The international community on Thursday expressed hope that Felicien Kabuga, the most-wanted Rwandan genocide suspect, will soon be arrested to face genocide charges before a tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania.

In a joint statement issued in Nairobi after a series of meeting in Kenya, several diplomatic missions and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) Chief Prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow urged the Kenyan government to not only arrest Kabuga who has a five million U.S. dollars bounty on his head, but also seize his assets.

"We are hopeful that these efforts will soon bear fruit with the apprehension and prosecution of Kabuga before the ICTR," they said in a joint statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Nairobi.

Reports are rife that some of Kabuga's assets are in Kenya, a country accused of hiding Kabuga for many years. Kenya has however repeatedly denied the fugitive's presence.

"Jallow and supporting diplomatic missions appreciate Kenya's commitment to pursue all available leads in this case, including through the investigation of suspected associates of Kabuga; investigation and, where appropriate, seizure of assets and provision of any records relating to the suspect's movements into and out of Kenya," the statement said.

Tribunal investigators as well as some of the foreign missions in Kenya have in the past expressed concern at what they say the collusion between the country's political leadership and security forces to shield the fugitive.

"The ICTR has been tracking Kabuga for several years and believes he is a regular visitor to Kenya. Kabuga has been under indictment by the ICTR since 1997," the team said in the statement.

Sources said the Kenyan leadership is taking up steps to investigate the alleged existence of assets belonging to the most wanted Rwandan genocide fugitive, with a view of attaching them.

Kabuga allegedly helped finance the 1994 genocide, which claimed the lives of 937,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, according to Rwandan government estimates.

Kenyan police spokesman Gideon Kibunja said that if the police knew where Kabuga was then they would arrest him. "Rather than making public statements it would be more useful if the prosecutor could present us with information," Kibunja said.

Source: Xinhua