Genocide victims’ remains exhumed at popular Kigali hotel

GASABO - Remains of victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi were, yesterday, exhumed at Hotel Tech, a popular hospitality facility located in Remera Sector, Gasabo District. By press time, two bodies had been exhumed in one pit but the process is ongoing until all the five pits suspected to contain the remains are disinterred. Speaking to The New Times, Dativa Mukasoni, the IBUKA official in Gasabo District said that information about the pit was revealed by Genocide survivors in late May. “We have spent time investigating this matter with different stakeholders who included the Police, Army, IBUKA officials, National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), District and sector level leadership,” she said. Mukasoni added that the sector did not consider the matter seriously; the genocide survivors went ahead and informed the district level leadership. The district Mayor set up a commission of inquiry to follow up on the matter without delay. IBUKA is an umbrella organisation for Genocide survivors. She said that, when they started to dig a pit located outside the hotel, the wife of the landlord identified as Rose Mukanyangezi attempted to obstruct the exhumation of the victims saying that the structure was new. Attempts to interview Mukanyangezi were futile as she instead relentlessly complained of the exhumation exercise. Claver Gatabazi, an official from CNLG said that genocide survivors informed them of the ordeal. The victims are buried in pits underneath the sauna and ladies’ bathrooms of the hotel. “So far, we have discovered two remains, we are going to continue exhuming them until we get them all,” he said. Gatabazi said that the survivors informed them, that the owner of the building Théodore Barakengera and other Ex-Interahamwe militias brought Tutsis from their refuge at Centre Christus in Remera to the hotel, then called Total, where they were murdered and buried. According to the Director of the Hotel, Pascal Ndahiro, he had heard about people being buried at the premises. “We have closed the business and we are going to work with IBUKA and CNLG officials to continue the process of exhuming until all the pits are dug,” he said. Ends