CLNG, Aegis Trust commission Genocide memorial

MURAMBI - The National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) will, today, launch a Genocide memorial site in Murambi sector, Southern province. The site is where 50,000 Tutsis were brutally murdered by the Interahamwe militia during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The memorial site was set up by the CNLG in association with the Aegis Trust. It stands high on a hill that was dominated by an uncompleted school complex where Tutsis fled for refuge during the genocide. “We thank Aegis Trust for their outstanding exhibition design and their close collaboration with us throughout this project,” said Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the Executive Secretary of CNLG. He stated that Murambi memorial had an important part to play in educating future generations of Rwandans about the dangers of prejudice and intolerance. “We hope that both Rwandans and visitors from around the world will come to Murambi and learn lessons from this site,” Mucyo noted. Murambi is unique as the only site in Rwanda where, after the Genocide, the remains of the victims were preserved and displayed, rather than being reburied. Around 800 such remains were laid out on trestle tables in the unfinished school complex and remain there up to date. “There are those who feel that only reburial can offer dignity for the dead, but some survivors ask what dignity there is in being forgotten,” remarked Freddy Mutanguha, country director of Aegis Trust. “They fear that unless the ultimate evidence of genocide is there to see, it could be denied and perhaps one day, happen again,” Ends