MUSANZE - At least 19 students at Islamic Secondary School-ESIR in Musanze town were admitted at Ruhengeri Hospital after suffering from trauma.

The incident, which paralysed activities at the school for hours occurred after the students had participated in a march to remember genocide victims on Friday.

The school had organised a week-long commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and took part in a walk-to-remember to the area’s memorial site.

 When news of trauma spread to the neighbouring Muhoza Secondary School, 12 students were also traumatised.

When The New Times visited the two schools, some students lay strewn on the ground, as others screamed and cried, as friends and counsellors attempted to comfort them.

Schools authorities later decided to send all students home, as counsellors and teachers attended to the affected ones.

"When the students here saw their colleagues being carried away while traumatised, they were affected. We have decided to send them home,’’ Fidel Nkurikiyinka, the Headmaster of Muhoza Secondary School said.

Ruhengeri Hospital medics said the students, who were admitted were out of danger after receiving treatment.

During the commemoration week last April, students undertook lessons on unity and reconciliation, fighting the Genocide ideology and Rwandan history.

"We should look beyond, what happened, because we are one person, people should not identify themselves as Hutu or Tutsi,’’ said Nadia Umulisa a S.4 student.

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