Genocide survivors in Ndera Sector, Gasabo District, have called on the government to fast-track the process of according a decent burial to thousands of genocide victims in the area, some of whom were mentally ill patients killed at Ndera Neuropsychiatric Hospital (CARAES). ALSO READ: Commemoration does not end in one week The Ndera Genocide Memorial is the resting place for over 30,000 Tutsi victims killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. They were abandoned by Belgian UNAMIR peacekeepers, who chose to rescue only foreigners and their pets. Currently, remains of more than 15,000 victims are still covered in a mass grave where they were dumped, as there is not yet sufficient capacity to accord them a decent burial. The victims were buried in a 30-metre pit that had been dug near the facility. The appeal was made on April 17 during the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at CARAES. The facility is a referral hospital for mental disorders. It was established in 1968 by the Brothers of Charity, an international religious congregation, in partnership with the Catholic Church. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s commemorations in the shadow of indifference During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, thousands of patients and staff at the hospital, as well as other Tutsi who had sought refuge there, were killed. Jean Luc Umutoni, a genocide survivor in Ndera, said thousands of Tutsi were killed inside CARAES and in the surrounding areas, and were dumped in a single mass grave. “In 1994, the hospital was surrounded by soldiers and Interahamwe militia. The soldiers were deployed from Kanombe military base as reinforcement after Tutsi resisted the Interahamwe militia,” he said. He added that the area was inhabited by senior officials, including General Nsabimana and Mbonampeka, who was a minister. “The soldiers and Interahamwe militia took Tutsi outside and killed them. Fewer than five people survived, while more than 15,000 were killed and dumped in one pit. We need a decent burial for the victims, he said. He noted that the victims’ remains are still being recovered. “Last year, we recovered 45 remains,” he said. Joseline Mukansanga, whose father worked as a technician at the hospital, added: “We hid under patients’ beds as soldiers shot at us. Even mentally ill people were killed.” Christine Umurerwa, who was a nurse at the hospital, recalled seeing a mentally ill patient lying dead in the washroom. Testimonies shared during the commemoration at Ndera Sector indicated that the killings in Ndera began on April 7, 1994. By April 11, 1994, UN troops who had been stationed near Ndera Hospital to provide security realised that the violence had escalated severely. They then withdrew, taking all the foreigners and their belongings with them. As a result, the Interahamwe militia were left free to continue killing Tutsi without restraint. The Interahamwe requested assistance from the then government army based at Kanombe, which sent soldiers and heavy weapons to help exterminate all those who had taken refuge at CARAES, including the patients.
