The umbrella association of Genocide survivors, Ibuka, has commended the government’s efforts to end ‘lost’ land issues in post-Genocide amicably.Vincent Nsengiyumva, the Ibuka representative in Kirehe district, said survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have been given back land they lost during the ethnic purging that claimed more than 50,000 people in Nyarubuye commune alone.He was addressing mourners at commemoration of Nyarubuye Genocide victims on Monday.The event was attended by the Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Protais Musoni, MPs and a delegation from Tanzania.He, however, said there were still some survivors who had not got their land back, adding that properties were grabbed by unscrupulous persons.“Survivors, especially orphans, who have since become adults, had failed to repossess property left behind by their parents. The government’s intervention offered a sustainable solution,” he said.“The problems concerned relatives and caretakers of the orphans, who used to sell the land while orphans were still minors. Others deceived that they had got the land from legatees. The government’s intervention was the only solution.”TaskforceThe government set up a taskforce to investigate land disputes in communities and resolve them.Kirehe mayor Protais Murayire reassured the survivors that the unresolved land issues were being handled by the district.“We now settle land issues involving survivors. It was difficult at the beginning because of complexities involved. The problem will end and soon all contested land will be given to rightful owners,” he said.Minister Musoni advised survivors in Nyarubuye to work hard and keep their hopes high for a meaningful life.“It is evident that the Genocidaires never wished you to live. They live to regret when you live a meaningful life. They killed thousands, including your relatives, but to remain in permanent anguish, would only reward the Genocide perpetrators,” he said.
