Rwanda, Malawi sign extradition treaty
Rwanda Police and Malawi Police Service (MPS) have signed an extradition treaty that will see their countries surrendering suspected criminals to each other for prosecution.
Visiting Rwandan Police Inspector General (IG) Dan Munyuza and MPS IG George Kainja signed the treaty on Monday in Lilongwe.
The Rwadan Police chief is on a week-long visit at Kainja’s invitation.
Said Munyuza: “In March 2019 we had a bilateral meeting in Lilongwe which culminated into the signing of a memorandum of understanding to formalise our working relationship in joint training, operations, tracking and exchange of criminals, combating terrorism, and cybercrimes.”
He said the treaty entails that no person can commit a crime in Rwanda and find safety in Malawi and vice versa.
Said Munyuza: “There is no need for Rwandans to seek refugee or asylum in Malawi. Rwanda is a peaceful and secure country.
“Whoever wants to return home is welcome and those wishing to stay in Malawi and do business are free to do so.”
He also offered MPS to send officers for training courses underway next week, saying the Rwandan Government will take care of the expenses.
On his part, Kainja said the meeting is crucial as the two countries have similar crime threats.
He said: “We have looked at how best we can combat terrorism and share intelligence information to deter extremism like in the case of Mozambique.
“We have also deepened our cooperation in training through exchange programmes.”
Kainja also said they discussed the situation of Rwandans in Malawi.
He, however, could not comment on the Rwandans who are afraid of returning home because of political persecution based on ethnicity.
“What I can say is that when I visited Rwanda in June, I observed that Rwanda is a peaceful country. But for those Rwandans seeking asylum in the country, we will ensure they are protected,” said Kainja.
