Rwanda and Zimbabwe sign extradition agreement

Zimbabwe and Rwanda have signed an agreement that will help expedite ‘two specific criminal cases’ as Kigali seeks the extradition of individuals suspected of involvement in the country's 1994 genocide. A statement from the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development. New Zimbabwe reports that Kigali has been hunting down the 93 accused war criminals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It emerged that one of the leading fugitives, Protais Mpiranya, a notorious head of the Presidential guard during the genocide, had died in 2006 while hiding in Zimbabwe. And now judicial authorities in Rwanda believe Zimbabwe could be home to more ex-senior army officers wanted in connection with the genocide. The Rwandan Ministry of Justice said the new agreement with Zimbabwe, which came after two years of negotiations, will also promote mutual legal assistance between the two countries. Relations between the two countries have been improving under President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration.