Kwibohora24: the little-known war monument with a powerful story

It is 10 o’clock as we depart from our office located at Gishushu, heading towards Nyarutarama, an affluent Kigali suburb. We ascend towards a seemingly hilly area surpassing the bustling town of Kinyinya before descending to Kagugu. This is our final destination for the assignment at hand. It is here that President Paul Kagame decided to deliver his address to residents, during the commemoration of the nineteenth Liberation Day back in 2013. However, what is little-known is that this place hosts unique war memorial monuments showcasing the history of the liberation struggle, and the spirit of Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA). This memorial is located in Rukinga, Kagugu cell in Kinyinya sector, Gasabo district. It exhibits two different monuments; one is an obsolete armoured fighting vehicle (tank), and another one bears two soldiers with one soldier firing a machine gun. The tank was neutralised by RPA soldiers who, according to different sources and people in this area, were living under cover at a nearby home of local businessman Egide Gatera. According to Augustin Kwitonda, who regularly guides people at this yet-to-be-completed memorial, the old tank belonged to the ex-FAR, the former government forces who used it to kill the people who had sought refuge in the neighbourhood. Kwitonda is a 36-year-old genocide survivor who was born in this area. He is currently the chairperson of Ibuka in Kagugu cell, where his family lived before the Genocide. Even though he did not physically see the militias who had planned to kill Tutsis that were hiding in the neighborhoods, he knows a thing or two about the story of this place. “During the Genocide, my family and I lived in this suburb. When tensions erupted and the Interahamwe began killings, some of our families managed to flee but others failed, and instead decided to fight back until Inkotanyi came to save us,” he narrates. “I did not witness the ex-FAR soldiers coming, but we heard the shootings from where we were hiding, and in the following hours were informed that the RPA soldiers had neutralised the heavy artillery that the militias had brought to kill Tutsis who were living in Kagugu,” he adds. Kwitonda recalls two known heads of militias in this area, both of whom he says were closely involved in the training of Interahamwe militias during their time; one identified as Ndahiro and another one called Francois Kimenyi. “The two mobilised killings of Tutsis even before the full-scale Genocide took place. But because we had unity in this area, it was quite hard for them to penetrate us,” he says, adding that they suspected they are the ones that requested the militias bring the heavy artillery to exterminate the entire community. Just 15-minute drive away from where Kwitonda lives, is Elias Munyandanguza, who is in his 80s and has lived here for most of his lifetime. “I have lived here since I was young. I witnessed all the social struggles that most of our people went through,” he tells me as he ushers me into his house located in what was known as Giheka village back then. Munyandanguza confirms he personally witnessed two tanks coming with two buses and about three motorcycles carrying militiamen. “When they arrived at the crossroads of Rukombe in Kinyinya, they stopped and parked under the big tree that was nearby. But RPA soldiers had already seen them and they fired the front vehicle. Others retreated immediately,” he explains. According to him, RPA soldiers had arrived in the morning hours on Monday. But the militias had no clue about their arrival in the area. Officials at Gasabo district, who are currently finalising the building activities of this memorial, believe this memorial will preserve, conserve and showcase the history of the place. “It particularly represents the history of the rescue mission carried out by the RPA as well as the spirit of the citizens who lived in this area,” one official said. But this monument is part of the bigger story that shows the resilience of the people who lived in Kinyinya sector both before, during and after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Inside the rescue mission Munyandanguza thinks the history of Kinyinya is a unique one as it depicts the perseverance, unity and the resilience of the people who lived in this area for many years. According to him, before and during the Genocide, Kinyinya residents lived in harmony. “Whether a Hutu or a Tutsi, we all lived together sharing everything even during that time when political leaders tried to manipulate people. Residents here hardly fought with each other,” he narrates. “In 1994, some who were convinced enough by the militia leaders separated from us and joined the movement of killers. But because we had strong bond, we came together and drew a plan on how we could resist those who were fighting us,” he adds. Munyandanguza particularly recalls an important rescue mission that he believes saved many of them. He says residents came together and gathered at Giheka hill and began fighting the militias using stones. At that time, militias would attack us from Kabuye, Gikomero, Batsinda and Gisozi areas. We were very few but determined to survive and deal with the enemies from all the sides they were attacking us from,” he explains. During the night, he says that they could hide in the compound of one of the Hutu residents who was living with them. “He had dug a trnch behind his houses, and we could hide there every night. Fortunately, by the time things were getting worse, RPA soldiers had already arrived in the area,” he notes, adding that this is how most of the residents survived. Despite the resilience, however, some of the residents did not have a chance to survive through that struggle. At the moment, sector authorities are trying to document families whose members perished during the war. Kwitonda told The New Times that there are currently more than 25 families from this village whose members were killed, and that the exercise to gather more information was underway. Once completed, their names will be inscribed on the memorial to recognize and remember them, but also preserve the unique history of this area.

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Kwibohora24: the little-known war monument with a powerful story