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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2 cleared in general's shooting

2 cleared in general's shooting

Johannesburg - Charges against two people accused of involvement in the shooting of a former Rwandan general were dropped in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

"All six people that were arrested appeared in court but charges against two of them were withdrawn," said Gauteng police spokesperson Govindsamy Mariemuthoo.

He said the other four were remanded in police custody and would re-appear on June 29.

Lieutenant General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was wounded when he was shot outside his house in the luxury Melrose Arch estate in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Nyamwasa's wife, Rosette, called it an assassination attempt.

Nyamwasa had been in exile in South Africa since February.

On Tuesday, the department of justice said it was deciding whether South Africa should consider an extradition request for Nyamwasa.

Spokesperson Tlali Tlali said that Nyamwasa was granted asylum in South Africa, and the ministry was consulting the law to assess whether the country could extradite a person who had been granted asylum.

Tlali confirmed the Rwandan government had made an extradition request to the South African government.

He said while South Africa does not have an extradition treaty with Rwanda, such a request could still be considered.

Nyamwasa had been accused in his home country of trying to destabilise Rwanda while he was in the country and while he was in India, where he recently served as Rwanda's ambassador. He was also allegedly linked to three grenade attacks in Rwanda's capital.

The attacks in central Kigali reportedly killed one person and injured 30.

His wife Rosette told Sapa after his shooting on Saturday night that the Rwandan government had attempted to assassinate him, a charge the Rwandan government has denied.

- SAPA

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