Lt. Gen. Abdulhaman Shimbo, the deputy chief of staff of the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force (TPDF), was left a distraught man, yesterday, after touring Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, due to memories of what he saw during the country’s darkest chapter. He was accompanied by several Tanzanian military officers. Shimbo, who has been in Rwanda for the just-concluded EAC military drills, said he personally witnessed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, from the Tanzanian side of the border where he was deployed at the time.
Lt. Gen. Abdulhaman Shimbo, the deputy chief of staff of the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force (TPDF), was left a distraught man, yesterday, after touring Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, due to memories of what he saw during the country’s darkest chapter.
He was accompanied by several Tanzanian military officers.
Shimbo, who has been in Rwanda for the just-concluded EAC military drills, said he personally witnessed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, from the Tanzanian side of the border where he was deployed at the time.
"I saw it with my own eyes. It was extremely tragic and I am very sympathetic with those who endured this tragedy. Between 8th and 10th of April, 1994 I was at Rusumo (border post), and I witnessed many dead bodies floating in Akagera River,” Gen. Shimbo said after touring the memorial. He broke down and could not utter another word.
During the Genocide, thousands of Tutsis were dumped in many rivers and lakes across the country. The Akagera River lies along the border between Rwanda and Tanzania.
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