US, UK support UN council's demand on Kenya over Rwanda suspect

The United States, United Kingdom and France backed a demand on Friday in the United Nations Security Council for Kenya to cooperate in the hunt for a Rwanda genocide fugitive.

The three donor states aligned themselves with charges by the UN’s Rwanda Tribunal prosecutor that Kenya is withholding information on the whereabouts of the fugitive, Felicien Kabuga.

None of the roughly 20 diplomats of member-states who spoke at the Security Council session took Kenya’s side on the Kabuga dispute, leaving the country isolated and defensive in the foremost international forum.

Francis Kimemia, permanent secretary of the Internal Security Ministry, responded forcefully on Friday to what many UN watchers saw as an embarrassment for Kenya.

Mr Kimemia called the UN Tribunal prosecutor’s allegations “baseless.” The PS insisted there is no evidence that Kenya had failed to assist in the hunt for Mr Kabuga, a wealthy businessman accused of having helped finance the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu in 1994.

Kenya has nothing to gain by harbouring such a figure, Mr Kimemia told the Council, noting his country’s relations with Rwanda are “excellent.” Kenya has arrested and handed over 14 Rwanda genocide suspects, Mr Kimemia added.

But in a rejoinder at the Security Council session, Chief Prosecutor Hassan Jallow challenged the PS’ comments.

There is clear evidence that Mr Kabuga had been in Kenya for a long time, Mr Jallow said.

Kenya had in fact acknowledged Mr Kabuga’s past presence in the country, Mr Jallow noted, recalling that Kenyan officials told him last year that Mr Kabuga had left the country.

Kenyan authorities also agreed on that occasion to provide further information on Mr Kabuga but have not followed through on this commitment, Mr Jallow added. Requests for a meeting with Kenya’s attorney general, foreign minister and internal security minister have been ignored, Mr Jallow told the UN.

Despite the calls for cooperation by the UN and Kenya’s major donors, it appears unlikely that any punitive action will be taken soon. Diplomats say they will await the outcome of Mr Kimemia’s offer on Friday to meet with UN investigators in Nairobi.