Between a rock and a hard place: the case of Emmanuel Karenzi

Seeking justice for the victims of genocide and mass human rights abuses can be tricky enough when the perpetrators are protected by their home countries, but what about when they are protecting victims of other genocides? In an LA Times editorial, authors David B. Rivkin, Jr and Lee A. Casey bring to light the case of Emmanuel Karenzi, deputy commander of the hybrid United Nations/African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID. Karenzi has been accused of human rights atrocities during the Rwandan genocide even as he has commanded the Darfur peacekeeping mission.

Karenzi commanded a group of Tutsi rebels during the 1994 Rwanda genocide, when hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by the dominant Hutu majority in the country. Karenzi is accused of allowing his troops to commit reprisal killings against Hutu civilians in acts of revenge in response the Tutsi slaughter.

Earlier this year, a Spanish court indicted Karenzi for offenses in Rwanda, both for the slaughter of Spanish nationals and for the Hutu victims of the soldiers' reprisals. The indictment is being carried out under the concept of universal jurisdiction, under which countries can prosecute nationals of other countries if their judicial system fails to address their crimes.

As calls among European leaders to remove Karenzi have emerged, Rwandan president Paul Kagame has threatened to withdraw Rwanda's entire troop contingent from UNAMID if Karenzi is replaced--3,000 of the currently deployed 10,000 UNAMID soldiers. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has offered to retain Karenzi for an additional six months as Deputy Commander and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has thrown in her support for Karenzi. What do you think?

Does Karenzi's service to the civilians of Darfur justify ignoring the possibiity that he may have engaged in the very crimes he is currently in charge of trying to stop? Does the need for justice outweigh his contributions to protecting Darfuris from the genocidal actions of their own government? Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think.