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Rwanda-Sudan : UN-AU hybrid force to Darfur will be headed by a Rwandan war criminal (14.08.07)

Last week, the UN and the AU endorsed the nomination of Maj. Gen. Karenzi Karake, a notorious Rwandan war criminal, as Deputy Chief Commander of the hybrid UN-AU force to be deployed to Darfur (Sudan).

From 1992 to 1994, Karenzi Karake headed special squads operating in Kigali under the cover of GOMN (“Groupe d’Observateurs Militaires Neutres”). The team had been put in place by OAU, to monitor the implementation of the Cease-fire between the Rwandan governmental army and the then RPF rebel force. One of well documented crimes committed under Karenzi Karake’s direct supervision is the killing of late Emmanuel Gapyisi, leader of the “Forum Paix et Démocratie”, a pressure group opposed to RPF and an Executive Committee member of opposition party, “Mouvement Démocratique Républicain”, MDR. Karenzi Karake is mentioned also by several witnesses as the one who supervised to murder of late Félicien Gatabazi, minister of public works under the transitional government and secretary general of PSD (Parti Social Démocrate), the then second largest opposition political party. Both crimes were committed a few weeks before the fatal shooting down of the presidential jet that triggered the Rwandan genocide on April 6, 1994.

Soon after the RPF take over of power, in July 1994, Karenzi Karake, as Head of Military Intelligence, supervised several extra judiciary executions. One of them is the killing of late Dr Rwangabo Pierre Claver, PSD leader who was the political appointee heading Butare as “Préfet de préfecture” during the first RPF led government. Karenzi Karake directed also the military assault conducted against Kibeho IDP (internally displaced people) camps that killed 8.000 displaced persons on April 22, 1995. Karenzi Karake is cited as the officer who supervised the killing of one Joseph Nsengumuremyi Ntivunwa, with the aim of illegally appropriating the estate of his father, late Ntivunwa Vincent, a businessman of both Kigali and Cyangugu.  Gen. Karenzi Karake's involvement is also cited in the death of Bizimana, Vincent Ntivunwa’s brother who was assassinated in 1995 soon after his return from exile in Kenya.

Karenzi Karake supervised the mass killing of hundreds of thousands Rwandan refugees in former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)  in 1996-1997 as Chief of Operations during the military campaign that aimed at destroying refugee camps. Later, Karenzi Karake was in charge of Gisenyi and Ruhengeri 2^nd Division as Commanding Officer. He was directly responsible of the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the name of combating the insurgents allegedly operating in that area from 1998 to 2000.

All those crimes remain unpunished. The RPF government never conducted any investigation and of course, no trial took place to clarify Karenzi Karake’s role in those crimes. Instead, he was sent to courses in Kenya and South Africa and later appointed Commanding Officer of RDF 4^th Division covering Cyangugu, Gikongoro and Butare (South-West) and President of the Military Court.

Despite the fact that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda based in Arusha (Tanzania) is competent to prosecuted those crimes, attempts to bring to book RPF military leaders like Karenzi Karake suspected of crimes under its mandate are so-far blocked by Kagame’s government and supporters within the UN. His nomination as Deputy Commander of the UN-AU force to be sent to Darfur is an insult to Africa, to Sudan as a State and to the suffering Sudanese as well as to the memory of Rwandan victims of his crimes.

Brussels, August 13, 2007

Dr Jean-Baptiste MBERABAHIZI
UDF Secretary General
 

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