It was with great trepidation that we reported yesterday of the killings of two genocide survivors, Francois Gasirabo and Jeannette Nyirabaganwa in the Southern Province. The two, according to Ibuka President, Theodore Simburudali, were killed in a retribution campaign, because they previously gave evidence to the Gacaca court against perpetrators of the 1994 Tutsi genocide.The callousness of the murderers gets worse when they drive out of the Province towards Kigali, and dump the bodies in the Nyabarongo River. This latest act meant to evoke memories of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi when thousands were thrown into the Nyabarongo River that pours into River Akagera and Lake Victoria so they could flow back to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) where they allegedly came from. Limbs of thousands of victims are now in Uganda, which has become a source of controversy today, as we reported over the past days, of demands by Rwandan legislators for them to be accorded a decent burial, after reports of the defilement of their graves.The timing of it all is significant as the nation prepares to commemorate 15 years after the genocide under the theme; “Let us commemorate Genocide against the Tutsi while fighting genocide revisionism.”What is important at this juncture however is that elements who still habour the genocide ideology are minimal and fizzling out. Rwanda’s healing and reconciliation process over the past 15 years has been on the right course, courtesy of homegrown initiatives like the Gacaca semi-traditional courts and efforts by the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC). That is why the emphasis this year is on the commemorations being held from cell level up to national level. The next few days are going to be ones of remembrance of loved ones who perished during that dark period. May the souls of Gasirabo and Nyirabaganwa rest in peace. Ends
