RUHANGO - The Minister of Youth, Protais Mitali, has condemned residents of Kinazi sector, Ruhango District, for downplaying the importance of unity and reconciliation and Gacaca courts.

Mitali noted that Kinazi residents have not provided much information on what happened during the Genocide which has affected the progress of Gacaca courts in the area, compared to others places.

The Youth Minister made the remarks, last Saturday, during the reburial of remains of 110 genocide victims which were recently exhumed from the area to be accorded decent burial.

Remains of 103 were exhumed from one pit in Rusonga cell and the rest found within the sector.  
"Gacaca progress has been very slow in Kinazi and it is shameful for some of us who were born in this area,” Mitali said.

"We have failed in programmes of unity and reconciliation; and lagged behind in completing the process of according Genocide victims a decent burial.” 

The Minister also expressed concerns over the poor attendance of burial ceremonies, condemning residents for not embracing government programmes of rebuilding the society.

"We cannot rebuild this society unless we overcome the problems caused by the Genocide. These victims of Genocide are fellow Rwandans and it is part of our culture for the whole community to get involved in the burial of their own,” he said.

Josée Ntakirutimana, the IBUKA representative in Kinazi, also condemned the residents for keeping silent over the whereabouts of remains of Genocide victims for the last 16 years. She requested for a fresh process on information gathering in Kinazi Gacaca courts.

"It is incomprehensible to see that 103 bodies were found in a single pit, near people’s homes, yet nobody ever provided information that led to the discovery of those bodies,” she said.

The reburial was also attended by various Members of Parliament, who also requested residents to stop concealing information on Genocide and playing down efforts of unity and reconciliation.

Genocide survivors reaffirmed their commitment to live with hope and called for more community support to bring to justice those who participated in the killings.

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