<p>It is unimaginable that a place which witnessed genocide is being considered safe and beautiful. Whatever the reasons, Rwanda with all its history of violence has turned out to be a pretty manicured country.</p>

<p>It took us 5 hours to reach Congo border as cars travelling outside the city could not be driven more than 60 km per hour. It was irritating but surprising that cars have been fitted with GPS system which alerts the authorities when the rule is violated.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STxIpFll7Mg" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>What also stuck my eye was the impressive roads built by the Rwandan government. This is the shape of a country which is not resource rich. It does not produce gold but exports it. The joke is that it all comes from Congo which produces it but cannot export it properly as it gets pilfered away. Another striking detail was the absence of waste and rubbish on the roadside. Mountains looked green and roadsides were clean. I could not spot a plastic on the Rwandan highway.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled%20design-20180203025627.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Rwanda with all its history of violence has turned out to be a pretty manicured country. (WION)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>I was told that plastic has been banned by the Rwandan government. It is not that success in some areas have changed the fundamental structure of society or killed equality in Rwanda. It&rsquo;s just that some good decisions have been made. But in Kigali, the hilltops continue to be occupied by the rich and poor in the valley. So, there are somethings which don&rsquo;t change.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/k2-20180203025937.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Rwanda (WION)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Crossing into Congo was easy but the difference was stark. Suddenly beautiful houses dotting lake Kivu gave away to poor housing areas. The well-maintained infrastructure of the other side gave way to shanty towns. I saw hundreds of young men sitting ideally on the roadsides, a clear sign that jobs are few.</p>

<p>You move out of Goma and you realise that roads are a luxury. Few roads have been built in last three years but vast areas of Congo are unconnected.&nbsp; Taxis run on two-wheelers and their areas where it takes 2 days to cover 250 kilometres. Imagine what UN Peace Keeping Mission have to go through in when they are asked to intervene in an area 150 km away.</p>

<p>The condition of the road is also a good indicator. It tells you which part of the city you are travelling in. Congo continues to suffer from the curse of resource. Despite abundant resources, people have not benefitted.&nbsp; Loyalties are divided on tribal identities and roads are considered dangerous as they can unite people and make a nation out of multiple tribes and may even prevent economic plunder. It is for this reason, roads are non-existent in Congo. Congo and Rwanda are a study in contrast. Rwanda is not perfect. It has its inequality and ugliness but Rwanda also demonstrates resilience and political will to make a comeback. Congo, on the other hand, continues to battle the basics.&nbsp;</p>


It is unimaginable that a place which witnessed genocide is being considered safe and beautiful. Whatever the reasons, Rwanda with all its history of violence has turned out to be a pretty manicured country

It is unimaginable that a place which witnessed genocide is being considered safe and beautiful. Whatever the reasons, Rwanda with all its history of violence has turned out to be a pretty manicured country. It took us 5 hours to reach Congo border as cars travelling outside the city could not be driven more than 60 km per hour. It was irritating but surprising that cars have been fitted with GPS system which alerts the authorities when the rule is violated. × What also stuck my eye was the impressive roads built by the Rwandan government. This is the shape of a country which is not resource rich. It does not produce gold but exports it. The joke is that it all comes from Congo which produces it but cannot export it properly as it gets pilfered away. Another striking detail was the absence of waste and rubbish on the roadside. Mountains looked green and roadsides were clean. I could not spot a plastic on the Rwandan highway. Rwanda with all its history of violence has turned out to be a pretty manicured country. (WION) × I was told that plastic has been banned by the Rwandan government. It is not that success in some areas have changed the fundamental structure of society or killed equality in Rwanda. It’s just that some good decisions have been made. But in Kigali, the hilltops continue to be occupied by the rich and poor in the valley. So, there are somethings which don’t change. Rwanda (WION) × Crossing into Congo was easy but the difference was stark. Suddenly beautiful houses dotting lake Kivu gave away to poor housing areas. The well-maintained infrastructure of the other side gave way to shanty towns. I saw hundreds of young men sitting ideally on the roadsides, a clear sign that jobs are few. You move out of Goma and you realise that roads are a luxury. Few roads have been built in last three years but vast areas of Congo are unconnected. Taxis run on two-wheelers and their areas where it takes 2 days to cover 250 kilometres. Imagine what UN Peace Keeping Mission have to go through in when they are asked to intervene in an area 150 km away. The condition of the road is also a good indicator. It tells you which part of the city you are travelling in. Congo continues to suffer from the curse of resource. Despite abundant resources, people have not benefitted. Loyalties are divided on tribal identities and roads are considered dangerous as they can unite people and make a nation out of multiple tribes and may even prevent economic plunder. It is for this reason, roads are non-existent in Congo. Congo and Rwanda are a study in contrast. Rwanda is not perfect. It has its inequality and ugliness but Rwanda also demonstrates resilience and political will to make a comeback. Congo, on the other hand, continues to battle the basics.

WION in Congo: Goma, where roads are considered dangerous

<p>I got a chance to cover the peacekeeping mission in Congo, and I was excited. But to reach Congo in one piece was a challenge.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Journalists often don&rsquo;t realise how privileged they are by being very close to the seat of power. I was part of the privileged lot when I got the opportunity to travel with former PM Manmohan Singh for the BRICS Summit to South Africa in 2013. It was a straight 10-hour flight from Delhi to Durban.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
But this time, the deal was different.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with different nationalities of Africa</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with different nationalities of Africa" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>This time, we had to stop at four different airports to reach DR Congo&rsquo;s neighbour, Kigali in Rwanda. Congo is still five hours away. But the journey was a revelation to me, especially the way it happened. Often such revelations don&rsquo;t hit you when you travel with a delegation. I could see Indians all around. Some were going to Zambia and some to adjoining region. The person who came to pick me up from Kigali airport belonged to Nagpur.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Himanshu Hoode came to Africa four years back to make money. When I asked him why Rwanda, which was war torn two decades back, he said, &ldquo;It is the safest place today and full of opportunities.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with the different nationalities of Africa. They were not tourists or people resembling faces from TV channels. They were workers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and common people. Within this commonness, I felt extremely elevated. Lastly, Kigali is cold. I felt stupid thinking that I&rsquo;m about to hit equatorial humidity. It is pleasant and there is chill in the air. I already feel welcome.&nbsp;</p>


We had to stop at four different airports just to reach Congo’s neighbour, Kigali in Rwanda

I got a chance to cover the peacekeeping mission in Congo, and I was excited. But to reach Congo in one piece was a challenge. Journalists often don’t realise how privileged they are by being very close to the seat of power. I was part of the privileged lot when I got the opportunity to travel with former PM Manmohan Singh for the BRICS Summit to South Africa in 2013. It was a straight 10-hour flight from Delhi to Durban. But this time, the deal was different. I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with different nationalities of Africa × This time, we had to stop at four different airports to reach DR Congo’s neighbour, Kigali in Rwanda. Congo is still five hours away. But the journey was a revelation to me, especially the way it happened. Often such revelations don’t hit you when you travel with a delegation. I could see Indians all around. Some were going to Zambia and some to adjoining region. The person who came to pick me up from Kigali airport belonged to Nagpur. Himanshu Hoode came to Africa four years back to make money. When I asked him why Rwanda, which was war torn two decades back, he said, “It is the safest place today and full of opportunities.” I could see my subcontinent all around mixing with the different nationalities of Africa. They were not tourists or people resembling faces from TV channels. They were workers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and common people. Within this commonness, I felt extremely elevated. Lastly, Kigali is cold. I felt stupid thinking that I’m about to hit equatorial humidity. It is pleasant and there is chill in the air. I already feel welcome.

En route to Congo, a brief stopover at cold Kigali: A reporter's diary

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It&#39;s been more than 20 years and memories are a little hazy but I still recall flying into Kigali Airport on a special UN-chartered flight that was taking Indian Army peacekeepers to the Central African Republic of Rwanda. This was some months after the genocide. I, along with my cameraman, was on assignment for&nbsp; NDTV&#39;s The World This Week programme.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>Over one week, we travelled the length and breadth of Rwanda usually by helicopter, visiting some of those sites notorious for the massacre of ethnic Tutsis by the majority Hutus. &nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>images flash before me of a woman raped and her skull broken...a baby... the skeletons of so many children</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=images flash before me of a woman raped and her skull broken...a baby... the skeletons of so many children" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Memories of our visit to the Ntarama Church, a couple of hours flying time from the capital Kigali, still remain. As we walked through the grounds, we saw skeletons lying all around, some with scraps of clothing still on them. Till date, images flash before me of a woman raped and her skull broken...a baby... the skeletons of so many children. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Rwandan army officer accompanying us regretted the display but as he explained, &quot;It makes me sick but we cannot afford to forget what happened&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was worse inside the church: Broken pews, shattered skulls, bodies of men women and children on the floor. None was spared and if you were a Hutu supporting the Tutsis, there was no escaping the Hutu Interahamwe militia. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>I met an Indian doing business in Rwanda, operating from what used to be a plush Kigali suburb.&nbsp; He was married to a Tutsi woman. As the madness around him exploded, the businessman had hidden his wife in a specially built loft in his home.&nbsp; It didn&#39;t help. The Hutu mobs descended on his home, found his wife and took her away but spared him. He never saw her again.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The Hutu mobs descended on his home, found his wife and took her away but spared him</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The Hutu mobs descended on his home, found his wife and took her away but spared him" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>A Keralite who served as a manager in a small factory, manufacturing soaps and detergents, brought a different view about the Hutus.&nbsp; Despite the mass killings, he described the Hutus as &quot;a better, more sincere people than Tutsis&quot;.&nbsp; Tutsis, he claimed, had a superiority complex because they were generally better educated, well-represented in government and looked down on Hutus who formed the working class.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Since those days Rwanda has had over two decades of peace under General&nbsp;Paul Kagame, who led a predominantly Tutsi guerrilla army to victory and ended the slaughter.&nbsp;Kagame appears to have avoided the kind of mass reprisals against the Hutus and some effort has gone into reconciliation programmes.&nbsp;However, whether these have actually overcome old suspicions and tribal animosities is not clear.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kagame may have succumbed to another weakness: the inability of so many African leaders to accept that power and position are not forever.&nbsp; Has Kagame built up the second rung of leadership within his party; is that leadership inclusive; how democratic is he in his functioning? The answers to these questions could provide clues Rwanda&#39;s political future and long term stability. &nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Rwanda has over two decades of peace now, but whether the country has actually overcome old suspicions and tribal animosities is not clear

It's been more than 20 years and memories are a little hazy but I still recall flying into Kigali Airport on a special UN-chartered flight that was taking Indian Army peacekeepers to the Central African Republic of Rwanda. This was some months after the genocide. I, along with my cameraman, was on assignment for NDTV's The World This Week programme. Over one week, we travelled the length and breadth of Rwanda usually by helicopter, visiting some of those sites notorious for the massacre of ethnic Tutsis by the majority Hutus. images flash before me of a woman raped and her skull broken...a baby... the skeletons of so many children × Memories of our visit to the Ntarama Church, a couple of hours flying time from the capital Kigali, still remain. As we walked through the grounds, we saw skeletons lying all around, some with scraps of clothing still on them. Till date, images flash before me of a woman raped and her skull broken...a baby... the skeletons of so many children. The Rwandan army officer accompanying us regretted the display but as he explained, "It makes me sick but we cannot afford to forget what happened". It was worse inside the church: Broken pews, shattered skulls, bodies of men women and children on the floor. None was spared and if you were a Hutu supporting the Tutsis, there was no escaping the Hutu Interahamwe militia. I met an Indian doing business in Rwanda, operating from what used to be a plush Kigali suburb. He was married to a Tutsi woman. As the madness around him exploded, the businessman had hidden his wife in a specially built loft in his home. It didn't help. The Hutu mobs descended on his home, found his wife and took her away but spared him. He never saw her again. The Hutu mobs descended on his home, found his wife and took her away but spared him × A Keralite who served as a manager in a small factory, manufacturing soaps and detergents, brought a different view about the Hutus. Despite the mass killings, he described the Hutus as "a better, more sincere people than Tutsis". Tutsis, he claimed, had a superiority complex because they were generally better educated, well-represented in government and looked down on Hutus who formed the working class. Since those days Rwanda has had over two decades of peace under General Paul Kagame, who led a predominantly Tutsi guerrilla army to victory and ended the slaughter. Kagame appears to have avoided the kind of mass reprisals against the Hutus and some effort has gone into reconciliation programmes. However, whether these have actually overcome old suspicions and tribal animosities is not clear. Kagame may have succumbed to another weakness: the inability of so many African leaders to accept that power and position are not forever. Has Kagame built up the second rung of leadership within his party; is that leadership inclusive; how democratic is he in his functioning? The answers to these questions could provide clues Rwanda's political future and long term stability. (WION)

Looking back at the Rwanda genocide some 20 years later

<p>India will open its resident mission in Rwanda as it seeks to broaden its outreach to the resource-rich African continent which has witnessed a surge in the Chinese investment in recent years.</p>

<p>&quot;We are great friends (India and Rwanda), and Rwanda has a good population of Indian community here...And, we have had a valid complaint of not having a resident mission in Kigali. So, I must tell you that the government has already taken up the matter and in coming weeks or months, we will have a physical presence of a resident mission here,&quot; Vice President Hamid Ansari said.</p>

<p>Ansari, who is on a five-day visit to Rwanda and Uganda, was addressing a gathering of the Indian community here yesterday at a banquet hosted by a diaspora group in his honour.</p>

<p>Rwanda has about 3,000 people from the Indian community and Ansari said, they are &quot;very purposeful, very entrenched and very well-doing&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Our government is working to build ties and give it more content. And, most important segment of that is this community. So, we want to build up and give you a little more support,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Sources said, the decision to open the mission has reached and advanced stage and a skeletal set up will be ready in few months.</p>

<p>&quot;Both countries have in principle agreed to open the mission here and modalities are being worked out,&quot; the sources said.</p>

<p>Ansari also said that RwandAir will soon begin its operations to India.</p>

<p>Earlier addressing reporters en route to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, Ansari said India is not competing with China or any other country for broadening its outreach to Africa.</p>

<p>&quot;We are development partners in Africa, once they decide what they want to benefit from the Indian expertise then we transform them into concrete projects of assistance. And, our experience so far has been satisfactory,&quot; Ansari said.</p>

<p>&quot;We are not in competition with China or anyone else, as far as our development cooperation with the foreign countries is concerned, particularly in Africa. They have their own style of work, own capacities.&quot;</p>

<p>On India&#39;s role in its development cooperation in Africa, Ansari said, &quot;We don&#39;t try to force them to do anything, we let them decide which areas they wish to cooperate. The areas of expertise we can share, that is our objective. We let them decide what are the areas they would like to cooperate, in education, capacity building.&quot;</p>

<p>A key partner of the African nations in the 1950s and 1960s, India has seen its influence in the region wane. In recent years, it has been trying to regain the ground there.</p>

<p>The trade between Africa and China has grown at a breathtaking pace. It was $10.5 billion in 2000, $40 billion in 2005 and $166 billion in 2011. China is currently Africa&#39;s largest trading partner.</p>

<p>In 2015, India&#39;s trade with Africa was around $75 billion.</p>

<p>Asserting the importance of the visit, Ansari said this is part of a &quot;conscious effort&quot; of the Indian government to &quot;intensify&quot; our interaction with the African nations.</p>

<p>&quot;Our President has made visits to three the African countries, the Prime Minister to four and I have visited five times already. And, now Rwanda and Uganda visit is on the same line,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;India&#39;s ties with the African continent have always been very strong but friendship is something that needs to be reiterated and renewed. It&#39;s a plant that needs to be watered, and no friendship can be taken for granted,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


Rwanda has about 3,000 people from the Indian community

India will open its resident mission in Rwanda as it seeks to broaden its outreach to the resource-rich African continent which has witnessed a surge in the Chinese investment in recent years. "We are great friends (India and Rwanda), and Rwanda has a good population of Indian community here...And, we have had a valid complaint of not having a resident mission in Kigali. So, I must tell you that the government has already taken up the matter and in coming weeks or months, we will have a physical presence of a resident mission here," Vice President Hamid Ansari said. Ansari, who is on a five-day visit to Rwanda and Uganda, was addressing a gathering of the Indian community here yesterday at a banquet hosted by a diaspora group in his honour. Rwanda has about 3,000 people from the Indian community and Ansari said, they are "very purposeful, very entrenched and very well-doing". "Our government is working to build ties and give it more content. And, most important segment of that is this community. So, we want to build up and give you a little more support," he said. Sources said, the decision to open the mission has reached and advanced stage and a skeletal set up will be ready in few months. "Both countries have in principle agreed to open the mission here and modalities are being worked out," the sources said. Ansari also said that RwandAir will soon begin its operations to India. Earlier addressing reporters en route to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, Ansari said India is not competing with China or any other country for broadening its outreach to Africa. "We are development partners in Africa, once they decide what they want to benefit from the Indian expertise then we transform them into concrete projects of assistance. And, our experience so far has been satisfactory," Ansari said. "We are not in competition with China or anyone else, as far as our development cooperation with the foreign countries is concerned, particularly in Africa. They have their own style of work, own capacities." On India's role in its development cooperation in Africa, Ansari said, "We don't try to force them to do anything, we let them decide which areas they wish to cooperate. The areas of expertise we can share, that is our objective. We let them decide what are the areas they would like to cooperate, in education, capacity building." A key partner of the African nations in the 1950s and 1960s, India has seen its influence in the region wane. In recent years, it has been trying to regain the ground there. The trade between Africa and China has grown at a breathtaking pace. It was $10.5 billion in 2000, $40 billion in 2005 and $166 billion in 2011. China is currently Africa's largest trading partner. In 2015, India's trade with Africa was around $75 billion. Asserting the importance of the visit, Ansari said this is part of a "conscious effort" of the Indian government to "intensify" our interaction with the African nations. "Our President has made visits to three the African countries, the Prime Minister to four and I have visited five times already. And, now Rwanda and Uganda visit is on the same line," he said. "India's ties with the African continent have always been very strong but friendship is something that needs to be reiterated and renewed. It's a plant that needs to be watered, and no friendship can be taken for granted," he added. (PTI)

India to open resident mission in Rwanda

<p dir="ltr">A French court on Saturday upheld the 25-year prison sentence handed to a former Rwandan intelligence agent jailed in France&rsquo;s first trial over the African country&rsquo;s 1994 genocide.</p>

<p>56-year-old Pascal Simbikangwa was found guilty of genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity in 2014, a trial that was a turning point in France&rsquo;s approach to genocide suspects living on its soil.</p>

<p>Simbikangwa, a former member of presidential guard, insists he is innocent. He launched an appeal in October prompting a six-week trial that was decided by nine jurors and three magistrates.</p>

<p>Simbikangwa&rsquo;s lawyers dubbed &nbsp;the decision as &quot;botched&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;We were naive -- we wanted to believe that he would not be sentenced in advance,&quot; his lawyer Fabrice Epstein told AFP as she left the court in Bobigny outside Paris.</p>

<p>She said the proceedings had been treated as a wider trial on the genocide that left more than 800,000 people dead, &quot;rather than the trial of Mr Simbikangwa&quot; alone.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Alain Gauthier, head of the Civil Plaintiffs Collective for Rwanda, welcomed the decision. &quot;This legitimises the fight we&rsquo;ve been leading for 20 years without any glory,&quot; he said, AFP reported.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The International Federation of Human Rights and Human Rights League said the ruling gave a voice to &quot;victims who have been waiting for justice to be done for more than 20 years&quot;.</p>

<p dir="ltr">France, widely considered to have supported the Rwandan Hutu regime that carried out the bulk of the killings, had earlier been accused of dragging its feet on prosecuting cases.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Two other Rwandans have been prosecuted in France over the genocide since Simbikangwa went on trial.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Simbikangwa was accused of organising roadblocks where Hutu militia murdered many of their victims, mostly from the Tutsi minority.</p>

<p dir="ltr">He was also accused of arming the militia.</p>

<p dir="ltr">The three-month long slaughter in Rwanda began when the plane of then president Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down in April 1994.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Simbikangwa was arrested in 2008 on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, where he had been living under a false identity.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">(WION with inputs from AFP)</p>


56-year-old Pascal Simbikangwa was found guilty of genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity in 2014

A French court on Saturday upheld the 25-year prison sentence handed to a former Rwandan intelligence agent jailed in France’s first trial over the African country’s 1994 genocide. 56-year-old Pascal Simbikangwa was found guilty of genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity in 2014, a trial that was a turning point in France’s approach to genocide suspects living on its soil. Simbikangwa, a former member of presidential guard, insists he is innocent. He launched an appeal in October prompting a six-week trial that was decided by nine jurors and three magistrates. Simbikangwa’s lawyers dubbed the decision as "botched". "We were naive -- we wanted to believe that he would not be sentenced in advance," his lawyer Fabrice Epstein told AFP as she left the court in Bobigny outside Paris. She said the proceedings had been treated as a wider trial on the genocide that left more than 800,000 people dead, "rather than the trial of Mr Simbikangwa" alone. Alain Gauthier, head of the Civil Plaintiffs Collective for Rwanda, welcomed the decision. "This legitimises the fight we’ve been leading for 20 years without any glory," he said, AFP reported. The International Federation of Human Rights and Human Rights League said the ruling gave a voice to "victims who have been waiting for justice to be done for more than 20 years". France, widely considered to have supported the Rwandan Hutu regime that carried out the bulk of the killings, had earlier been accused of dragging its feet on prosecuting cases. Two other Rwandans have been prosecuted in France over the genocide since Simbikangwa went on trial. Simbikangwa was accused of organising roadblocks where Hutu militia murdered many of their victims, mostly from the Tutsi minority. He was also accused of arming the militia. The three-month long slaughter in Rwanda began when the plane of then president Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down in April 1994. Simbikangwa was arrested in 2008 on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, where he had been living under a false identity. (WION with inputs from AFP)

French court upholds 25-year jail term for Rwanda genocide convict

rwanda

Rwanda, News on Rwanda, stories on Rwanda, articles on Rwanda, Rwanda stories at Wion, Rwanda news, Rwanda latest news