The official mourning week came to a close yesterday with the annual laying of wreaths on the tombs of politicians who died during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The short ceremony took place at Rebero Hill and was presided over by the Senate president Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, in the presence of senior government religious officials and families of the politicians.

Twelve politicians from various political parties are buried at the site. They include Landouard Ndasingwa, commonly known as Lando, Venantie Kabageni, Charles Kayiranga, André Kameya, Aloys Niyoyita, Augustin Rwayitare, and Jean de la Croix Rutaremara, all from the Liberal Party (PL). Others are Joseph Kavaruganda, former supreme court president, Frederic Nzamurambaho, Felicien Ngango and Jean Baptiste Mushimiyimana, from (PSD), and Faustin Rucogoza of MDR.

Former Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, who was assassinated at the beginning of the Genocide, is buried at the Heroes Corner in Remera

In attendance was the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Margaret Nantongo Zziwa from Uganda. Zziwa on Friday blamed the United Nations for the failure of its mission – United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) – to protect Rwandans during the 1994 Genocide.

She was speaking at a night vigil to honour more than 4,000 Tutsis massacred at the Nyanza-Kicukiro Genocide Memorial Site.

Unlike the previous events where speeches were the order of the day, this time there were none, because the commemoration was being held at the village level. 

Despite the end of the official mourning period, other related activities will continue until early July.