British police review investigation into five men accused of involvement in Rwanda genocide

Rwandan authorities have asked British police to investigate five men over the country's genocide

 A woman carrying her child looks at the wall of victims' names as Rwanda marks the 25th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 8, 2019.AFP 

British police are reviewing allegations against five men accused by Rwanda of being involved in the country's 1994 genocide.

The investigation comes two days after the 25th anniversary of the massacre.

The Metropolitan Police's War Crimes Unit said it received a request from Rwandan authorities in January to investigate five men.

"Documentation relevant to this request has been passed to the War Crimes Unit and the unit is currently assessing this material," it said.

About 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were beaten, shot, or killed with machetes by Hutu extremists in a massacre that lasted for 100 days.

In 2015, a British court denied a Rwandan extradition request for the five men - Vincent Brown, Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo, Celestin Ugirashebuja and Celeste Mutabaruka - citing human rights concerns.

They are accused by Rwandan authorities of genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity, conspiracy to murder, forming a criminal gang and inciting disorder. The men have denied any involvement in the killings.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a commission of historians and researchers that will study state archives to clarify France's actions during the genocide.