With the expulsion of eight Rwandans, Niger violates agreement with the International Tribunal

The International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands (illustrative image).

© Peter Dejong / AP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Niger is ordered to suspend for thirty days the expulsion procedure targeting eight former Rwandan officials.

A judge of the UN Mechanism in charge of finalizing the latest cases of the International Tribunal for Rwanda ordered this Friday, December 31 in Niamey to suspend the decision taken on December 27.

Advertising

Read more

In mid-November, Niamey made a commitment in an agreement with the International Tribunal to welcome on its territory these eight former Rwandan officials, recalls our correspondent in The Hague,

Stéphanie Maupas

.

Installed since December 5 in Niger, these former officers, businessmen and members of the interim government in place during the genocide, have been acquitted or have finished serving their sentences.

But since then, they have been confronted with a Kafkaesque situation.

So far, no country, except Rwanda, has agreed to welcome them, whether on the continent or elsewhere.

For lack of a solution, they remained in the custody of the court in Arusha.

Some stayed there for more than ten years.

"Diplomatic reasons"

With Niger's agreement, the International Tribunal believed it had finally found the answer to this real puzzle.

But while Niamey was supposed to offer them permanent resident status within three months, authorities

changed their mind

.

Is it pressure from Rwanda?

Niger invokes "

 diplomatic reasons

 " in its expulsion order, but without further details.

On December 13, Rwanda's representative to the UN criticized the agreement.

The diplomat asked Niger to ensure that the eight cannot have " 

subversive activities

 ".

Anyway, Niamey now has thirty days to justify its decision before the International Tribunal.

The agreement says that in no case can Niger surrender, extradite or deport them, especially not hand them over to Rwanda or to any other country that can still try them for the same crimes.

Me Kadidiatou Amadou protests that the State does not respect the agreement

Moussa Kaka

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Niger

  • Rwanda

  • Justice

  • Diplomacy