The remains of 35 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi were on Sunday, April 26, accorded a dignified burial at Kinazi Genocide Memorial Site in Ruhango District. ALSO READ: Conservation of memorials key to prevention of genocide Residents of Ntongwe and Kinazi sectors gathered on to mark the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The commemoration was attended by the Minister of Public Service and Labour, Ambassador Christine Nkulikiyinka, the Minister of Infrastructure, Jimmy Gasore, the State Minister in the Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT), Yves Iradukunda, Members of the Parliament, as well as leaders from Southern Province. ALSO READ: Ruhango: New museum to spotlight Genocide architects The area known as Amayaga, in what was formerly Ntongwe Commune, is one of the sites with a particularly tragic history of atrocities, as it is among the places where Burundian refugees took part in the killings of Tutsi, with the support of then Burgomaster of Ntongwe Commune, Charles Kagabo. ALSO READ: Survivors in fresh bid to bring to book key Genocide fugitives At the site, a Genocide Museum under construction will feature a special room dubbed the “Chambre Noire” (Black Chamber), dedicated to exposing the masterminds behind the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Senator Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu and Innocent Munyawera, a survivor from Ntongwe, said that the cruelty with which the Burundians participated in the Genocide remains unforgettable due to its extreme brutality. Munyawera explained that Interahamwe militias, together with the Burundians, carried out horrific killings, often mutilating victims by cutting their tendons to prevent them from fleeing. Munyawera, who was eight years old during the Genocide, is the only survivor out of eight siblings. He recounted that he was hidden by a man named Kabanda, to whom he remains grateful for protecting him until the arrival of the RPA forces, who rescued them. He requested that the names of Burundians who took part in killings of Tutsi in Ntongwe be documented in the “Black Chamber” section of the Amayaga Genocide historical site. Senator Dusingizemungu said that Burundians who had fled to Rwanda committed severe atrocities upon arrival. ALSO READ: Remembering families wiped out in Genocide He added that current actions by the Government of Burundi suggest a continued hostile stance towards Rwanda, rooted in a long-standing agenda to target Tutsi. “When they target Rwanda, their intention reflects the same ideology they had when killing the Tutsi,” he said. Evode Munyurangabo, president of the Amayaga Genocide Survivors Foundation, said that a notorious Interahamwe leader named Jacques Nsabimana had dug a pit under the pretext of constructing a facility for students, but in reality intended it for dumping Tutsi bodies. During the Genocide, the pit was nicknamed “CND”, referring to Conseil National de Développement, the former Parliament building, where members of the RPF Inkotanyi were stationed. He added that some of the Burundians who came to Rwanda before the Genocide had also been involved in earlier massacres such as Ntega and Marangara in Burundi. Speaking on behalf of Ibuka, tbe Genocide survivors organisation, Aline Bénigne Mpinganzima commended the Tutsi of Ntongwe for resisting rather than surrendering to their killers. She called on anyone with information about where victims were dumped to come forward so that they can be given a dignified burial. The Minister of Public Service and Labour, Christine Nkulikiyinka, who was the guest of honour, said that commemoration serves to educate young people about the horrors of the Genocide and helps to ensure that such atrocities never happen again.
