The Minister of foreign affairs Louise Mushikiwabo has revealed that Rwandan government is willing to extraditing Congolese warlord Gen. Laurent Nkunda provided his home country assures her government it will not convict him to death penalty.
“We are talking to the Congolese authorities with regard to his extradition, but it is difficult,” Mushikiwabo told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of a state visit by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
She further insisted. “It’s difficult for us to extradite a person to a country that has not abolished the death penalty even with certain guarantees.”
Gen. Nkunda, a former leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a rebel force that repeatedly routed Democratic Republic of Congo’s army, has been held under house arrest in Rwanda since 2009.
Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama said that Nkunda’s position as a soldier with supporters and his own military force meant that his case could not be treated like everybody else.
“It’s a delicate issue not just about extradition, but generally legal and political aspects and the stability of the region,” he said adding: “It’s difficult for Rwanda and Congo and we hope that soon there will be a lasting solution.”
His arrest is believed to be part of Rwanda and DRC’s military joint effort meant to halt activities of active rebel forces in their borders.
So far, the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has not indicted Nkunda, but has opened investigations into accusations against him and the U.N. has accused his CNDP of serious human rights abuses, including sexual violence and recruitment of child soldiers during his five-year rebellion in eastern Congo.
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