A witness who was expected to appear at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)in Arusha, Tanzania, has been murdered in cold blood, the state-run Radio Rwanda reported Thursday.

Reports said that the victim Bosco Nyemanzi, resident of Kaduhadistrict in Gikongoro province south of Rwanda, was a former genocide convict. He was murdered Tuesday when unknown men broke into his house late at night and hit him several times with metallic bars.

It is said he was targeted since he was due to testify against a suspect at the ICTR.

Police has arrested Ana Marie Mukashema, wife to the deceased, who is suspected to have connived with others still at large in the murder plot.

The murder has attracted attention of several government officials, including Internal Affairs Minister Christophe Bazivamoand Justice Minister Edda Mukabagwiza, who made an immediate fact-finding visit to the area together with Commissioner General of Police Frank Mugambage and Prosecutor General Jean du-Dieu Mucyo.

They addressed residents at Kaduha district headquarters, whom they assured of security, and said further investigation will be continued.

Bazivamo advised Kaduha residents to cooperate with police and local authorities and report anyone suspected of engaging in divisive tendencies, reported the radio.

"Those people who choose to murder others in order to hide their roles in the 1994 genocide, are just adding more offenses totheir crimes and government will not hesitated to arrest and charge them," the radio quoted Bazivamo, but said the task requires joint efforts with the general public.

Several cases of killings have been registered in the past fewmonth mainly targeting the 1994 survivors who currently give testimonies of what happened in genocide.

Source: Xinhua