UN Tribunal

By Hirondelle News Agency

A prosecution witness in the genocide trial against the former senior Rwandan Army Officer,  Ephrem Setako, Tuesday alleged before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) that the accused ordered soldiers and civil defense members to hunt and kill ethnic Tutsis and their accomplices on April 25, 1994.

“He ordered us to hunt down Tutsis and their accomplices,” said the eighth protected witness code-named ‘’SLA’’ as he recalled a speech of the accused made at Mkamira military camp in Mukingo Commune, Ruhengeri prefecture, northern Rwanda. Setako was Lieutenant Colonel of Rwanda Armed Forces (FAR).

Led in his Examination-in-Chief by the ICTR prosecuting counsel Ifeoma-Ojemini Okali (Nigeria) the witness revealed that he joined the civil defense members on April 20, 1994 after attending combat training in order to defend the country, which was then “invaded” by the enemy, ethnic Tutsis.

Others who attended the Mkamira meeting included, former Mayor of Mukingo Commune, Juvenal Kajelijeli, already serving life imprisonment after being convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity and former Rwandan Army Chief Of Staff, General Augustin Bizimungu whose joint trial, with three other former senior army officers, was underway before UN Tribunal.  

He further elaborated that two hours after the meeting, which was attended by some 220 people including influential personalities, soldiers and members of civil defense, they set up a roadblock which enabled them to arrest 40 suspected ethnic Tutsis who were traveling in two different vehicles.

According to the witness, the captives were taken inside Mkamira military camp and immediately afterwards killed.

“Many people who are slender, with sharp noses and even those suspected to be Tutsis would be arrested and taken away,” SLA explained as he responded to a question as to how they selected their Tutsi victims.

People passing through the roadblock had their identity checked to separate Tutsis from Hutus.

The 59-year-old Lt. Col. Setako is facing six charges including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He has denied the charges. The Trial started on 25 August.

The trial is presided by Erik Mose (Norway), Sergei Egorov (Russian) and Rita Arrey (Cameroun)

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