01.02.11 - ICTR/NIZEYIMANA - 'NIZEYIMANA FORMED MILITARY POLICE UNIT FOR COMMITTING GENOCIDE'

Arusha, February 1, 2011 (FH) - A prosecution witness before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Tuesday accused Captain Ildephonse Nizeyimana of forming a military police sub-unit for the purpose of perpetrating genocide in South Rwanda in 1994.

"It was made up of two sections. That particular group was interested with the task of perpetrating genocide in Butare town. It killed not only (Tutsi) soldiers but also civilians," said the witness code-named AZD,a former military officer at the Non-Commissioned Officers School (ESO).

He claimed that prior to 1994 there was no military police at ESO as it had been set up in Kigali for the purpose of disciplining soldiers who misbehaved. However, he claimed, "in 1994 surprisingly Capt. Nizeyimana, as registry officer, set up a sub-unit which was not normally in the organization structure at ESO and called such unit as military police."

The witness further accused Nizeyimana of not assisting the civilian authority, as a general obligation, in maintaining public order during the war between April and June 1994.

"I noticed that he assisted indeed the authority like Bourgmestres who came at ESO to take weapons, but this was not for maintaining public order. This assistance was negative. He assisted civilian authority to act negatively," he narrated further without giving more clarifications.

Capt. Nizeyimana is charged with genocide, extermination, murder and rape. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

FK/ER/GF

© Hirondelle News Agency

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