Rwanda recalls ambassador over new investigation by French judge on 1994 genocide

24 Octobre 2017

Kigali, Rwanda, October 24 (Infosplusgabon) -  Rwanda has recalled its ambassador to France, Jacques Kabale, signaling that it might break diplomatic relations with Paris over a row on a new investigation by French judges.

Local media reports say the judges have heard from a new witness who claims to have seen missiles allegedly used to kill former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana.

This would be the second time that Rwanda has threatened to break diplomatic ties with France after another French judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, had signed international arrest warrants for nine senior Rwandan officials in late August 2006.

The French judiciary, who are acting on a complaint from French citizens killed aboard Habyarimana's plane, decided in October 2016 to re-open its investigation into the assassination.

Reports said that the anti-terrorist French magistrate has summoned the Rwandan Minister of Defense, James Kabarebe, for a confrontation with a last-minute witness who accuses the former military wing of the rebel group of Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) - and current ruling party  - to have allegedly shot down the plane.

However, this new investigation comes after a similar inquiry, led by French Judges Marc Travidic and Nathalie Poux, that looked into the cause of the plane crash, had closed the case after 16 years of probe, effectively absolving Rwandan officials of blame.

In a related development, another Government-commissioned panel concluded in January 2010 that members of the defeated ex-Rwandan army (ex-FAR) shot down the Hutu president's plane on the eve of the 1994 genocide.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/UYH/GABON 2017

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