Ambassador Martin Ngoga, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has called for the archives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to be transferred to Rwanda, closer to survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, while urging continued efforts to bring more than 1,000 genocide suspects to justice.
Ngoga made the appeal before the UN General Assembly on October 21, following the presentation of the 14th annual report of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) by its President, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana.
He said the UN Security Council was negotiating a resolution that would determine the future of the Mechanism, which took over the remaining responsibilities of the ICTR and the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
According to Ngoga, the decisions being considered extend beyond administrative and financial matters, as they will determine how the remaining responsibilities are handled and the institutions’ legacy preserved.
“The decisions taken now will have consequences long after the institution itself has closed,” he said.
One of Rwanda’s principal requests is to host the ICTR archives, which contain testimonies from genocide survivors, evidence presented during trials and judicial records documenting crimes committed during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Ngoga argued that the permanent location of the archives should reflect their historical significance and accessibility to the communities whose experiences they document, rather than being determined solely by administrative convenience.
He recalled that Rwanda’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General had previously told the Security Council that the ICTR archives concern one country, one people and one genocide.
Under Rwanda’s proposal, the archives would remain the property of the United Nations and under its legal authority, while being physically preserved in Rwanda.
Ngoga said Rwanda had already invested in archival infrastructure, developed expertise in document preservation and digitisation, and established legal and security measures to safeguard the records.
The country is also prepared to cover the costs of transferring, preserving, digitising and managing the archives, ensuring that the proposed relocation would not impose additional financial burdens on UN member states.
He maintained that hosting the records in Rwanda would not compromise international standards on confidentiality, witness protection or access by authorised researchers and other users.
For survivors and their families, Ngoga explained, relocating the archives would mean more than transferring documents.
It would bring an important part of their history closer to the communities affected and the memorial sites honouring those killed during the Genocide.
The ambassador also highlighted the importance of preserving these records for education, research, future judicial proceedings and efforts to prevent similar atrocities.
Beyond the archives, Ngoga raised concerns over the more than 1,000 people suspected of involvement in the Genocide against the Tutsi who remain at large in different parts of the world.
He said that 32 years after the Genocide, witnesses were growing older, evidence was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, and some survivors were dying without seeing justice delivered.
While commending countries that have extradited suspects to Rwanda or prosecuted them through their own judicial systems, he urged others to act on outstanding arrest warrants and extradition requests.
Ngoga stressed that closing the Mechanism must not provide an opportunity for fugitives to escape accountability.
He called for continued technical assistance and resources for national judicial authorities to support investigations and prosecutions after the institution concludes its work.
The ambassador also emphasised the importance of protecting witnesses, preserving judicial evidence and ensuring that records remain accessible for legitimate legal, educational and research purposes.
He expressed concern that genocide denial and distortion continued to harm survivors and undermine reconciliation, making the preservation of judicial records particularly important for future generations.
Rwanda further reaffirmed its willingness to receive individuals convicted by international tribunals to serve their remaining sentences in the country, subject to applicable legal requirements and international safeguards.
Ngoga said Rwanda had experience in enforcing international sentences and was prepared to ensure humane detention conditions, independent monitoring and respect for the rights of convicted individuals.
He also supported an orderly transfer of the Mechanism’s remaining responsibilities, with clear arrangements for how and when those functions would be carried out.
The ambassador urged the Security Council to consider the views of countries directly affected by the tribunals’ work, particularly genocide survivors and their families, before making decisions about the Mechanism’s future.
He argued that countries should not be excluded from discussions affecting their history simply because they do not hold seats on the Security Council when decisions are taken.
Ngoga noted that many people who had testified before the ICTR had since died, while others had grown older still awaiting justice. Meanwhile, a new generation had emerged with the responsibility of preserving the memory of the Genocide and protecting its historical truth.
“Rwanda sincerely hopes that the Security Council and the General Assembly will listen to the wishes of survivors and give due weight to the views of the country whose history the archives preserve,” he said.
He expressed hope that transferring the archives to Rwanda, where the crimes were committed and survivors continue to live, would help bring this chapter of international justice to a dignified and meaningful conclusion.
The Security Council is still considering arrangements for the Mechanism’s remaining responsibilities and the preservation of its legacy, with Rwanda seeking to ensure that the archives remain accessible to survivors and that efforts to prosecute outstanding genocide cases continue.
Elie GATETE
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