Niger suspends order to expel high-profile Rwandans

Didier Bikorimana

BBC Great Lakes Service

Niger has temporarily suspended an order to expel eight high-profile Rwandans relocated there from Tanzania, allowing them to remain in the country for 30 days, pending a resolution.

They were political and military officials during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and had either been acquitted or released after serving their prison terms.

The move came hours after the seven-day deadline they had been given to leave Niger expired.

They relocated to Niger after the government there cut a deal with the United Nations in November to grant them permanent residence status, with Rwanda later saying it had been kept in the dark. 

It urged Niger to ensure the individuals don’t become a threat to the security of the Great Lakes region.

Then in December, Niger decided to expel them, citing “diplomatic reasons”– prompting a move from an International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) judge to temporarily halt this action.

Rwanda maintains the eight are welcome back home, but one of them, former intelligence officer Innocent Sagahutu, told BBC Great Lakes last week they do not want to return to Rwanda, fearing for their safety.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AP