Staff Reporter

The Zimbabwe Government has not harboured Rwandese fugitive, Protais Mpiranya as alleged by some media but has fully cooperated with the United Nations’ (UN) investigation leading to the exhumation of same in Zimbabwe.

In a Ministerial Statement today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Fredrick  Shava clarified that the Government met all its obligations under the international law and cooperated with the UN Residual Mechanism in its investigations of the Rwandese fugitive who was indicted in the year 2000 by the International Criminal Tribunal for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

“The Government of Zimbabwe wishes to clarify some recent media reports that are circulating insinuating that the Government was harbouring the most wanted Rwandese fugitive, Protais Mpiranya, whose remains were allegedly found in Zimbabwe under the alias Ndume Sambao.

“The Government of Zimbabwe wishes to put on record that it met all its obligations under the international law. Zimbabwe fully cooperated with the UN Residual Mechanism in its investigations of the Rwandese fugitive who was indicted in 2000 by the International Criminal Tribunal for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide,” said Minister Shava.

The Minister added that the Government together with the UN Prosecutor responsible for tracking Rwandan fugitives established a joint task force to coordinate investigative activities and strengthen cooperation.

Minister Shava added that contrary to media reports, it was actually the Government of Zimbabwe that authorised and participated in the exhumation of Mpiranya's remains when it was suspected that he was the one buried under a false name, Ndume Sambao.

The Minister further said that it was the Government that secured the grave, issued certificates to authorise the extraction of DNA samples and for them to be taken outside the country to the Netherlands Forensic Institute for analysis.

According to the Minister, under the Second Republic’s engagement and re engagement policy, the country agreed to cooperate with investigators as it had nothing to hide. He added that as Government, they fulfilled their international obligations under the UN Charter by giving the UN team unlimited access to the grave and protected it.

Last week, the hostile media was awash with reports that that Zimbabwe was harbouring a 1994 genocide suspect who was a member of the Interahamwe militia which executed genocide, killing over a million Tutsis in cold blood.