On 27 June 2009 the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda transferred nine prisoners from the UN Detention Facility in Arusha to Cotonou, Republic of Benin, to serve the remainder of their sentences. The transfer follows the decisions signed on 18 May 2009 by the President of the ICTR Sir Dennis Byron, in which he requested the Registrar to effect the transfer of the nine prisoners from UNDF to the Republic of Benin.

The convicts concerned are: Georges Rutaganda, Gerard Ntakirutimana, Juvenal Kajelijeli, Emmanuel Ndindabahizi, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Aloys Simba, Juvenal Rugambarara, Athanase Seromba and François Karera.

Rutaganda was sentenced to life imprisonment on 6 December 1999 while Kajelijeli was sentenced to 45 years imprisonment on 1 December 2003. He is due for discharge from prison on 25 May 2043. Ntakirutimana was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on 19 February 2003 and is due for discharge from prison on 23 October 2021. Ndindabahizi was sentenced to life imprisonment on 15 July 2004.

Barayagwiza was sentenced to 32 years imprisonment on 03 December 2003. He is due for discharge from prison on 19 March 2028 and Simba was on 13 December 2005 sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and is due for discharge from prison on 19 March 2028. Rugambarara was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment on 16 November 2007, and is due for discharge from prison on 10 August 2014; and Seromba and Karera were on 12 March 2008 and on 7 December 2007 respectively sentenced to life imprisonment.

The prisoners arrived in Cotonou on the same day and were received by the Prison Authorities of the Republic of Benin. After the hand-over, the prisoners were moved to Akpro-Missérété Prison at Port-Novo.