Rwanda's supreme court ruled Friday it is not competent to hear a plea seeking the release of Laurent Nkunda, a former rebel chief in the Democratic Republic of Congo, held since January 2009.There are lots of lingering rumors about the two grenade attacks that rocked Kigali in the last six weeks. One of the most enduring suggests that the attacks were planned by pro-Nkunda elements of the RPF, with the goal of sending Kagame a message that they will not be ignored.
"The court ruled it is not competent and sent the case back to a military tribunal," Aime Bokanga, one of Nkunda's lawyers told AFP.
The court's argument is based on the military status of General James Kabarebe, Rwanda's chief of defence staff, designated as the person responsible for Nkunda's detention.
There's no solid evidence to back up this claim. What we do know is that Nkunda has a lot of allies in Rwanda's leadership and they have no intention of allowing him to stand trial in the DRC or at the ICC.
What does that say about today's ruling? Well, for one thing, the question of what to do with Nkunda won't be settled any time soon. I don't see how they have time to get it settled before Rwanda's election season begins in June, which may be just how everyone involved wants it.
There's still no word on Betty's fate.
