On March 18, 1997, as Rwanda was rebuilding from the ashes of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, armed infiltrators commonly referred to as Abacengenzi stormed Ecole Secondaire de Nyange in Ngororero District. Their mission was to divide the students along Hutu and Tutsi lines and target Tutsi for persecution.
But the students refused to be divided.
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Faced with guns, grenades, and death, they stood together in defiance and declared, "We are Rwandans.”
Seven students were killed by the assailants. Their defiance, however, became one of the most powerful symbols of unity in post-genocide Rwanda.
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Their courage and bravery was commemorated on Wednesday, March 18, as students, officials from the Ministry of Education, the Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honour (CHENO), Ngororero District, and security organs gathered at ES Nyange to celebrate the late and living heroes, who are in the Imena category of national heroes.
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Claudette Irere, the Minister of State for Education, described the occasion as moment to remember and honour the legacy of bravery passed down by those who sacrificed their lives for Rwanda, including the students of Nyange.
She noted that bravery is embedded in Rwanda’s history and identity.
"It is rooted in patriotism, sacrifice, protecting others, prioritizing integrity, and striving for unity. These values built our nation and helped it overcome difficult times,” Irere said.
"Abacengezi tried to divide them, but the students responded firmly, by saying that ‘We are Rwandans.’ They chose unity over division, Rwandanness over separation.”
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Among those remembered is Valence Ndemeye, who was killed on the spot after attempting to confront the attackers in a bid to protect fellow students.
His sister, Clotilda Murorunkwere, described him as a symbol of courage. As the sixth-born in their family, she said she had always seen bravery in Ndemeye.
"Valence was a symbol of courage. He began fighting for Rwanda when he joined RPA Inkotanyi on his own initiative,” she said.
"He went to Nyange to study. That was the last time I saw him.”
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Nearly three decades later, the same school compound is filled with students who want to keep the legacy of unity alive.
"The bravery of the students here at Nyange teaches us a lot. It gives us the responsibility to love and to cooperate in everything, so that together we can develop ourselves and our country,” Lorene Nshizirungu Ituze said.
She added that another key lesson is understanding that what happens to one person can affect others as well.
Julia Tania Akayezu, a Senior Six student, noted that although they did not witness the events themselves and only learned about them as history, the message remains clear.
"It teaches us that we must never follow ethnic divisions or sow discord,” Akayezu said.
For Gian Dalli Dushime, a senior two student, keeping the legacy alive goes beyond remembrance.
"The youth must learn to live together, solve problems peacefully, love one another, reconcile, and avoid division. This will also support development,” Dushime said.
The schoolyard itself remains a place of memory. It is where Chantal Mujawamahoro and Valence Ndemeye, alongside their fellow students, were laid to rest, young lives cut short, but not their message.
The Minister of State reminded the students that the responsibility for Rwanda's unity now lies with them, especially as the ideology of genocide is still a threat.
"The country trusts you. You are the future leaders, educators, innovators, and contributors. You must uphold the values of bravery, resist genocide ideology, and reject anything that threatens unity,” she said.