Arusha, February 7th 2005 (FH) - A prosecution witness in the trial involving four former Rwandan army officers accused of genocide before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), on Monday claimed that she heard the former chief of staff of the Gendarmerie (Para-military police), General Augustin Ndindiliyimana, searching for Tutsis in Butare.

The eighth prosecution witness, a Tutsi, code-named ANB, testified that during Rwandan genocide she took refuge in the house of one Charles Kabeza in Nyaruhengeri, Butare (South).

ANB testified that while in Kabeza’s house on the 23rd and 24th of April, 1994 she heard Ndindiliyimana lecturing Kabeza: “You are hiding Tutsis”.

Kabeza denied hiding Tutsis and according to the witness, “a few minutes later, Ndindiliyimana drove away”.

After that incident, Kabeza took the witness to his brother’s place, because “Kabeza’s house was visited regularly by local and high authorities”.

This trial known as Military II started on September 20, 2004. Ndindiliyimana is accused with former commander of the Reconnaissance battalion, Major François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, his deputy Captain Innocent Sagahutu and the former army chief-of-staff of the Rwandan army General Augustin Bizimungu.

ANB completed her testimony. The cross-examination could not start because Ndindiliyimana’s lawyer Christopher Black (Canada) was unwell. Presiding Judge Joseph Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka announced that the trial would proceed on Tuesday.

The four military officers are accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. They have all pleaded not guilty.

SV/AT/GF/FH (MLII''’0207e)