Concerns over attacks on survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi are real, as indicated by various reports, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente said after joining residents of Busogo Sector in Musanze District, on April 8, for the 31st commemoration. ALSO READ: Prime Minister Ngirente joins Musanze residents for commemoration He paid tribute to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in general and 460 victims from the former Mukingo Commune who are laid to rest at Busogo Genocide Memorial, and then urged area residents to avoid genocide ideology, which is also characterised by attacks on survivors. ALSO READ: Rwanda urges global action against Genocide denial and ideology “We have realised that the attacks are planned. For instance, we receive reports where a person wakes up and goes to injure a neighbour’s cow. They cut the cow’s legs and leave it there. Although there are not many, they are still happening,” he said. According to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), attacks on genocide survivors accounted for 50 percent of 2,660 cases of genocide ideology and related crimes reported between 2019 and 2023. Genocide ideology cases accounted for 22 percent. ALSO READ: Bugesera: Suspect in murder of Genocide survivor arrested Ngirente said that, although unity and reconciliation are progressing well, the small gap that remains still needs to be addressed. The unity and reconciliation index has risen to 94.7% over the past 10 years, up from 82.3%. “We do not want to see cases of people damaging the banana plantation of a genocide survivor. This is not theft; it is a planned attack, given that they cut them, abandon them, and leave. When you cut the cow’s legs and leave it there, we do not call it theft because you did not steal it. We must join efforts in fighting such acts of violence,” he noted. ALSO READ: Ngoma: Missing head of slain Genocide survivor found He insisted that a society with conflicts does not contribute to the country’s security and development. “We currently have a secure country where someone can travel from Musanze to Rusizi and from Rusizi to Nyagatare, enjoying security. Securing the country requires joint efforts. We need security in families, security in communities living in harmony, and security for the nation,” he said. He consoled survivors and praised RPF-Inkotanyi for stopping the 1994 Genocide. ALSO READ: Over 230 arrested for genocide ideology in 100 days “Genocide will never happen again, as the President of our country always says. Testimonies about the genocide clearly show how the genocide against the Tutsi was executed in different areas of Rwanda. It is our responsibility to console genocide survivors. We need dignified lives, and we must fight genocide ideology to ensure that genocide never happens again,” he said. He urged residents to learn and understand Rwanda's history, while also striving for unity among Rwandans. “Due to bad education, the bond for unity among Rwandans was broken. That is why those who were supposed to save others didn’t do it. That is how unity was destroyed. Our government is emphasising and educating about unity among Rwandans. Rwandans must be united, and that is how we will be able to develop and fight whatever seeks to divide us and destroy our unity. We live in a secure country that teaches coexistence,” he said. Ngirente also called upon the youth to combat genocide ideology. To instil good values in the youth that can be able to fight against such bad ideology, he said, parents must provide a good education to their children within families. “Parents and teachers must inculcate values in children. This will help us have a peaceful country without divisionism and genocide,” he concluded. Jean-Damascène Bizimana, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, indicated how the preparation and execution of the Genocide against the Tutsi took place in Mukingo Commune, urging Rwandans to study and understand the history of Rwanda to ensure genocide never happens again. He urged residents to distance themselves from those who deny or trivialise the Genocide against the Tutsi, while also countering those who distort the history of the country.
