ICC urged to prosecute Rwanda's Kagame for 'war crimes'

Opponents of Rwanda's long-time President Paul Kagame asked the International Criminal Court Friday to pursue him over war crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
 

A spokeswoman for the ICC prosecutor's office confirmed it had received a request to prosecute Mr Kagame but stressed the court handled "hundreds" of similar communications a year with equal treatment.
 

In June UN experts in a report accused President Kagame of supporting with arms and ammunition rebels of the March 23 (M23) movement, which is fighting government troops in the DR Congo.
 

Kigali has denied the charge.
 

M23 has been fighting the Congolese army since April after a mutiny was spurred by Tutsi army general Bosco Ntaganda, nicknamed "The Terminator", against whom the ICC issued a fresh arrest warrant last month.
 

"We are asking the prosecutor to indict Paul Kagame," said Mr Nkiko Nsengimana, a coordinator of Rwanda's United Democratic Forces (FDU) party.
 

The FDU is the party of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire and is not recognised by Kigali.
 

Close to 100 protesters gathered outside the ICC's heavily-fortified building in The Hague where they chanted slogans such as "Kagame, assassin!" and "Kagame under arrest".
 

"The M23 is simply a Rwandan army," Mr Nsengimana added, calling President Kagame "its supreme leader".