U.S. revives reward plan for Rwanda suspects

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States announced on Monday it had revived a program offering rewards of up to $5 million a head for information leading to the arrest of 13 suspects in Rwanda's genocide.

Called the "Rewards for Justice" program, it offers bounties to bring to justice those most responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, said the State Department.

But in recent years the program lost its impetus and the goal is to relaunch the plan, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, where most of the fugitives are believed to be hiding.

Senior State Department officials said the campaign aimed to secure the arrest of 13 people indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The court, based in Tanzania, is trying architects of the genocide.

The Rwanda court is expected to wind up its work this year and the renewed rewards program is aimed at trying to get hold of as many suspects as possible before then.

"Their continuing presence in the region represents a threat to stability and reconciliation," said Clint Williamson, U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues.

Posters and other materials advertising rewards will be distributed in the DRC. In addition, a 24-hour telephone hotline had been set up listing numbers both internationally and locally. Details are available on www.rewardsforjustice.net.

"We look forward to seeing the results from this campaign. We believe it will accelerate the process of bringing to justice those most responsible for these horrible crimes," said Williamson.

Among those sought are former government ministers and Felicien Kabuga, who is accused of providing logistical support to the so-called Interahamwe militias. His last whereabouts are believed to be Kenya, which last week froze his assets in the country.

Kabuga, a wealthy Hutu businessman, is accused of bankrolling Rwandan militias who killed some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 100 days of bloodshed in 1994.

(Reporting by Sue Pleming, Editing by Sandra Maler)