Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Ngoga, has told the UN Security Council that the country is prepared to uphold and advance the legacy of international justice once the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (MICT) concludes its work.
Speaking in New York on October 22, 2025, Ngoga said Rwanda stands ready to carry forward the pursuit of accountability for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, stressing that justice remains essential to both national healing and global moral order.
He praised the MICT and its predecessor, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), for their role in ensuring justice for genocide victims and establishing a framework to prosecute crimes against humanity. But he also warned that inconsistent cooperation among states continues to undermine those efforts.
“While we recognize the achievements of the tribunals, we must also speak frankly about the persistent gaps,” Ngoga told the Council. “Weak collaboration in arresting and extraditing genocide fugitives continues to threaten the integrity of the justice we have built together.”
The MICT, created in 2010 to complete the work of the ICTR and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), is winding down its mandate. The Security Council is now reviewing the institution’s future and how its remaining responsibilities will be managed.
Ngoga said the discussions offer a critical opportunity to reflect on progress made, ongoing challenges, and Rwanda’s readiness to take on new responsibilities when the mechanism’s operations end.
It is now 31 years after the genocide, Rwanda continues to seek the arrest and trial of suspects believed to be hiding abroad. Ngoga said Rwandan prosecutors have issued over 1,400 indictments sent to different countries, urging their cooperation in apprehending fugitives.
He expressed frustration that some governments have failed to respond to those requests or have delayed legal processes despite clear obligations under international law.
“In some jurisdictions, justice has been slow and reluctant,” he said. “Justice delayed is justice denied — not only for Rwanda but for all who value human rights.”
Ngoga also addressed questions about six Rwandans who were either acquitted or released by the tribunal and later relocated to Niger. He clarified that these individuals moved voluntarily and that Rwanda remains ready to receive them should they wish to return home.
“As a nation that rose from the ashes of genocide, Rwanda is committed to reconciliation and rebuilding,” he said. “We are ready to welcome any citizen who chooses to resume life peacefully in their homeland.”
As the UN reconsiders the future of its residual justice mechanism, Rwanda’s message was clear: the pursuit of accountability must not fade with institutional transitions. Instead, Ngoga said, it should evolve — with Rwanda prepared to safeguard the principles of justice and ensure that the crimes of 1994 are neither forgotten nor repeated.
