KAMPALA - Six mass graves containing the remains of victims of the 1994 Genocide recently discovered Uganda are to be dug up this year. The graves which are estimated to contain 10,957 people will be re-buried in three new sites located in the Ugandan central districts of Rakai, Masaka and Mpigi and the country’s capital Kampala. The six mass graves were discovered in Kasesero (2,827 bodies), Malembo (1,690 bodies), Dimo (2,149 bodies), Namirembe (1,618 bodies ), Lambu (1,718 bodies) and Golo (955 bodies). Speaking to The New Times in Kampala, Rwandan Ambassador to Uganda, Ignatius Karegyesa Kamali, noted that the re-burial arrangement was part of a wider programme by the Government of Rwanda to give a decent burial to Genocide victims wherever they were dumped. The deceased were killed and dumped into rivers (in Rwanda) and their bodies were swept all the way to Lake Victoria (in Uganda) through the Akagera River. The only way to return their human dignity is to bury them with full respects, he said. Activities to work on burial sites will begin this year since money had already been set aside by the Ministry of Sports and Culture through the Embassy. We want to put them in three sites because they were buried in shallow graves and scattered. That will also enable easy maintenance of the graves, he said. All the six mass graves will be excavated and the new sites will include facilities to cater for visitors and events like commemoration. The technical studies have already been done including the allocation of costs. An official ceremony will be organized and we shall begin having commemoration events at the sites like we used to do in the past. We can’t have the commemoration in these sites now because the mass graves are scattered and not in good condition.Ends
