PM raps local leaders over killings of Genocide survivors

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE—Prime Minister Bernard Makuza has expressed concern over the continued loss of innocent lives in the province through murderous acts perpetuated by people still harbouring Genocide ideology.A stupefied, visibly infuriated Makuza was presiding over a function assessing third-phase performance contracts, said the loss of lives, specifically Genocide survivors, was inexcusable. “We can not talk of development when we still have people taking the lives of others at will. No one has a right to take the life of the other,” said Makuza.The Prime Minister’s strongly-worded speech comes at the heels of yet another murder of a Genocide survivor in Karama Sector and reported threats on the life of another survivor in Mukura sector in just two days.On Monday, October 15, Paul Rutayisire, a Kabulemera Gacaca court president, and vice-president of the association of Genocide survivors in Karama sector was brutally murdered.His death follows that of two other elderly Genocide survivors murdered in Gisagara district.Makuza implored police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the Genocide survivors and other individuals and warned that local leaders who will be found to have neglected there duties will be dealt with accordingly.“I do not want to bias police investigations but I want to know if there were threats to the lives of the deceased and if so what the local authorities did to address these concerns,” said Makuza.In his presentation on the state of the Province, the Provincial Governor Fidele Ndayisaba said that cases of murder was unfortunate, especially as the Province was embarking on development activities.He said that a number of arrests had been made that police had lodged a fully-fledged investigation into the deaths.Ends