CIMERWA, the country’s only integrated cement manufacturing company, on April 16, remembered victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and called for unity to build a better future for all Rwandans.

During the commemoration event which took place at the CIMERWA Factory in Rusizi District, 58 former employees of CIMERWA who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi were honoured.

CIMERWA staff and management also joined Rusizi District residents at the Muganza Genocide Memorial in Muganza sector to participate in a decent burial of the remains of a Genocide victim from Muganza sector.

Two families of vulnerable Genocide survivors were also given cows by the company to improve their welfare.

The commemoration event was preceded by a night vigil, on April 15, during which Genocide survivor Denise Uwimana recounted the ordeal of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Uwimana’s husband, Charles Kayihura, who was a geologist engineer, is among 58 former CIMERWA employees killed during the Genocide.

Her testimony was documented in a book titled "From Red Earth: Rwandan Story of Healing and Forgiveness”, which she wrote.

At the height of the Genocide against the Tutsi, as men with bloody machetes ransacked her home, Uwimana gave birth to her third son. With the unlikely help of Hutus who risked their own lives, she and her three children survived. Her husband and many other family members of both parents were not as lucky, the book narrates.

Leaving a business career, she devoted the rest of her life to restoring her country by empowering other Genocide widows to band together, tell their stories, find healing, and rebuild their lives.

The stories she has uncovered through her work and recounted in the book illustrate the complex and unfinished work of truth-telling, recovery, and reconciliation that may be Rwanda’s lasting legacy.

Uwimana is the founder of Iriba Shalom International, an organisation that provides material and spiritual support to Genocide survivors and their children.

James Oduor, the chief executive of CIMERWA, extended condolences to the families that lost their loved ones at CIMERWA, in the Muganza sector, and the country at large.

"No words are comforting enough, but we can only take solace in the legacy they left behind. You, here today, are the fruits of their love, bravery, and the hope of Rwanda.

"Thirty years ago, Rwanda was reduced to ashes, leaving hopelessness in the eyes of the world, but 30 years later, Rwanda stands as a beacon of hope, resilience, and a true testimony of the greatness of a united nation,” he comforted Genocide survivors as part of 30th commemoration in Rusizi District.

He recalled the bad company leadership under Marcel Sebatware (former CIMERWA head) that resulted in the killing of 58 staff members.

"Every year, we join the rest of the country to remember the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and on April 16, we honoured the 58 lives lost in CIMERWA. These were colleagues with aspirations for a brighter future, tragically cut short, leaving behind an irreplaceable void in their families, the company, and the wider community. Today at CIMERWA, we are committed to ensuring that what transpired then never happens again.”

As a company, he noted, CIMERWA stands united with the country, the survivors, and those aggrieved by the loss of their families during the 30th commemoration period.

"This is because we firmly believe that it is our collective responsibility to remember the lessons of the past, honour the victims of violence, and work towards a more just and peaceful future for all. Today, we stand in solidarity with the people of Rwanda and extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

"As we stand together in remembrance, let us also stand united in our commitment to building a better future for all Rwandans, ensuring that the sacrifices of the past inspire us to create a society defined by compassion, resilience, and hope,” he added.

Former CIMERWA employee’s relatives thrown into Rubyiro River

Yohani Bapfakurera, a Genocide survivor who worked at CIMERWA since 1983, said that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi happened when he had five children, and three of them together with their mother were killed and thrown into Rubyiro River.

Two children survived and are still facing both physical and psychological effects, he said.

He witnessed that at work, Tutsi were usually harassed before and during the Genocide.

Some employers such as Marcel Sebatware who was the General Manager of CIMERWA and Casmir Ndorimana who was in charge of production at CIMERWA, plus other employees, were the ones who guided Interahamwe militia to kill Tutsi, he witnessed.

Sebatware provided equipment to train Interahamwe militia in 1993 and he also organised killings in 1994.

"I was jailed among accomplices (Ibyitso) of Inkotanyi. Our leader Marcel Sebatware was always asking me if I had relatives in Inkotanyi yet I did not have one. That is why I was summoned by prosecution and was later jailed in March 1994,” he said.

The factory’s top leadership consisted mainly of people from former Ruhengeri and Gisenyi prefectures who were also members of the Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) and Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement (MRND).

In terms of political affiliation, Sebatware was a member of the extremist Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) in 1994.

Sebatware who spearheaded torturing before the killings during the Genocide in CIMERWA is from former Ruhengeri Prefecture, as was the then-powerful Minister of Commerce and Industry, Joseph Nzirorera, who appointed him to this prominent post.

Sebatware is also the brother-in-law of General Déogratias Nsabimana who was chief of staff of the former Rwandan armed forces.

Bapfakurera said he survived since he was hidden in neighbours’ homes until RPF-Inkotanyi stopped the Genocide.

"I hid for three months. In the meantime, I was always listening to Radio Muhabura getting an update about the liberation struggle. My two children survived but they still suffer from the physical and mental effects of genocide. As survivors, we are now strong, we have renewed ourselves. We are hopeful and resilient,” he added, calling for continuous support in terms of education and employment for survivors’ needy children.

The Mayor of Rusizi District, Anicet Kibiriga, said that commemoration is a key tool to preserve the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi history.

"This is helping youth learn from history to ensure genocide never happens again. The youth are learning that good values are the ones that build a country, they have to fight genocide denial and ideology. We will continue to support genocide survivors, and seek solutions, through different projects. We commend CIMERWA for its continuous contribution. Sustaining unity and reconciliation is a foundation of our nation,” he said.

He also urged those with information to reveal the whereabouts of Genocide victims’ remains for decent burial.

"Those hiding information must know that it is punished by the law,” added.