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Rwanda Official Says Grenade Attacks Masterminds Will be Punished


Rwanda’s justice minister says charges will soon be filed against the alleged masterminds of the recent grenade attacks hours after the prosecutor general issued arrest warrants late Tuesday night against two former top government officials accused of involvement in the attacks.

Rwanda’s justice minister says charges will soon be filed against the alleged masterminds of the recent grenade attacks hours after the prosecutor general issued arrest warrants late Tuesday night against two former top government officials accused of involvement in the attacks.

Tharcisse Karugarama said the government will ensure peace and stability ahead of the upcoming election scheduled for August this year.

“What I can say is that some arrests have been made and investigations are currently underway,” he said.

Rwanda’s prosecutor general, Martin Ngoga issued arrest warrants late Tuesday night against two former top government officials who are accused of masterminding the recent grenade attacks in the capital, Kigali.

Karugarama sharply condemned the grenade attacks.

“Bomb throwing against innocent populations against the presence of high concentrations of civilian people doing their ordinary business is a crime of unimaginable proportion. And anybody who does it whether it’s towards the elections or not, whether it is in the evening or morning or night time is a horrendous act and we condemn it in the strongest terms,” Karugarama said.

A picture taken on April 14, 1977 shows the wife of Juvenal Habyarimana, Agathe, during an official meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Agathe Kanzinga, widow of Juvenal Habyarimana, has been arrested on March 2, 2010 near Paris after Rwandan authoriti
A picture taken on April 14, 1977 shows the wife of Juvenal Habyarimana, Agathe, during an official meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Agathe Kanzinga, widow of Juvenal Habyarimana, has been arrested on March 2, 2010 near Paris after Rwandan authoriti

The arrest warrants were contained in a statement announced on Rwandan state radio hours after French officials arrested Agathe Habyarimana, widow of former President Juvenal Habyarimana.

Lieutenant General Faustin Nyamaswakayumba, former ambassador to India and Colonel Patrick Karegeya, former Chief of External Intelligence Service are accused of masterminding last month’s grenade attacks.

Karugarama said the perpetrators of the attacks will face a number of charges.

“Once the investigations reveal the role played by any individual person in the grenade throwing the charges preferred against them will depend largely on what the role they played…so there would be multiple charges,” Karugarama said.

Rwandan police said the grenade attacks killed at least four people and injured 47 others in the capital, Kigali.

Police officials said two grenades exploded in the city center within 15 minutes of each other, and another went off at the international bus station nearly 30 minutes later.

Meanwhile, Jean Bosco Gasasira, editor of the independent Umuvugizi newspaper said President Paul Kagame is scheduled to address a news conference in the capital, Kigali.

This comes a day after French officials Tuesday announced the arrest of Agathe Habyarimana widow of former President Juvenal Habyarimana.

President Kagame’s government accused Agathe Habyarimana of playing a strong role in planning Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

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