Karongi honours 3,000 missing victims of the Genocide

NGORORERO- The remains of about 3,000 victims that have never been recovered since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis were honoured in Karongi District over the weekend. Thousands of mourners turned up to honour the victims who were recently listed by friends and relatives who survived the Genocide. It is estimated that close to 4,000 victims of the Genocide have never been found with most of them believed to have perished in Bisesero, while others were dumped in Lake Kivu after being killed. Mourners especially the survivors gave testimonies of their experience during the Genocide. Augustine Muhirwa, one of the survivors recounted how his whole family perished, yet their remains have never been recovered. “Attackers could not hold back their urge to kill everyone in my family, but I survived because I had fled to one of the islands on Lake Kivu,” he sorrowfully recalled. Addressing mourners shortly after leading a walk to remember, Provincial Governor Celestin Kabahizi affirmed commitment to search and find all those whose remains are still at large. “It’s only 17 years ago and so many broken hearts still bear the pain, but we will all will work together to find those remains still missing while fostering unity and reconciliation,” Kabahizi said. Bernard Kayumba, the Mayor of Karongi, acknowledged the role of the youth in rebuilding the country in the aftermath of the Genocide. “When people of this young generation combine efforts to remember those who perished in 1994, it shows that there is hope for a brighter future,” he said. Ends

National

Karongi honours 3,000 missing victims of the Genocide