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Having spent over 17 years serving the D.R. Congo based Rwandan Hutu rebel group- Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, Jean Batiste Barangariye a.k.a Major Mongo Smith has voluntarily surrendered and returned home.

Major Mongo Smith, a top commander of FDLR on Thursday 19, said that he has been working as the operations commander and urged other rebels languishing in Congolese jungles to follow suit and surrender.

 “I appeal to the rest of my colleagues to also come back home because the rebel group is no longer all that powerful and it will never win the battle,” he said, adding that FDRL was no longer powerful.

 He said that though it was not as simple, he made a decision to return to his homeland since time had reached for him to come and take part in the development his nation other than destroy the nation’s stability.

He disclosed that his operations were based in Walikare zone of Intoto in the D.R.C.

 Barandangariye joined the rebel group in 1998 from Congo Brazzaville where he was previously stationed since 1994. He is presently residing in Gisenyi in the Western Province.

The Gacaca grassroots courts will wrap up operations in December, justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama said Friday.

“A final report will be completed by December and this chapter of Gacaca will be officially declared closed,” Karugarama said in a statement.

The Gacaca court is part of a system of community justice inspired by tradition and established in 2001|2001 in Rwanda|Rwanda, in the wake of the 1994|1994 Genocide|Rwandan Genocide, against the Tutsi claimed over 1 million lives. The Gacaca courts are a method of transitional justice|Transitional justice, designed to promote healing and moving on from the crisis.

“Through Gacaca we have been able to judge and resolve up to 1.4 million dossiers,” the minister said — “a great achievement that would have been impossible otherwise.”

“There have been prison sentences ranging from five to ten years, life sentences that make up five to eight percent of the verdicts and acquittals that make up 20 to 30 percent,” said Karugarama.

The Gacaca, which started functioning in 2005, were initially due to wind down by the end of 2007, but the date has been postponed several times due to the complexity of some of the cases before them.

According to the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdiction, a body that coordinates the grassroots courts’ activities, the 97 remaining cases will be closed by July.

The courts have the jurisdiction to try those who took part in the killings, but not those suspected of planning the genocide on a national or regional level.

“All in all we are happy that we have a unique system that caters to our people needs, it may not be perfect for other nations but it serves us very well,” said Karugarama.

After the Genocide, the new Rwandan Patriotic Front|Rwandan Patriotic Front’s government struggled with developing just means for the humane detention|Detention (Imprisonment) and prosecution|Prosecution of the more than 100,000 people accused of genocide|Genocide, war crimes|War crimes, and related crimes against humanity|Crimes against humanity. By 2000|2000, approximately 120,000 alleged genocidaires were crammed into Rwanda’s prisons and communal jails. From December 1996|1996 to December 2006|2006, the courts managed to try about 10,000 suspects at that rate it would take another 110 years to prosecute all the prisoners.

To speed things up, some prisoners were released : In two rounds, in 2004|2004 and 2005|2005, about 50 prisoners were released. In January, 2007, another 8,000 prisoners were scheduled for release.

However, the courts needed a more expeditious means of delivering justice. In response, Rwanda implemented the Gacaca court|Court system, which has evolved from traditional cultural communal law enforcement procedures. Rwanda has especially focused on criminal prosecutions in the Gacaca courts, putting justice partially into the hands of the victims.

The Gacaca courts are meant to provide smaller courts to relieve the burden of the larger courts. Criminals are charged with acts against humanity, such as murder and serious assault. These courts are not allowed to try accused rapists, however.[8] The idea is to let the village courts resolve these issues and hopefully provide some reconciliation. The trials are meant to promote reconciliation and justice. The defendant is accused and brought to trial. The trial is held in public, where survivors and the victims’ families can confront the accused. The accused confess to their crimes or maintain their innocence. The villagers can either speak for or against the defendant.

The United States said Thursday the genocide conviction and sentence of ex-Rwandan army chief Augustin Bizimungu shows that even top military officers are not immune from prosecution.

The four sentenced are Bizimungu, Augustin Ndindiliyimana, a former Rwandan General Francois Xavier Nzuwonemeye, and Innocent Sagahutu.

Bizimungu was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment. A general of the Rwandan Armed forces, he held the post of Lieutenant colonel before being promoted to Major General subsequently after the death of the late President Juvenal Habyarimana. 

“The United States welcomes the ruling as an important step in providing justice and accountability for the Rwandan people and the international community,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a press release.

“The conviction of Mr. Bizimungu, in particular, shows that even those at the highest levels of military leadership are not immune from prosecution in the face of such grave atrocities,” it said.

“There are still 10 ICTR fugitives at-large and the United States urges all countries to continue their cooperation with the ICTR so that these fugitives can be expeditiously arrested and brought to justice,” the statement said.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda based in Arusha was established in late 1994 to try the Hutu perpetrators of Rwanda’s genocide which claimed some 800,000 lives, mainly minority Tutsis, in a span of 100 days.

During the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, Augustin Ndindiliyimana held the position of Chief of Staff of the Gendarmerie Nationale. Ndindiliyimana is alleged to have conspired with his co-accused (Francois Xavier Nzuwonemeye Innocent Sagahutu, Augustin Bizimungu) in the plan to exterminate Tutsis in Rwanda.

He is also accused for his responsibility for the atrocities committed by forces under his control, including the deaths of ten Belgian peacekeepers in April 1994 which sparked the withdrawal of all Belgian troops from the UN mission in Rwanda. However, ICTR on Tuesday ordered his immediate release, after finding his justifying factors reasonable. Ndindiliyimana,later on expressed his happiness for being released after remaining in detention for 11 years. 

Nzuwonemeye, a member the Rwandan Armed Forces in 1994, held the rank of major. In 1993, he was commander of a battalion in the FAR ; he was subsequently promoted to commander of the Reconnaissance Battalion.

The ICTR indictment alleges that between 1990 and 1994, Nzuwonemeye and other officers conspired to exterminate the Tutsi civilians and political opponents, and helped to train interahamwe and militia groups who committed the genocide

After Habyarimana’s death and the start of the genocide, members of the Reconnaissance Battalion commanded by Nzuwonemeye’s subordinate, Innocent Sagahutu “tracked down, arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed” Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. They also took into custody ten Belgian peacekeepers from UNAMIR who had been guarding her house, who were later killed.

Sagahutu a member of the Rwandan Armed forces, in 1994 held the rank of captain. He was second-in-command of the Reconnaissance Battalion (RECCE), serving under battalion commander Major François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye.

According to the indictment, between 1990 and 1994, Sagahutu and other officers conspired to exterminate Tutsi civilians. They distributed weapons and prepared lists of people to be eliminated. 

The indictment accused Sagahutu and the four other defendants of conspiring to perpetrate genocide, mass rape, sexual assault, and murder of giving the orders that led to these crimes and of doing nothing to stop the crimes when they took place.

Sagahutu , after fleeing the country after the RPF victory, was arrested on February 15, 2000. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Youth drawn from a number of African countries including Rwanda yesterday interviewed President Paul Kagame courtesy of the MTV Base’s “MTV Base Meets…with MTN” programme at Village Urugwiro.

The President responded to questions from a diverse panel of African youth from Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and South Africa.

Khaled Mikkawi, the CEO MTN Rwanda described the initiative as a great way to reach out, inspire and connect with the youth across the continent.

“We are extremely honoured to have President Paul Kagame involved in MTV Base Meets…with MTN,” Mikkawi pointed out.

Interview recordings of the MTV base meets…With MTN with the President Kagame will be aired across Africa from 18 July this year as part of an eight-series show.

 Recordings will be aired on MTV base (DStv Channel 322), and on terrestrial, DTT and CATV channels including STV (Nigeria), HiTV (Nigeria), WBS (Uganda), NTV (Kenya), Canal2 (Cameroon), Muvi TV (Zambia), Zuku (Kenya), ZAP (Angola), Smart TV (Kenya) and Star Times (Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi).

MTV Base Meets…With MTN is a joint initiative between MTV Networks Africa and MTN Group. It is designed to inspire African youth by connecting them with some of the world’s most influential personalities.

It is intended to provide greater understanding between the African youth and the political, business and cultural leaders who shape today’s world.

Other eminent personalities to feature in the series later include Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first and only elected female head of state and Julius Malema, the President of the ANC Youth League.

The show has also featured other prominent personalities including Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Morgan Tsvangirai and Wyclef Jean.

African youth are encouraged to nominate shakers and movers in society and submit their proposed questions for the programme via a dedicated MTV base Meets…with MTN website or via their mobile handset.

To register go to www.mtvmeets.com or http://mtvmeets.mobi or follow the campaign on Twitter at #MTVMeets@MTVbaseAfrica.