Rwanda football federation is planning to organise a Genocide memorial tournament for regional national teams in June, the federation Secretary General Henry Muhire has revealed. The national football governing body has never organised a tournament in memory of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi but in 2017 Rwanda played some friendly matches as part of commemorating victims of the Genocide. Muhire said the challenge in recent years was that it was difficult to fit in a schedule for a commemoration tournament for all teams in the country. “We are planning how we can organise this event next year; we are looking at how we can arrange a worthwhile event,” Muhire said. The Rwandan football fraternity was deeply affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed an undocumented number of players, coaches, administrators, and fans. So far, over 70 victims have been identified; some teams that lost players include Mukura, SC Kiyovu, Rayon Sports, Panthère Noire, Etincelles, Gishamvu, Mukungwa, Terminus, and Kilo Volte. When the league returns on April 15, Ferwafa will ask all teams and fans to take a minute to remember victims and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Since 1995, only Mukura Victory Sport has organized memorial tournaments in honor of their players, officials, and fans, who died during the genocide, but due to lack of funds, the tournament has not been held for the last five years.
