Slain politicians remembered as commemoration week ends

Those who continue to deny the Genocide against the Tutsi with an aim to conceal their role in the dark history, under the basis of freedom of speech should be reminded that they are wasting time. The warning was sounded by Senate President Augustin Iyamuremye, on Wednesday April 13 during the ceremony to honor politicians killed during the Genocide against the Tutsi. Families of the slain politicians were joined by senior government officials and diplomats in an event that also marked the end of the 28th official commemoration week. At Rebero memorial that is located in Kicukiro district a resting place of 14,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, mourners, accompanied by officials laid wreaths on the tombs, a gesture normally done to pay tribute. Officials observe a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims. Olivier Mugwiza “We have come together here, at the national level, to remember and honor the politicians who loved Rwanda, who lost their lives for opposing the Genocidal government that planned to exterminate the Tutsi,” Iyamuremye said. The politicians who were remembered, many of whom were members of either the Liberal Party (PL) or Social Democratic Party (PSD), were reformists who called for peace and reconciliation, according to various testimonies. Many of them were killed at the beginning of the Genocide against the Tutsi. They pushed for dialogue, and condemned hate ideology that was being propagated by the regime of late President Juvenal Habyarimana. Iyamuremye pointed out that beyond the names of politicians resting at Rebero memorial, there are many more who are buried in different parts of the country. Some of whom, he said, have not been found up to now. In possession of these facts, he warned, “Those who want to distract us, and disrupt us, will continue to fail, Rwandans will continue to defeat anyone who wants to push our progress.” Senate President Augustin Iyamuremye delivers remarks during the ceremony to honor politicians killed during the Genocide against the Tutsi at Rebero Genocide Memorial, on Wednesday April 13. Photo by Olivier Mugwiza The warning, Iyamuremye said, comes at a time detractors have taken to social media to refute and foster Genocide ideology with hidden political gains. In a related development, Iyamuremye also called out the international community for abandoning Rwanda during her time of need and instead harbor Genocide fugitives. “All these questions, and those that our children have and the lessons we draw should make us embrace the vision we have established of remembering but also building the Rwanda we want.” Iyamuremye commended the youth for their role during the week-long activities that have been organized and also tasked them to remain at the forefront of the reconciliation journey Research to find other politicians Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean Damascene Bizimana laid out plans to look out for other politicians who were killed during the brutal massacres in order to give them a decent burial in Rebero memorial. Bizimana announced the development during his presentation on the role of political parties during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean Damascene Bizimana speaks at the event He also said that the plan to exterminate Tutsi didnt start in 1994 but had rather been in the works for decades. For instance, he explained that since 1992, the parties including MRND, PECO, Parerwa, Pader and CDR mobilized the plan to unite and fight the Rwanda Patriotic Army/Front (RPA/F) during the liberation war. The minister however did not disclose any details on the ongoing research.

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Slain politicians remembered as commemoration week ends