Le rwanda à la chasse du fantôme: Protais Mpiranya n'est pas au Zimbabwe!

No Rwandan fugitive here, says Zimbabwe

By KITSEPILE NYATHI in HararePosted Wednesday, November 23  2011 at  15:05

Source: Africa Review

Zimbabwe immigration authorities have told Parliament that suspected Rwandan genocide mastermind Protais Mpiranya was not in the country.

The southern African country has been under pressure to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in bringing Mr Mpiranya to justice.

There were reports that the former commander of Rwanda’s Presidential Guard Battalion in 1994, accused of triggering the genocide, was being protected by business associates close to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Clemence Masanga, a principal director in the Immigration department told a Parliamentary Committee hearing on Tuesday that there was no evidence that Mr Mpiranya ever entered Zimbabwe.

“We have no records within our system about this person and the only refugee holding centre in our country is Tongogara camp and everyone who is at that camp is documented,” he said.
“Yes, this has been a topical issue in and outside the country, but all efforts have been made to check all these allegations.”

The refugees

He said the department had been cooperating with Interpol andUNCHR over Mpiranya’s issue.

“Interpol have written to us and enquired through our national police force structures about Mpiranya, and investigations have been carried out and this person has not been found,” Mr Masanga said.

“Police have said investigations are still underway, but have not been able to find him in Zimbabwe.”