‘Never again’ should be a promise not a plea, says Rwandan minister

The phrase ‘Never Again’, to genocide and its ideology, should be a promise, not a plea, particularly for the younger generation born after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Marie-Solange Kayisire, the Minister of State for Local Government who also serves as first vice-chairperson of Unity Club-Intwararumuri, stressed on May 3. The younger generation especially need to fully understand the significance of the often-quoted phrase, Kayisire stated as members of Unity Club gathered at Murambi Genocide Memorial in Nyamagabe District, to commemorate and pay tribute to over 50,000 people killed in the region during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Murambi: Where the dead can be heard Murambi was part of the former Gikongoro prefecture, which has a history of massacres targeting the Tutsi since 1959. Kayisire said that “despite our daily repetition of the facts of history,” there are individuals persistently distorting and denying the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. She said: “To combat this, we must collectively seek truth and confront those who distort information, as this affects everyone. She reiterated the words of First Lady Jeannette Kagame, who noted that “we commemorate for we must; Genocide is not a badge of honour.” Kayisire stressed the importance of visiting genocide memorials like Murambi and paying tribute to the victims, most importantly by leaders as without their involvement in preparation and fuelling the Genocide, “it wouldn't have escalated to such horrific gravity.” Us leaders must understand our responsibility and demonstrate exemplary leadership that fosters unity and resilience among Rwandans, she emphasized. ALSO READ: First Lady urges youth to champion sustained national unity Murambi Genocide Memorial, a site of one of the most unforgettable horrors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, received a UNESCO World Heritage List inscription certificate on April 6. Other memorials on the world heritage list are Nyamata Genocide Memorial in Bugesera District, Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, and Bisesero Genocide Memorial in Karongi District. The memorial vividly shows evidence of how a once half-finished technical school, meant to nurture intellectuals became a massacre ground. During the genocide, many Tutsi sought refuge at the facility but found hell instead, enduring atrocities during the day and at night. The Tutsi were deceived by local leaders such as Laurent Bucyibaruta, then préfet of Gikongoro, along with a deputy préfet Frodouard Havugimana, and a deputy commander of the gendarmerie in Gikongoro. The latter instructed the establishment of roadblocks to control Tutsi movement, and bring them to one place so they could be easily massacred. On April 21, 1994, the genocidal army and Interahamwe militia moved in and killed more than 50,000 Tutsi. Juliet Mukakabanda, 60, a widow whose Tutsi husband was killed along with their two children in the genocide, recounted the horrors she lived through. At the time, unlike her husband and children, she was not targeted since she was not a Tutsi. Her husband's family members were also killed. The couple resided in Kabacuzi Cell, in Gikongoro Sector. Her husband, an orphan, had lost his father in 1963, she narrated. In the past, before they got married, her late husband had assured her that despite the ethnic divide and conflicts, their love was all that mattered. Mukakabanda had witnessed the killings of the Tutsi since childhood and she disagreed that President Juvenal Habyarimana's death, in April 1994, was the trigger of the genocide. She affirmed that the genocide was premeditated and attributed it to longstanding persecution and discrimination against the Tutsi due to bad politics. During the Genocide, she recalls, all Tutsi were escorted by Interahamwe militia from church to Murambi, following the orders of Felicien Semakwavu, the mayor of Nyamagabe commune, who was instructed by Laurent Bucyibaruta, the préfet of Gikongoro, to gather all Tutsi together under the pretence that they would be protected yet it was a ploy to easily massacre them. Later, after all the Tutsi, including her husband, had been massacred, Mukakabanda was allowed to leave but she was refused permission to take her then only surviving child. Luckily, she later, got “an unexpected opportunity,” and escaped with her child, despite threats from Interahamwe. The child eventually survived. ALSO READ: Being Rwandan transcends nationality – First Lady Veneranda Ingabire, the Executive Director of Memory and Genocide Prevention in the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), said: Remembrance is a ritual that we Rwandans have; to remember the history and build our future. We protect and prevent any kind of discrimination, and fight against the hate ideology that led to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. “This is one of the places where the former regime, in its policy of exterminating the Tutsi, had been attacking them until the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. Between 1960 and 1963, massacres against the Tutsi occurred in different parts of the country. In 1963, the killing intensified, spreading almost nationwide, especially in Gikongoro, Bugesera, Kibungo, Gitarama, Ruhengeri, Kibuye, and other places.” Ingabire said that at that time, foreigners living in Rwanda, foreign media, radio, and the international community recognized these killings as Genocide. Today, our progress comes from effective leadership; prioritizing Rwandan unity above everything else. This teaches us that while politics can be destructive, it also has the potential to constructively encourage the growth and development of society. As Intwararumuri, our duty as leaders is to prioritize the unity and welfare of Rwandans in all our endeavors, she noted. Unity Club was founded on February 28, 1996 by First Lady Jeannette Kagame.

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‘Never again’ should be a promise not a plea, says Rwandan minister