An ICTR source said that Egbe was appointed about three months ago to the post, which was held by another Senior Trial Attorney, Charles Adeogun-Philips. Among the task of the Unit is to secure arrests of 13 fugitives, including Felician Kabuga, the alleged financial of the 1994 genocide.
The source said that Charles has been assigned another equally important trial of Dominique Ntawukuriryayo, a former Deputy Governor of Gisagara, Butare, southern Rwanda. The accused was extradited from France last week under a warrant from the ICTR.
Ntawukuriryayo appeared on Tuesday before duty judge Khalida Khan of Pakistan and pleaded not guilty to three counts of genocide.
The ICTR indictment alleges that acts of Ntawukuriryayo led to killings of not less than 25, 000 ethnic Tutsi refugees on Kabuye Hill, Butare, between 21 and 25 April 1994.
Ntawukuriryayo twice battled desperately against his transfer to ICTR, lastly being his appeal before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, which also rejected the application mid last month.
Since its establishment in November 1994, the tribunal has convicted 30 persons and acquitted five while 28 others are currently on trial. Eleven trials are on-going, four of which have closed and are awaiting judgments.
The arrival of Ntawukuriryayo brings the number of people still awaiting trial in Arusha to eight.
According to the UN estimates, about 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the April-July slaughter.
SC/GF
© Hirondelle News Agency