Fugitive Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, accused of crimes against humanity

Kigali: He fled Rwanda for safety but it looks likes fugitive Lt. Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was heading for more trouble. A Spanish judge who indicted him along with 40 others has written to the South African government to arrest him, RNA reports.

Judge Fernando Andreu on Thursday last week (March 11) wrote to Interpol informing them of the presence of the ex-army chief in South Africa, who is also, wanted in Rwanda on state terrorism charges.

Spanish daily El Pais reported that in the letter, Judge Fernando writes that Gen. Kayumba �ordered and supervised� the killing of Spanish missionary Joaquim Vallmaj� in 1994 and members of medical charity M�decins du Monde including Flors Sirera, Manuel Madrazo and Luis Valtue�a � all allegedly killed in 1997.

The Spanish nationals were allegedly killed in Northern Rwanda and eastern DR Congo. At the time, Kayumba, a Colonel, was heading the Northern Province � also battling the ex-Rwandan army which was attacking from DRC.

The contested indictment was adopted in February 2008 targeting Gen. Nyamwasa and 39 top officers. President Kagame is subject to the indictment but cannot be arrested owing to presidential immunity.

Judge Andreu claims that Gen. Nyamwasa �kidnapped and assassinated� missionary Joaquim Vallmaj�. The Spanish missionary was supposedly killed on April 26, 1994. Indicative of how in control Gen. Nyamwasa was of his forces, he allegedly demanded for a report on the assassination.

Basing his indictment on testimony from former guerrillas, Judge Andreu says missionary Vallmaj� was killed with machetes to avoid the �wastage of bullets�, and later incinerated.

Gen. Nyamwasa, according to Judge Andreu, �decided, ordered and supervised� the murder of three Spanish humanitarian workers in January 1997 in Ruhengeri � now part of the Northern Province.

The judge also alleges that Gen. Nyamwasa planned and executed the massacres of Rwandan refugees between 1992 and 1996. This essentially means the crimes go back even before the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) took over Rwanda.

Gen. Nyamwasa was until recently Rwanda�s envoy to India. He fled the country after supposedly being interrogated about links to a series of grenade blasts which have rocked the country. He has however dismissed this version of events, saying instead that he was summoned by senior RPF party and government officials.

Meanwhile, Kigali has asked South Africa to arrest the renegade officer. Government is said to be currently �negotiating� with South African authorities to arrest and extradite Gen. Nyamwasa.

�Although we do not have an extradition treaty with South Africa, they have agreed to cooperate with us to arrest him,� said Maj Gen. Frank Mugambage, Rwanda�s envoy in Uganda � where Gen. Kayumba passed.

�In fact we have also alerted Interpol to arrest him whenever he is sighted and we hope very soon we shall catch up with him.�

Mr Mugambage told Daily Monitor that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees has declared that by next year, all Rwandan refugees in Uganda and other countries will be returned home saying Rwanda is now safe.

ARI-RNA