Uganda protests Rwandan arrest

Nov 13, 2008

Uganda has protested the arrest of the Rwanda’s head of protocol, Rose Kabuye, in Germany earlier this week.

By Anne Mugisa

Uganda has protested the arrest of the Rwanda’s head of protocol, Rose Kabuye, in Germany earlier this week.

In a note on November 10 to the Germany embassy in Kampala, the foreign affairs ministry said the warrant against Kabuye was an arbitrary violation of the sovereignty of states.

Kabuye was arrested on November 9, at the Frankfurt International Airport following an arrest warrant issued by a French judge.

Kabuye was in Frankfurt to prepare a visit by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

The note, signed by Permanent Secretary Ambassador James Mugume, condemned the arrest, saying the indictment did not follow the Principle of International Jurisdiction.

Mugume echoed Rwanda’s demand for Kabuye’s immediate and unconditional release.

Born in April 1961, Kabuye grew up and studied in Uganda. She took part in the October 1990 offensive offensive against former president Juvenal Habyarimana at the rank of a Major. She later served as governor of Kigali and MP before being named to the head of Rwandan protocol.

Kabuye is accused of involvement in the 1994 shooting down of a plane that killed Habyarimana, leading to the Rwanda genocide.

The other indictees are James Kabarebe, the head of the military, Charles Kayonga, army chief of staff; Faustin Jyamwasa-Kayumba, the ambassador to India; Jackson Nkurunziza, of the presidential guard; Samuel Kanjyamera, an RPF parliamentary deputy; Jacob Tumwime, an army officer; Frank Nziza, a presidential guard officer and Eric Hakizimana, an intelligence officer. Kabuye’s arrest is the latest incident in the strained relationship between Kigali and Paris.

Early this week, Rwanda expelled the German ambassador in Kigali over the Kabuye saga and recalled its ambassador to Berlin. “It’s not a permanent move. We’ve asked the German ambassador to leave until this matter is resolved,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Rosemary Museminali said.

President Kagame on Tuesday angrily protested the arrest, calling it a violation of sovereignty. “We will see how we can challenge such actions, which are simply a question of being arrogant and people being a law unto themselves,” Kagame said after visiting Kabuye in prison yesterday.

In an apparent retaliatory move, Rwanda is poised to issue arrest warrants against 23 French military and political officials over their suspected role in the genocide, judicial sources said yesterday.

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