Registrar Abubacarr M. Tambadou concludes official visit to Rwanda

The Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), Mr. Abubacarr M. Tambadou, concluded an official visit to the Republic of Rwanda (Rwanda) from 22 to 25 June 2025, as part of the ongoing close cooperation between Rwanda and the Mechanism.

During his visit, the Registrar held high-level meetings with senior officials of the Rwandan Government, including the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda, Mr. Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe; the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Rwanda, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja; and the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Rwanda, Mrs. Angélique Habyarimana.

The Registrar reaffirmed the Mechanism’s continued engagement with the Rwandan authorities and conveyed its profound appreciation to the Government for ensuring continuity of medical and psychosocial support services to victims and witnesses after the Mechanism’s Kigali Field Office ceased activities on 31 August 2024 and closed following completion of the liquidation exercise on 18 October 2024. The successful transfer of witness support services followed several productive meetings of the joint working group of representatives from the Mechanism’s Registry and Rwanda and the judicial order issued by a Single Judge of the Mechanism to partially vary the protective measures of consenting victims and witnesses.

The Registrar also emphasized the importance of sustained collaboration with the Rwandan authorities to preserve the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Mechanism. He further underscored Mechanism’s role in supporting national jurisdictions and promoting reconciliation, particularly by enhancing access to the archives, providing certified judicial records, and facilitating the testimony of witnesses in national courts.

The Registrar also met with the President and Executive Secretary of IBUKA, the association of Genocide survivors in Rwanda. Registrar Tambadou discussed the ongoing collaboration with IBUKA and reiterated the Mechanism’s unwavering commitment to supporting victims and witnesses.