EASTERN PROVINCE

BUGESERA — Gaspard Musonera the Mayor of Bugesera, on Monday night urged youth to work hard and contribute to the national development.

Speaking during the Genocide memorial, vigil night at Nyamata site, Musonera said that Rwanda needs the efforts from young people if it is develop and meet her targets of vision 2020.

He added that the young people should also work hand with leaders from different authorities to uproot the genocide ideologies in the country.

The mayor was speaking to over 500 people who had come to remember their parents, brothers, sisters and relatives who were massacred in Bugesera during 1994 genocide.

However, the youth had a big percent of the gathering. He noted that past regimes used to influence the young people with hatred and divisionism among them selves.

"It was not a surprise that most youth put into practice what they had been told for decades", the Mayor said

He said that the past regimes started influencing young people when they were in nursery, primary, secondary and at university level. He also added that some were told by their parents that Tutsi are murderers so associating with them would be associating with snakes.

Musonera told the gathering to forget about the past and focus on unity and reconciliation.

"Since you are energetic, you have to work and help the old people in this area who have no children. It would be so embarrassing to find a young man or woman neighbouring an old man or woman who has no shelter or clothes", he said.

He further said that as Rwanda went through the 100 horrific days of the genocide, Bugesera had already suffered the worst and most consistent massacres in earlier years including the years 1959, 1962, 1972 and 1992.

However, mayor added that despite Bugesera being the epicentre of the 1994 genocide, the district is now progressing in different activities of economic development.

He stressed that some activities including the building of over 1400 houses for genocide survivors, improving the level of education, health centres, agricultural activities, environment protection, investment and cooperatives are still going on.

Col. John Bosco Mulisa told the young people at the site to be ready to fight for their country and fight any person who intends to disrupt their peace and democracy that they are enjoying.

Mulisa told the gathering not to accept any person who tries to divide them basing on the tribe basis. Saying that divisionism basing on tribe, clan, religion were the causes of genocide in Rwanda.

He also urged Bugesera people to keep focusing on economic development that will yield them wealth and forget all bad acts that would lead them into robbery.

Bugesera district or former commune Kanzenze lost over 62,000(over half of its population) in 1994 genocide, hence becoming the hardest hit district in the whole of Rwanda.

Ends