Tributes are continuing to pour in for Josephine Murebwayire, a pioneer of the Association of Widows of the Genocide against the Tutsi (AVEGA Agahozo) who passed away on October 5, at the age of 72. ALSO READ: Murebwayire: My tormentors used to display me for a trophy at meetings Murebwayire’s husband and all her six children were killed during the Genocide. She also lost her siblings during the same tragedy, but showed resilience after that, being involved in activities like mentoring many genocide widows. She was among the first widows to publicly testify about the genocide in the late 1990s. Her testimony was broadcast on TV during the early years of the commemoration of the Genocide. She also gathered fellow Genocide widows and sensitised them through workshops about the courage of living. Among those who sent in tribute messages about her passing is Unity Club, an association of spouses of cabinet members. “We are saddened by the passing of Umurinzi w’Igihango, Joséphine Murebwayire, who passed away on October 5, 2025, after an illness,” read Unity Club’s statement. “It is a great loss to the country, to Unity Club, and to all who knew her. We stand in solidarity with her family and friends during this difficult time. May her soul rest in eternal peace,” it went on. ALSO READ: ‘They hacked my kids to death and dumped them in toilets’: A survivor’s traumatic story and the initiative to help Genocide orphans She has been counselling and doing reconciliation talks, and she worked as a mediator between perpetrators and victims of the Genocide.
