Officials in Gasabo District paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis on Friday during a ceremony to remember former workers and residents of the district who were killed during the Genocide. Different officials from the government attended the event which was held at the district headquarters. The Mayor of Gasabo District, Willy Ndizeye, used the occasion to highlight that Genocide survivors are not alone since the government will continue to support them even if they continue to strive for their self-reliance. “We shall continue remembering our people who died and we are together with the survivors in all conditions,” the mayor said, reassuring the survivors that what happened in 1994 will never happen again. The same principle of “Never Again” to Genocide was highlighted by the Military and Defence Spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita, who also attended the event. “What happened in the past will never happen again and that is why we keep on commemorating and we shall keep that culture,” he said. He noted that Rwandans have to be responsible for their country and develop it because it is bad leadership that leads to atrocities like genocide. The officer urged mourners to always think about where the country is coming from and where it is going, as well as promote unity among Rwandans. The Spokesperson of the Rwanda National Police, Superintendent Theos Badege, reiterated that it’s bad leadership that led to the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis and that good governance in the country shall help prevent it from happening again. “When we commemorate we say that bad leadership did nothing to stop the Genocide. We thank the Government of Peace and Unity for stopping the Genocide and what we do today we do it because of good governance,” he said. He urged Rwandans to always care about security in the country as one of the indicators of good governance. “Security is not about uniform or ranks but all Rwandans working together to keep security for their country,” he said. For Julienne Nyirakamana, a genocide survivor in Gasabo, the current government should be commended for stopping the Genocide and providing survivors with houses, education, and helping them to create jobs for their self-reliance. “We are alive and we thank God and the Government of Peace and Unity for stopping the Genocide despite the fact that we went through hard situations,” she said.
