By VOA
Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava has given the clearest sign ever that Harare is ready to extradite Ethiopian genocide fugitive and former President, Mengistu Haile Mariam.
In an exclusive interview with VOA Zimbabwe, Shava said, “If the people of Ethiopia approach the government of Zimbabwe, appropriate steps will be taken by the Government of Zimbabwe in response to the request, to the legitimate request from the government of Ethiopia.”
Said Jokonya, “Mengistu came to Zimbabwe as a fugitive; he came as a refugee, and under the United Nations convention, a refugee is protected in the country he flies to.”
Mengistu was sentenced to death in 2008 in absentia after fleeing to Zimbabwe in 1991 following his ouster. He was charged with genocide, homicide, illegal imprisonment and property seizures.
Shava denied criticism that Harare is a safe haven for genocide fugitives after the United Nations accused it of harboring Rwandan fugitive, the late Protais Mpiranya.
He said Harare was not aware that Mpiranya was in the country until after he was found dead by a United Nations team tracking him down.
The United Nations said he died at the age of 50 in 2006 and was buried at one of the poorest grave yards in Harare, Granville Cemetery, located 15 km from the city centre.
“We are not harboring Mr. Menguistu, we have allowed Mr. Mengistu to stay in Zimbabwe since he fell out with his people in Ethiopia. It was not a conspiracy, everybody knew he was coming here with his family, and there is no comparison with what you are asking about (Mpiranya).”
Shava told VOA that Harare had “fully co-operated with the UN Residual Mechanism in its investigations of the Rwandese fugitive who was indicted in 2000 by the International Criminal Court for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.”
But the Rwandan Embassy in Harare issued a terse Twitter response to Shava saying, “The embassy wishes to advise the correction of ‘1994 Genocide against the Tutsi’s in Rwanda’ as opposed to the way (it) is mentioned in the statement.”
Shava also told VOA Zimbabwe Service that Harare had taken delivery of the UN report and welcomes the findings from the DNA samples extracted from Mpiranya.
He promised that the country will investigate how Mpiranya was able to evade capture in the country until his death in 2006.
