By Kariuki wa Mureithi BBC, Nairobi

The United States Government has announced an "aggressive and targeted" campaign to apprehend the prime suspects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

US Ambassador at Large for War Issues Pierre-Richard Prosper kicked off the hunt by offering a reward of up to $5m for information leading to the capture of Felicien Kabuga.

We are... willing to pay up to US$5 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction

Pierre-Richard Prosper

He is accused of being the main financier of the Intarahamwe militia who killed 800,000 of Rwanda's men, women and children in 100 days of terror.

"It is now time to bring Kabuga to justice. It is time for Kabuga to come out of hiding and face the charges against him", said Mr Prosper.

The ambassador disclosed that Mr Kabuga was a frequent visitor to Kenya, and urged members of the public who may have information on him to report to the embassy.

"We are determined to bring him to justice and are willing to pay up to US$5 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction," Mr Prosper said.

Spreading the net

The US State Department has posted advertisements in the Daily Nation and the East African Standard newspapers, offering a cash reward for information leading to the apprehension of the fugitive millionaire and other genocide suspects.

Mr Prosper is due to meet President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday.

Kabuga is a frequent visitor to Kenya

This meeting is intended to spread the search for genocide suspects to DR Congo.

He said the US delegation would be taking a message to Mr Kabila: "If you are seriously committed to working with us, then help us."

The US envoy said that eight suspects indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) were presently in the DR Congo.

Kenya's Attorney-General, Amos Wako, conceded that the Kenyan police and ICTR investigators had unsuccessfully made joint attempts to arrest Mr Kabuga.

He explained that it is impossible to freeze Mr Kabuga's assets in Kenya because there was no provision for such a move in Kenyan law.