THE Rwandan former mayor convicted of war crimes by a Swiss court martial last week has appealed against his life sentence, the court said on Tuesday.Fulgence Niyonteze (35) who was found guilty on Friday of murder, attempted murder and violations of Geneva conventions — charges relating to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda — is expected to receive a decision on his appeal by year-end and will remain in detention in the interim.Niyonteze, who denied the charges, was mayor of Mushubati, 80km west of Kigali, at the time of the massacres of some 800000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus by Hutu extremists.He fled to Switzerland in October 1994, but he was arrested in August 1996 after accusations were made against him.