WESTERN PROVINCE

RUSIZI — Remains of 838 victims of the 1994 Genocide were over the weekend given a decent burial in Kanigi Cell, Giheke Sector in Rusizi District.

The burial ceremony was attended by multitudes of mourners at a new Genocide memorial site and was presided over by Theogene Nkuranga, the district’s vice mayor in charge of economic affairs.

Nkuranga castigated the former regime of president Juvenal Habyarimana which created and promoted divisionism among Rwandans that led to the Genocide.

"The killings of Rwandan sons and daughters should never be tolerated again in the history of our country. We should work by all means to eliminate existing genocide ideology that caused such unspeakable loss,” he said.

"The church here should work hard hand in hand with the Government to change the society but we should not also forget that all this was caused by poor governance of the former Rwandan president Habyarimana” Nkuranga said.

He consoled those whose relatives were among the victims that were laid to rest that day, and encouraged them to embrace unity and reconciliation, and to speak the truth in Gacaca courts.

The deputy RDF commander in Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts, Col. Evariste Murenzi warned people who still harass Genocide survivors and witnesses. He called on the public to reports cases of Genocide ideology to authorities.

"The war of bullets ended and it is now a war of uprooting Genocide ideology and its associates that caused the 1994 Genocide.

This would be achieved when all of you as Rwandans have stood up to fight against  the causes and effects of the Genocide countrywide,” Col. Murenzi said.

He also asked participants to always provide any help to survivors especially those who are vulnerable and to keep security for them.

The remains were collected from the former sectors of Isha, Munyove, Shagasha, Ntura and Nyamuhunga sectors.
Monique Kankera, the president of Avega-Agahozo, an umbrella of Genocide survivors in Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts, said that there are more Genocide victims who are not yet buried and called upon Rusizi district authorities and the government to organise their burial.

She also called for construction of houses for survivors who don’t have where to live in the region.

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