Arrest of Rwandan rebel leaders new ground for Germany

Two leaders of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) militia were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung praises the arrest as an overdue German contribution to the global fight against criminal impunity: "These arrests break new ground for Germany. There is much proof for the involvement of the FDLR's exiled leadership in criminal activity and promoting genocide in Africa, but it's not easy for German courts to gain access to it. ... FDLR president Ignace Murwanashyaka has escaped prosecution in Germany several times already because German courts were not up to handling such cases. ... It is time Germany strengthened its cooperation with the judiciary in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as on a European level and with the International Criminal Court. ... Only then can this test-case for the International Criminal Court be brought to a successful conclusion and consequently help to bring peace to Africa."

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