Dilapidated memorial sites to be rehabilitated

RWAMAGANA – District officials at a security meeting on Tuesday asked local leaders to rehabilitate all dilapidated memorial sites in the district as part of activities to mark this year’s Genocide commemoration period. It was also revealed that remains of hundreds of genocide victims would be given decent reburial. Odette Kayirire, the AVEGA-Agahozo coordinator in the Eastern Province, called for proper maintenance of memorial sites. “We have to see to it that memorial sites are in proper conditions. This should be everybody’s challenge as we speak,” she said. “We have to be careful too, as we advise the survivors during this memorial period; our counsellors must also be ready to handle any arising trauma cases.” Emmanuel Rwakayigamba, the Executive Secretary of Munyiginya sector, lamented that memorial sites in the area were in a sorry state. “Genocide sites in Munyiginya are in deplorable state…I think something must be done to re-locate the remains to other better sites,” he said. Muyumbo genocide memorial site, the first to be used for decent re-burial in the country, is also in appalling condition- it’s at the verge of collapse, it emerged. The district Executive Secretary, Geoffrey Mushaija disclosed that work would start this week on the site which recently collapsed. This year’s commemoration will be marked under the theme: “Lets remember the Genocide against the Tutsi by caring for the traumatised and fight genocide ideology.” Ends