeeping troops from Rwanda at the height of the Genocide. Simburudari noted that relatives of the survivors of the Jewish holocaust, now dubbed Nazi-hunters, have not given respite to those who perpetrated the Holocaust. The number of the perpetrators of the Jewish Holocaust has been reduced, since many have died with the passing of time. Those still living are in their late 80s and 90s. “Today, there are over 60 years since genocide was committed against the Jews but the great grand children of those who were killed – are still pursuing the genocidaires. There are some being caught nowadays while in their 90s, and moving in wheelchairs”. “We must gather the evidence and the history gather and document information on genocidaires wherever they are, whether they are tried tomorrow or later – but the country must have a role in it.” In 1994, over 2,000 Tutsi refugees who had sought refuge at ETO Kicukiro under the protection of the Belgian troops there were massacred by Interahamwe militia after the troops withdrew. Simburudari vowed that IBUKA will continuously support the families of survivors of the Kicukiro massacre who filed a lawsuit against the Belgian government, in Brussels. He stressed that genocide is a crime against humanity, thus the international community’s responsibility to help apprehend all perpetrators. He noted that IBUKA will continue researching and providing information on the whereabouts of genocide suspects who are in hiding all over the world. Ends

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Hunt for Genocide suspects will not stop – Simburudari