French investigators have ended their probe into an attack that largely triggered the Rwanda genocide in 1994.
Investigators in France have been probing nine officials from Rwanda following the killing of the country’s President, Juvenal Habyarimana.
Habyarimana was killed in 1994 when his plane was shot down. That sparked the genocide that led to the death of over 800,000 people.
But judicial sources in France said on Wednesday that the charges against the officials being investigated have were dropped on December 21.
The charges were dropped reportedly over insufficient evidence. Relatives of the french crew killed in the incident demanded a probe.
Tutsi rebels, led by current president, Paul Kagame were accused of carrying out the attack resulting in some arrests.
Rwanda has welcomed the decision to drop the charges describing the entire probe as politically-motivated.
But lawyers for Habyarimana’s widow, Agathe, say they will appeal the decision.
AFP quotes one of the lawyer Philippe Meilhac as saying that “We have to interpret this decision by French judges as a form of resignation faced with a political context which prosecutors did not know how to fight. Rwandan authorities have never sought to help bring the truth to light.”
Source: Africafeeds.com
