Minister of Local Government, Francis Kaboneka, has urged leaders to join hands and change history that had been damaged by previous leadership of "separation.”
The minister stated this on Remembrance Day of genocide victims who had been working in prefectures and sous-prefectures offices currently located in Eastern Province.
The commemorative event was this Thursday held at the Eastern Province headquarters compound in Rwamagana district.
19 former members of staffs are the ones remembered. The eastern province mainly combines Kibungo prefecture with parts of Byumba and Kigali-Ngari prefectures. According to Governor Fred Mufulukye, the sous-prefectures were Kinazi, Rwamagana, Rusumo and Ngarama.
Besides thousands of the province residents, it was attended by Senators, Members of Parliament, and the Executive Secretary of Commission to fight against Genocide (CNLG), Dr Jean Damascene Bizimana.
Kaboneka said Rwandan people today, especially leaders, have a responsibility to change history that will make youths compose no sad songs anymore, but songs of happiness and praises of Rwandans heroism.
He said commemoration shows how humanity wickedness had become stronger than animals’, but blamed leadership failure.
Only one head of Prefecture in 11 territories was not guilty of genocide crimes during genocide time, according to Bizimana of CNLG, and all ended up in prison later, he said.
"When a leader does not have noble objectives, they end up doing what the previous leadership had done. The evil’s end is always hurtful, an end of leader with such evil deeds cannot be good, always,” warned Minister Kaboneka.
"Leaders of all levels, let’s aim at treating our citizens with love, and reconciling them in case of conflicts, contrary to the previous government members’ strategies,” he urged.
The official said Eastern Province is one of places with large number of genocide memorial sites with around 38 where more than 350,000 genocide victims are laid to rest; a significant sign of its magnitude, he stated.
"When you analyze how genocide was implemented, this area is where we have more examples of people killed with strange cruelty; we even heard that some perpetrators ate victims’ body parts,” he said.
"This province experienced huge impact of the genocide, but it is our responsibility to rebuild it as well as our country, led by H.E Kagame,” he said.
"Rwanda as a country took a very long time building capacity for its citizens since its first resources are residents; that is why we always make a great effort building hope,” he reminded.
He said leaders should evaluate their own comportments in order to take massive actions to safeguard the benefits of people in their responsibilities.
Kaboneka also said eastern residents should increase determination at work for their economic development.
"This province has capacity to make the largest contribution to country’s economic development, especially from its agriculture productivity,” he said.
To achieve it, he said people need to have good, rapid and ambitious mindsets, and hope for tomorrow.
The Eastern Province Governor Fred Mufulukye said that it was the 7th time that the province particularly commemorates its former staff, mainly because more information was still being gathered, and said they are still working on that.
He largely thanked the rescuers, RPF army: "they were a little number and young, they had limited possessions, but accepted to give their lives anyway,” he said.
Mufulukye said Eastern Province Tutsi population suffered even before genocide since it was tested in its different areas such as Bugesera, Rukumberi, among others.
He mentioned that its communes leaders were also very violent, among them, he cited Semanza of Bicumbi, Gacumbitsi of Nyarubuye and Gatete of Murambi commune.
Meanwhile, the province gave a cow to Jean Paul Ntaganda from Mukarange sector in Kayonza district, family of one of the victims remembered at the event, aiming at promoting economic self-sufficiency of vulnerable genocide survivors.
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