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At last, Kamali, one of the most crucial suspects in the Rwanda Genocide is held in US and may be taken to court if his captors hand him over for justice to be done.

Isaac Kamali was arrested on Wednesday by US security in Washington D.C., from Lyon, France, traveling on a French passport.

Reliable sources in France reported that, after being identified as one of fugitives that participated in the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, Kamali was intercepted and detained under US custody. They added that, “Kamali was arrested on his way to the US from France and he is still in the hands of the Americans.”

The Foreign Affairs minister Dr Charles Murigande, also confirmed the news saying that “It’s true he was arrested because we (Rwandan government) issued a red notice for his arrest to all governments. He is someone who committed serious Genocide crimes.”

“The next step does not depend on us. For us, we pray that he is extradited to Rwanda but that possibility is complicated by the fact that Kamali holds a French passport. Maybe as we talk now, Paris has intervened to secure the release of their beloved citizen.” alleged the minister when asked what was to happen now that the fugitive was under arrest.

The lack of a signed extradition treaty between US and Rwanda may make the negotiations more complex however Isaac Kamalis crimes may be solved using the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide which is above the other treaties.

“The Convention is clear; it commits all member states to ensure that Genocide perpetrators are brought to book, and in this case, we think it (the Convention) will supercede any other consideration,” Murigande.

He also added that, “Considering the existing excellent relations between Rwanda the US and our close collaboration in judicial matters, we are hopeful that the US government will extradite him to Rwanda to be answerable for his Genocide crimes.”

Rwandan embassy in Washington D.C. had already started engaging the US authorities with regard to extraditing the suspect.

However, contacted for a comment yesterday, the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the US, Brian George, said that he was not aware of the arrest. “I haven’t heard any information on that. I will have to confirm first.”