Tribute to fallen staff, recommitment to peace as RMS Ltd commemorates Genocide

The Rwanda Medical Supply (RMS) Ltd. community, including staff, guests, board members, and former employees, gathered at the institution’s headquarters in Kacyiru on Friday, May 8, 2026 to honour victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, with survivors calling on younger generations to safeguard the peace Rwanda enjoys today. The event marked the 32nd commemoration and paid special tribute to former employees of the institution, then known as OPHAR (Office Pharmaceutique du Rwanda), who were killed during the Genocide. For survivors who worked at OPHAR before the Genocide, the scars of their past serve as a powerful testament to the true value of peace and the vital necessity of protecting it at all costs. OPHAR was Rwanda’s former public institution responsible for importing, storing, and distributing medicines. It was later renamed CAMERWA before becoming Rwanda Medical Supply Ltd. Like many other workplaces across the country, employees at the institution faced discrimination and persecution in the years leading up to the Genocide, with some eventually killed when the atrocities were executed in 1994. Speaking during the commemoration, Stanislas Simugomwa—a former Ministry of Health employee who represented families of the institution’s former workers killed during the Genocide—said survivors often greet others by wishing them peace because they understand what it means to lose it. “We often greet people by saying ‘have peace’ because we know its value. We know what it means to be deprived of peace,” he said. “Peace is not something people lose by accident; it is taken away. We were denied it for a long time. Losing peace means losing life itself. That is why we always wish others peace.” He underscored that peace comes at a heavy cost, one that cannot be measured in financial terms. “Even if someone were to calculate the cost of deploying an army to restore peace, they could count the money spent but never the blood that would be shed. That is why peace is priceless. Protect it so that it is never lost again,” he said. Families of former OPHAR employees killed during the Genocide expressed hope that once all victims associated with the institution are fully identified, a memorial monument bearing their names will be set up in their honour. Diana Mutoni, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of RMS Ltd, said commemoration is not merely ceremonial but a national responsibility to reflect on Rwanda’s history and ensure a tragedy of this magnitude never happens again. “Commemoration is a moment to honour more than one million innocent lives lost during the Genocide and to recognize survivors who have continued rebuilding themselves and the country with extraordinary resilience,” she said. She added that RMS Ltd remains committed to fostering unity, professionalism, truth, and mutual respect as part of preserving the gains Rwanda has made since 1994. “As RMS Ltd, we believe our responsibility goes beyond fulfilling our institutional mandate. We must also build a workplace defined by unity and respect; values that contribute to sustaining what the country has achieved after the Genocide,” she said. Representing IBUKA, Alphonse Nsengimana praised survivors for what he described as their remarkable resilience and their refusal to be consumed by hatred despite the atrocities committed against them. He also paid tribute to the APR, the former armed wing of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), and all Rwandans who helped stop the Genocide. “This is also a moment to reflect on the courage of those who refused to stand by as evil unfolded in our country,” he said. Eric Nyirimigabo, a member of the Board of Directors at RMS Ltd, echoed these sentiments, adding that remembrance would be incomplete without recognizing those who sacrificed their lives to stop the Genocide. “The Genocide did not stop itself. It was stopped, and that required immense sacrifice, including bloodshed,” he said. “The same spirit and determination used to stop the Genocide are what continue to drive the rebuilding of our country today.” He concluded by urging the RMS community to carry that same spirit into their daily work to ensure a prosperous future for all.

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Tribute to fallen staff, recommitment to peace as RMS Ltd commemorates Genocide