S Africa pledges to cooperate with UN court in arrest of genocide suspect
Cape Town, Jul 22 (Xinhua/UNI) The South African government pledged on Monday to cooperate with the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in the arrest of genocide suspects.
This came after IRMCT chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz accused South Africa of failing to cooperate in the arrest of a fugitive sought over his role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
"Since August of last year, my office has been seeking urgent cooperation from South Africa in relation to the arrest of a fugitive located on its territory," Brammertz said last week.
The fugitive is believed to be Protais Mpiranya, former Rwandan presidential guard head, who reportedly is hiding in South Africa.
South Africa has taken note of Mpiranya's remarks, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
"South Africa expresses its gratitude to the prosecutor and for the commendable work of the IRMCT and reaffirms that it takes its international obligations seriously," DIRCO spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
Whilst South Africa has encountered certain challenges in giving effect to the request, it is actively working to address these and remains fully committed to cooperating with the IRMCT, Monyela said.
However, he did not give details about the challenges encountered by South Africa in meeting the IRMCT request.
Since 2010, the IRMCT has handled outstanding and ongoing cases from the former International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda that tried suspects in the 1994 genocide.
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