NAIROBI, Nov 18 – Rwandan Hutu rebels on Wednesday denounced the arrest in Germany of two of their leaders on suspicion of crimes against humanity committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ignace Murwanashyaka, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) political leader, and his deputy Straton Musoni, were arrested Tuesday for crimes committed between January 2008 and July this year.
"The arrest of president Murwanashyaka and vice-president Musoni in Germany is unfair and unjustified," the group said in a statement.
"Mr Murwanashyaka and Mr Musoni are innocent of the charges against them because the FDLR are in no way involved in the atrocities committed against civilians in eastern DRC."
Some members of the FDLR fled neighbouring Rwanda after the 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered.
Many of the group\\\’s leaders are accused of taking part in the genocide and have been actively sought by Rwanda.
The movement is almost entirely composed of ethnic Hutus opposed to the government of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, which welcomed the arrests.
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