HUYE – Remains of 15 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi were on Saturday buried at the National University of Rwanda grounds.The bodies were exhumed from a mass grave near a men’s hostel at the institution in November last year.The burial ceremony was held on the day the Genocide began at the country’s oldest university 18 years ago.An estimated 500 former students at the university are said to be buried at the memorial site.Speaking during the ceremony, Prof Silas Lwakabamba, the Rector of the University, thanked the government for initiating the commemoration period, which he said serves as a time to reflect on the sad times Rwandans went through and take appropriate measures for a better future.He noted that the Genocide was a result of bad leadership, observing that today’s leadership has taken a new direction which seeks to enhance the country’s development.The State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Matthias Harebamungu, regretted the role of intellectuals in the planning and execution of the Genocide.He urged students and staff to always champion for a better future through constructive research and the promotion of quality education.Harebamungu called for the intellectuals to write about the Genocide in order to keep records about it.In a related development, 25 bodies were buried at Karama Sector, Huye District.The Governor of the Southern Province, Alphonse Munyentwari, called for everyone’s participation in the commemoration activities.“Commemorating the Genocide is expressing our respect for all those who were brutally killed while it also serves in restoring our dignity”, Munyentwari said.During the ceremony, Genocide survivors were also urged to strive for better living conditions.About 67,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi are interred at the Karama memorial site.
