Residents of Nyarugunga Sector, Kicukiro District, donated cows and livestock care tools to two genocide survivors in Bisesero, an area that saw one of the brutal massacres in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The donation was during a visit to the Bisesero Genocide Memorial in Karongi District, where they also paid tribute to more than 50,000 victims laid to rest at the site. ALSO READ: Genocide: Bisesero heroics to be documented in new movie Among those who received cows were Antoine Sebirora and Budensiyana Mukansanga, who lost their families, neighbors and livestock during the Genocide. Sebirora thanked the Nyarugunga residents for the gesture. This is more than a gift, it’s a covenant between you and the people of Bisesero,” he said. He recalled how, before the genocide, raising cows was a core part of life for Bisesero families. “A child from Bisesero would grow up herding and milking cows by the age of ten.” He also thanked President Paul Kagame for the Girinka programme, in which vulnerable members of the society are given cows to support their livelihoods. “My heart is overwhelmed, but I thank God for bringing us together today, said Mukansanga. You did not just give a cow to me, you gave it to all of Bisesero, and I will share its benefit with others.” Bisesero: How Aminadabu Birara became a beacon of resistance against the Genocide Bisesero is one of the most symbolic places known for Tutsi resistance against the killers during the Genocide. Nyarugunga residents learned that for nearly three months, the people of Bisesero, armed mostly with traditional weapons, courageously resisted the well-armed Interahamwe militia. More than 100,000 Tutsi had fled to Bisesero hoping for safety, under the leadership of Aminadabu Birara, who formed a strategic resistance with makeshift weapons, explained to Vedaste Ngarambe, a representative of the Genocide survivors' association Ibuka in Karongi District. They were also explained the role of French troops during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly in Bisesero. However, instead of rescuing the Tutsi who had resisted for weeks in the hills of Bisesero, the French forces under Operation Turquoise chose to withdraw. This decision led to the massacre of more than 2,000 people on June 27, 1994. Ngarambe, who designed the Bisesero Genocide Memorial, said the site symbolized the uphill struggle Genocide victims in Bisesero endured as they fled through the Karongi mountains. He recalls that their guiding strategy was simple yet powerful: charge without retreat, and leave no one behind. On May 13, 1994, attackers launched a final, devastating assault, killing thousands in a single day, making Bisesero the site of one of the highest death tolls of a single day during the Genocide. Gerald Muzungu, the Mayor of Karongi District, thanked the residents of Nyarugunga for their initiative to stand in solidarity with Bisesero Genocide survivors. He noted that commemorating the massacres of Bisesero helps in the combat against genocide ideology, which persists in various parts of the country, including Karongi. He said that 32 Genocide suspects, including one who is reported to have killed 19 people, were arrested in the district. The mayor noted that, in the unique case of Bisesero, there is a man nicknamed “Kimashini” for the speed and brutality with which he killed, he is believed to have taken the lives of 300 people, a number he admitted to. What UNESCO Listing means for Bisesero Bisesero Genocide Memorial was inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023. “This milestone speaks to memory, dignity, and truth about the Genocide against the Tutsi,” said Emmy Musinguzi, Manager of the Bisesero Genocide Memorial, told The New Times. “It means the preservation of historical memory dignifying the victims. It means the value of unity and resistance that characterized the Tutsi of Bisesero in the Genocide against Tutsi and this inspires resilience.” This dark history is now being acknowledged on a global scale, and the results are already visible. The number of visitors to the memorial has surged since the inscription, he said. Visitor numbers nearly doubled from 5,668 in 2023 to over 10,000 in 2024. The site receives a diverse range of visitors including students, local residents, foreigners and researchers to learn about the resilience, unity, and reconciliation efforts, Bisesero and standing up to the killers. “They leave comforting messages for the victims and survivors,” Musinguzi said.
