The investigators graduated last week after a two-week course in genocide or mass crime investigations. Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the 237th US independence celebrations in Gaborone last Thursday, Stephen Rapp, an international prosecutor said that the 40 investigators were in Botswana to get skills to investigate and prosecute cases of massive killings and how to handle them before they become a crisis.He said that investigations have in the past proved inadequate in gathering the necessary evidence for a trial.
Rapp, a US ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues said that Botswana has shown the international community that it does not condone any human rights abuses.“Botswana is a country that stands up strong and talks when innocent men, women and children are victimised, it doesn’t make any difference whether it is somebody from the north or the south, who is responsible and needs to be held to account.“That is why we are here for two weeks with 40 investigators from across African countries - Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Rwanda and Botswana,” he said.
