Rwandan rebel leader to face charges in The Hague

AFP - A French court Wednesday approved the transfer of exiled Rwandan rebel leader Callixte Mbarushimana to the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Paris appeals court ruled in favour of a warrant issued by the court in The Hague to send Mbarushimana to stand trial there for alleged war crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

French authorities arrested Mbarushimana, 47, last month on a warrant issued by the ICC in September for charges of murders, rapes, torture and destruction of property in eastern DR Congo in 2009. He denies the charges.

The Paris court approved his transfer to the ICC "on condition that under no circumstances should Mr Mbarushimana be taken back by any means to Rwanda".

Mbarushimana, a former leader of the Rwandan FDLR rebel force, has lived in France as a political refugee since 2002 and has worked as a computer technician.

His lawyers tried to block the ICC warrant by arguing that it could be a first step towards sending him back to Rwanda, where they argue he would not get a fair trial.