After 31 years, Genocide survivors persist in search for lost loved ones

As Rwandans continue commemorating 31 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi, fresh stories of genocide survivors still looking for their relatives and loved ones continue to emerge, particularly one of Rosalinda Uwanyirijuru, whose search for her parents and relatives shows the long-lasting scars of the Genocide that span generations. Uwanyirijuru, now 31, has been searching for her parents and relatives and understandably, she was a baby when the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi happened. She was taken to the Rwanda Red Cross orphanage in Kacyiru when she was just two months old and grew up from there until she turned three, without any information about her family, or their whereabouts. Over the past weeks, Uwanyirijuru has been appearing in interviews to share her story, perhaps out there, there could be a person who has information about her family and can connect the dots, to help her at least link up with her loved ones, who she was denied an opportunity to be with. One would assume that thirty-one years later, such a challenge would no longer exist but Uwanyirijuru’s story and many others with a similar challenge, every year when the commemoration period comes around, is a reminder that for them it is not just commemoration. There is much more for them. It’s also about waiting. Waiting for answers, for closure, and above all, for a chance of reconnecting with relatives and families they were deprived of a chance to be with. It also goes to show how the consequences of genocide can be far reaching on humanity. Many of those still searching were young or just babies in 1994 when the massacres unfolded. For some, families were completely exterminated while others were either separated and they scattered into different directions, trying to survive. Some made it, and others didn’t. Those who were lucky were able o reconnect with their families right after the Genocide against the Tutsi and the years that followed, but for others like Uwanyirijuru, the search continues. ALSO READ: Genocide survivors continue search for their families 27 years later Her story is far from unique. For many, the breakthrough remains far, while others have little or no information to help them trace their families and loved ones who could still be alive and their whereabouts, but not all hope is lost. Up until today, the Rwandan Red Cross, which runs the tracing program known as Restoring Family Links (RFL), continues to help those still searching and looking to locate their relatives in partnership with different institutions and the community at large. According to the Rwandan Red Cross Society, many survivors are still in the dark about the fate of their loved ones. While today they could be fewer than they were 20 years ago, it is still a critical program. And it has not been in vain. Many have been able to reconnect with their loved ones in recent years, leading to very emotional reunions and a sense of fulfilment for those who have had a sense of emptiness in them for many years. The RFL program has been a quiet yet critical force in helping individuals trace and reconnect with family members separated during the Genocide, as well as due to other crises like conflict, migration, or natural disasters. Claudine Dusabe , Data Manager for the RFL program, says that in early 2024, the Red Cross launched a renewed initiative specifically to help Genocide survivors find their missing relatives after it emerged that many were still searching. It is an intricate process that involves even conducting DNA tests. “So far, we have registered 77 tracing cases related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Out of these, 7 have been successfully resolved with reunifications,” Dusabe told The New Times. “The remaining 70 are still under active investigation,” she said. Some of these searches have even extended internationally, requiring coordination with Red Cross societies abroad. In the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, many young children who had been orphaned or separated from their families were adopted, some ending up in European countries or the US and beyond. How digital tools are helping Some were rescued or picked up by neighbours or good Samaritans who did not know the whereabouts of other family members. The majority, like Uwanyirijuru, are 31 or slightly older. Many, like Uwanyirijuru, have not lost hope. Each year that passes, they believe a miracle will happen, as it did in the case of Grace Umutoni, who in 2020 shared with her how she managed to successfully reconnect with her lost family members. Umutoni put several photos of herself on various WhatsApp groups, Facebook and Twitter in April 2020 to see if she could trace members of her family, having tried in the past and failed, including through official channels. The only information Umutoni, then 28, had, was that she had been brought to an orphanage located in Nyamirambo, Nyarugenge, along with her brother, who was four at the time and later died. ALSO READ: How social media reunited Genocide survivor with his family 27 years later It was a lonely and solo life for Umutoni, a nurse by profession, until she decided to use digital tools to reach out and several people came up to share information, which helped her connect the dots. Among those who contacted her was Antoine Rugagi, who said that she resembled her sister, Liliose Kamukama, who was killed in the first days of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The two connected and later conducted a DNA test which confirmed that they were indeed related, returning a result of 82 per cent. It was a relief for her and an emotional reunion at that. For many still searching, each update brings mixed emotions — relief that others like Umutoni have found their families, and a renewed urgency for them to not give up and continue with their own search. As Uwanyirijuru has said in different interviews, it is a painful journey but the fact that many are still able to find their relatives -a sister, a brother, a mother, even today, is comforting enough and keeps their hope alive. More efforts to trace and reconnect Many who are still searching have submitted their cases to the RFL programme, including DNA samples, for potential cross-matching, as they continue to piece together oral histories and scattered testimonies from survivors and neighbours who may have known their relatives. “As the initiative is still ongoing, we are also continuing to receive new tracing requests from individuals seeking to reconnect with their families,” says Dusabe. The trauma of being severed from one’s roots runs deep for many, but so does resilience. Many of them have found ‘new relatives’ and friends and they don’t want people to feel pity for them, as Uwanyirijuru says. For many, it is about healing, closure and finally closing that gap, to know that their relatives are still alive or not. For others, it is a miracle they hope for and the scars of separation still weigh heavily on them. The Rwanda Red Cross, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has played a key role in reuniting families separated during the Genocide against the Tutsi. Digital tools and the internet have played a key role in the tracing process, with many sharing their photos and stories publicly, where they can reach many people and for the lucky ones, real blood relatives show up. The Red Cross also relies on digital tools including tablets, as well as radio broadcasts, and photo tracing, to locate and connect individuals with their loved ones who they had lost contact with. These tracing program has helped many genocide survivors reconnect with their families after decades of separation, offering hope and a chance to heal, especially for those who have been lucky enough to trace their loved ones. ALSO READ: Genocide survivors organise mass in honour of wiped-out families For those yet to make any progress, the wounds of loss remain fresh while others still clutch on old faded photos of their relatives with hope that they will eventually locate them. According to Ibuka, the umbrella association for genocide survivors, there are still hundreds of unresolved cases, of people still looking for their loved ones. Each year, new cases of survivors still looking for family members who either went missing during the genocide or were separated during the rescue and refugee movements that followed are reported. For many survivors, knowing what happened to their relatives isn’t just about grief. It’s about understanding who they are and coming to terms with the reality of what happened. However, many challenges still remain for those still in the search, including missing records, scattered family histories, and the trauma of reliving the past, which often hinder progress in healing. Many of those still searching like Uwanyirijuru, are raising awareness so that the next generation can understand that remembrance goes beyond the 100 days. For them, the search for truth, identity, and connection is a daily reality.

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After 31 years, Genocide survivors persist in search for lost loved ones