Zimbabwean government has denied presence on their soil of Protais Mpiranya, a fugitive of the 1994 Rwandan Tutsi genocide.
A principal director in the Immigration office Clemence Masango said Mparinya is not in the country.
Mpiranya the former commander of the Rwandan Presidential Guard who allegedly masterminded the genocide is wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for war crimes.
“We do not have him in our records. Interpol wrote to us on the matter and investigations were carried out. He is not here,” Masango told a Parliamentary portfolio committee on defence and security yesterday.
Masango was answering questions on the deportation of Zimbabweans from neighbouring South Africa and Botswana.
He said the deportations are not a strange thing saying it is an ongoing process which is often carried out by countries, including Zimbabwe, to flush out unregistered foreigners.
Reports linking Mparinya with Zimbabwe caused a diplomatic tiff between Harare and Kigali with the later accused of deliberately hiding many genocide fugitives including Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam who is wanted in Ethiopia for crimes against humanity.
Masango told parliamentarians that investigations were still in progress but so far indications are that the fugitive is not in the country.
In a press interview, Prosecutor General Martin Ngoga said while Rwanda government was not aware of the communication between the UK and Zimbabwe, it was becoming increasingly clear that Zimbabwe was harbouring Mpiranya.
“I am not privy to the communication between the UK and Zimbabwe but I would not be surprised because it is getting increasingly believable that Mpiranya is in Zimbabwe.”
“Zimbabwe must cooperate to get him apprehended and brought to justice,” Ngonga said.
Mpiranya is accused of crimes against humanity during the 1994 war. He is also accused of killing ten Belgians guarding the first Rwandan female Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana in 1994.
He is also accused of distributing weapons to the militia and to certain members of the civilian population with the intent to exterminate the Tutsi.
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