23.12.06 - RWANDA/GACACA - A GENOCIDE SUSPECT MURDERS HIS WIFE

Kigali, December 22 2006 (FH) - A genocide suspect, Célestin Uwanyiligira, a native of the district of Shyorongi in the northern province, killed his wife in the night of Wednesday 6th to Thursday 7th December. He dreaded she might inherit his goods if ever he was put in prison, a source from the local administration has declared. After a clash with his wife Pélagie Mukangabo during the night, the man fetched his machete and cut her in pieces before he was stopped by neighbors who called the police, the same source has reported. According to the local authorities, Uwanyiligira murdered his wife on the eve of his scheduled appearance before the gacaca tribunal of his Cell. He did nevertheless appear in court and has been condemned to 28 years in prison for his participation in the 1994 genocide. He should be judged by a conventional tribunal for the murder of his wife, a crime he admits having committed, the local police has communicated. Célestin Uwanyiligira and Pélagie Mukangabo were legally married; the couple has a daughter. Popular gacaca tribunals are in charge of judging the majority of alleged criminals suspected of having participated in the genocide which, according to the Rwandan authorities, made almost one million victims in 1994, most of them members of the Tutsi community. ER/PB/MG © Hirondelle News Agency