Rwanda says open to Congo warlord Nkunda extradition

Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:19pm GMT

[-] Text [+]

* Laurent Nkunda under house arrest in Rwanda since 2009

* Rwanda says extradition possible, but no death penalty

* Rwanda worried about impact decision may have on stability

By John Irish

PARIS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Rwanda is open to extraditing Congolese warlord Laurent Nkunda as long as he does not face the death penalty in his homeland, ministers said on Monday.

The former leader of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), a rebel force that repeatedly routed Democratic Republic of Congo's army, has been held under house arrest in Rwanda since 2009.

"We are talking to the Congolese authorities with regard to his extradition, but it is difficult," Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of a state visit by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

"It's difficult for us to extradite a person to a country that has not abolished the death penalty even with certain guarantees," she said. Continued...

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