Gen Sekamana resigned yesterday in a letter he wrote to FERWAFA’s committee citing personal reasons.
“Considering the fact that supervising football body nowadays requires me lot of time and effort because it is important to monitor it day by day. This requires me to do it as a daily routine. I find that combining it with my other personal responsibilities would have had a negative impact on the development of football,” he said.
Brig Gen Sekamana thanked FERWAFA committee for trust bestowed upon him and teamwork spirit during his stay in office.
Sekamana became Ferwafa president in 2018 after obtaining 45 votes out of the 53 votes in an election beating his rival Louis Rurangirwa who got 7 votes.
He replaced Vincent ‘De Gaulle’ Nzamwita who resigned in January 2018 due to personal reasons after running the federation for 4 years.
(Rtd) Brig Gen Sekamana resigns eight months before ending his tenure.
Marcel Habyarimana, who is a Vice President in the federation, will serve as interim President until March next year as stipulated by FERWAFA laws in article 31.
Ranked 2nd most peaceful country in the EAC by GPI 2020, 2nd in the Sub-Saharan Africa region by the Economic Freedom Index report 2020, 3rd globally among peacekeeping top troop contributing countries, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a country that was able to suppress the COVID-19 early, Rwanda’s progress is attributed to President Paul Kagame’s strong and effective leadership.
Besides the prevailing peace and progress, however, Rwanda has not been in short of campaigns by armed groups in the region including but not limited to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Rwanda National Congress (RNC), and particularly FLN; the military wing of Paul Rusesabagina’s MRCD, which instigated terrorism attacks, killed and injured unarmed innocent civilians in Nyabimata in June 2018.
In fact, Rusesabagina had premediated these attacks. On 28 Jan 2016 at Voice Of America (VOA), he publically declared that he was going to take political action to liberate the Rwandan People from President Paul Kagame’s dictatorship.
Later, in his own words, he also affirmed in a video recalled in early 2019, but still available online, that the attacks marked the launch of liberation struggle against the Government of Rwanda. He also reiterated that FLN launched a military struggle to liberate the Rwandan people and insisted on the sense of urgency to speed it up in 2019.
In effect, pursuant to 2018 Rwanda’s National Public Prosecution Authority’ (NPPA) arrest warrant, Rusesabagina was put under arrest after luring himself and his plane landed in Kigali and voluntarily alighted. His charges include financing terrorism, murder, abduction, robbery and arson, etc, as acts of terrorism in connection with his MRCD/FLN attacks in Nyabimamata.
These attacks were acknowledged by different state actors including Belgium and USA (where is a national and resident respectively) whose Departments of State’s Travel Advisory on Rwanda urged travelers “to exercise increased caution along the Rwanda-Burundi border due to armed conflict”.
In spite of the crimes Rusesabagina has to answer, his supporters, particularly the members of the European Parliament passed a resolution implying, among other things, to release Paul Rusesabagina. Similarly, some members of the USA Congress like Carolyn B. Maloney, addressed a letter to President Paul Kagame requesting to release him with immediate effect. Both requests reflected may be their ignorance of the matter, partisanship and or double standard.
Undoubtedly, members of EU Parliament as well as some members of US Congress who promote the release of Paul Rusesabagina understand the legal implication of terrorism crimes and are fully aware that the intent of the counter-terrorism acts in their jurisdictions like the US Patriot Act to deter and punish terrorist acts in their jurisdictions is the same aspiration Rwanda is pursuing in the case of Rusesabagina.
So, releasing Rusesabagina as the EU Parliament and some members of USA Congress like Carolyn B. Maloney purport, would be doing a disservice to Rwanda, particularly the victims of Rusesabagina’s MRCD / FLN actions and nurturing a norm that would support subsequent culture of violence.
More importantly, Rusesabagina’s case also contains an extraordinarily sensitive charge: Arson as an act of terrorism as MRCD/FLN used fire as mass scale coercion and violence to ensure greater degree of risk to human lives in Nyabimata.
Arson has a profound, sensitive and tragic meaning in the history of violence in Rwanda. It was a great weapon used in 1959, 60s and 70s to chase away and force the Tutsi to exile and deadly internal displacement and was massively used in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to speed it up and create greater impact in terms of mass murder of Tutsi and destruction of their properties.
Rusesabagina’s MRCD/FLN usage of incendiary attacks to create greater impact on human lives in Nyabimata reminded the traumatizing arson attacks also dubbed Palestian intifada against Israel in November 2015 that were later condemned by the USA through the Secretary of State John Kerry who also warned Mohamed Abbas against arson attacks. The September 11, 2001, terrorism attack on the World Trade Center are also examined in terms of the impact of the improvised incendiary device, the airplanes, on the World Trade Center buildings.
Undoubtedly, if the EU Parliament and some members of US Congress like Carolyn B. Maloney, would be asked if it was the right thing to do to release with immediate effect those responsible of the September 11, 2001 in the US or elsewhere in Europe, their answer would be a big No.
Again, if they would be asked if holding accountable Bin Laden wouldn’t be a charm trial as they describe Paul Rusesabagina’s case, their answer would be NO. Rather they would appreciate a campaign to dismantle terrorist organization like Al-Qaeda and their networks. So, subordinating national security to someone’s terrorist crimes isn’t tolerable by any nation state especially when the offender acts exactly in the spirit of a Genocide that killed more one million lives.
Most surprisingly, the EU parliament members’ description of Rusesabagina’s own luring to Rwanda as kidnapping represents double standard. Rusesabagina lured himself after being led by his friend to board a private jet to Rwanda while his destination was Burundi. This reminds a similar case that happened in Europe and it wasn’t called “kidnapping”.
On 19th March 1991, Walter Stocké from German was arrested in France over fiscal charges in his home country after his friend M. Köster who was in contact with the police in Germany, led him to board a private jet to German while his destination was Luxemburg and Walter Stocké was immediately arrested. It is quiet s questionable why the EU Parliament didn’t refer to Walter Stocké’s case to serve as jurisprudence as it does even today in Europe.
Most alarmingly, Rusesabagina had consistently denied the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and Rwandan authorities had previously issued another international arrest warrant against Rusesabagina, but in vain, as he continued to enjoy the red carpet in the most of Western countries.
On 11 January 2018, in Northwestern University Community for Human Rights (NUCHR), USA, in a conference on Human Rights, Rusesabagina was a keynote speaker and denied the genocide against the Tutsi and purported the double genocide theory. He endeavoured to convince the audience that the” Genocide against the Tutsi was not planned and executed and that it was just a mere war between Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups”.
He did the same on 26th April 2008, in a conference in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands where Rusesabagina held at fault the victims of the genocide in 1994 genocide against the Tutsi that they were responsible for their own harm and demise. He made the case that the “roadblocks where Tutsis were singled out and executed were manned by Tutsis infiltrated by the RPF”.
Surprisingly, most western countries where Rusesabagina was denying genocide, prohibit the denial of genocide as it is an integral and final part of the genocide that lasts throughout and had all ratified the Genocide convention. It is in the spirit of this, for example that Facebook, Inc decided recently it would begin removing Holocaust denial posts from Facebook and Instagram. So, it imperative to observe the same principle with regard to the Genocide against the Tutsi.
However, if one would attempt to profile Rusesabagina, the details of the situation he is in today connects with earlier event quickly transformed into a platform that made Rusesabagina internationally famous: Hotel Rwanda, a film, not a historical record, but a fictionalized depiction of a story in which Paul Rusesabagina claim all credits that he saved 1267 lives under the scourge of the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
After the release of Hotel Rwanda, Rusesabagina was awarded with numerous international human rights awards including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award, etc.., and was praised by everyone including George Bush who portrayed him an “extraordinary great man”.
However, Rusesabagina and Hotel Rwanda, received repulsive criticism. Eyewitness that include UNMIR peacekeepers whose mandate also included “contributing to the security and protection of displaced persons, refugees and civilians at risk”, despite not being up to the task, have what they saw: For example Major Stefan Stec, one of the UN observers who was staying at the hotel during the genocide, reported that Rusesabagina at one point gave the Rwandan army the names and room numbers of the most threatened Tutsi refugees.
In addition UNAMIR’s force commander Romeo Dallaire dismissed the film as “not worth looking at”. At one point in time after the release of the Film, Romeo Dalaire told a conference: “I would like you to acknowledge the role played by those UNAMIR troops who stayed in Rwanda, including the troops from Congo-Brazzaville who were the ones who saved the people at the Hotel Mille Collines – not the hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina”.
Similarly, survivors from the hotel Mille Collines said that the manager was an opportunist who had made them pay for everything in the hotel even though Sabena Airlines, which owned the hotel, had sent him a fax instructing him not to.
While, many would appreciate some traditions which work well elsewhere particularly in the US and Europe, specifically their antiterrorism principle to “to deter and punish terrorist acts”, it should not be compromised by any institution or individuals as especially in the case of Rusesbagina his terrorism acts happened in the spirit of Genocide against the Tutsi which the offender also denies consistently.
Some Western State actors are recognized for prohibiting denial of the genocides. For Example, Canada, in 1985 the Ontario government in Canada prosecuted Ernst Zundel, for distributing a Holocaust denial pamphlet. On 26 January 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted without reservation any denial of the Holocaust. The Genocide against the Tutsi was officially recognized by the UN and Rusesabagina’s acts of terrorism were instigated in the spirit of that Genocide. Both should be deterred and punished and no one should be led to lies that contravene the world shared principles that work for all us.
{ {{Emmanuel Mugiraneza, the writer, is a public servant at Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), interested in international affairs & Holds a Masters Degree in International Relations & Diplomacy}} }
He made the observation on Tuesday 13th April 2021 as he attended the launch of annual dialogue dubbed ‘Raisina Dialogue’ held for the 6th time discussing problems affecting the global community.
These discussions are organized by Observer Research Foundation in partnership with India. This year’s edition will last four days. The official launch was presided over by India Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Addressing participants that virtually attended the dialogue on the first day, President Kagame said that COVID-19 has not only affected the health sector but also global cooperation.
“Covid is a public health crisis, but it is also a crisis of international cooperation,” he noted.
Kagame also hailed India for efforts geared towards facilitating the provision of vaccine doses on African continent despite its own challenges.
“Access to vaccines is highly unequal. In a situation of scarcity, power and wealth will always set the tempo. India despite its own challenges has produced most of the vaccine doses sent to Africa, under Covax and related programs,” he noted.
In March 2021, India donated 50,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses of AstraZeneca type to Rwanda.
President Kagame highlighted that ‘without India’s production capacity and spirit of solidarity, it is possible that Africa would not yet have received much vaccine at all’.
He said that the unsustainable situation demonstrates the opportunity for more ambitious private-sector investments between India and Africa, in Pharmaceutical manufacturing, among other areas.
The President also commended Rwanda; India relationship which continues to flourish.
“The relationship between India and Rwanda continues to flourish, and our goal is to further deepen our ties. Rwanda and India continue to collaborate on important infrastructure and development initiatives,” he stressed.
“The key objective is to increase the educational and employment opportunities available to young people in both India and Rwanda. Knowledge, innovation and green economy will still be the key drivers of growth after the pandemic,” added Kagame.
Among others, Kagame stressed that the Observer Research Foundation’s annual Kigali Dialogue is another good example.
“This event brings a fresh perspective to global debates on development and growth and attests to the increasing multipolarity of our world. I hope that many of you will come to Kigali for the next edition in 2022,” he said.
They are appreciated for their commitment to resist evil and fighting against the execution of Genocide.
He delivered the message today as he presided over the ceremony closing the commemoration week that also coincided with the remembrance of slain politicians killed over opposing plans perpetrate Genocide against Tutsi.
The ceremony took place at Rebero Genocide Memorial where over 14,000 victims including Tutsi killed in Kigali as Genocide began and politicians that opposed Genocide plan.
Dr. Iyamuremye explained that remembering these politicians is essential because Genocide was not executed by accident.
“As proven by expert and researcher on the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, Genocide can’t be executed without support of leadership. Genocide against Tutsi was also planned and executed because bad leadership utilized maximum resources, political parties and other Government’s entities,” he noted.
Dr. Iyamuremye said that these politicians remembered stood against hatred, divisionism and Genocide preparations and were aware that they could lose life but kept the bravery spirit due to the love for Rwanda and Rwandans.
“They were not hunted for ethnic groups but for their virtues to stand against hatred, ethnic divisionism and Genocide ideology. We should not however forget that there are some that were killed for being good politicians and Tutsi. Those killed trying to save Tutsi and resisting Genocide ideology are also found among other categories of Rwandans. They were also characterized by self-less dedication until they accepted to sacrifice their lives to save hunted Tutsi,” he stressed.
Dr. Iyamuremye requested Rwandans to uphold the good legacy left by politicians.
“We should uphold the legacy of politicians we remember today striving that genocide never happens again, desisting propagandists denying and trivializing Genocide and those fueling their destructive ideologies. This will give the right meaning to our theme of remembering while rebuilding,” he noted.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana has said that political parties held mobilizations to incite hatred and killing of Tutsi between 1990 until 1994.
He explained that Rebero Genocide Memorial accommodates over 14,000 Genocide victims killed in different parts of Kigali including Nyamirambo, Gitega, CHUK and Cyahafi among others.
The former Prime Minister, Agathe Uwiringiyimana, leaders of PL political party including Landouard Ndasingwa, Kabageni Venantie, Charles Kayiranga, Jean de la Croix Rutaremara, Augustin Rwayitare and Aloys Niyoyita are among 12 politicians killed during genocide and buried at Rebero memorial.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are amongst the top social media platforms used by a large number of propagandists, undermining and denying the Genocide against Tutsi that took lives of over 1 million in 100 days.
Most of them use abusive words that are intended to hurt Genocide survivors and moreover fuel ethnic divisionism among Rwandans, ignoring the truth to which they have facts and evidences.
Ujeneza has authored books including ‘De l’autre côté de l’Ecran, SIMBI’. She is the daughter of Boniface Ngulinzira who served as Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1992 and 1993.
Ngulinzira was among politicians that distanced themselves from the ruling political party, MRND that masterminded Genocide.
He played a pivotal role in Arusha Peace Agreements during his officer term. Ngulinzira later kept a close eye to their implementation which infuriated the Government of the then President Juvénal Habyarimana.
Even though he was not among hunted Tutsi, Ngulinzira was assassinated on Nyanza hill in Kicukiro on the evening of 11th April 1994 over his firm beliefs to stand for the truth and to strive for harmony among Rwandans.
Ujeneza has, via her twitter wall, blamed people – whom the majority is the youth, using social media platforms to spread hatred and denial of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
She further said that such deniers warmly welcome whoever alludes to the Genocide against Tutsi as ‘Genocide in Rwanda’.
“It is not unusual. Most of these young people didn’t lose parents or relatives during that time. They don’t remember anyone who hunted or chased them out of their houses,” she observed.
“Unable to remain silent, they come here on Twitter to ridicule survivors of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. Between April and July 1994, a genocide was perpetrated against one ethnic group: Tutsi. It is indubitable,” added Ujeneza.
The genocide was planned for long that politicians against the then Government’s cruelty were assassinated.
“Hutus from different categories had heavy responsibility during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. These include intellectuals, public servants, business people, teachers, believers, soldiers, members of Gendarmerie [Rwanda’s Policing unit during the pre-Genocide], men, women and children,” stressed Ujeneza.
The author went on to describe what she personally witnessed what happened during Genocide at the age of 13.
“I saw it with my own eyes. These perpetrators were the people we knew that turned into cruel monsters,” she noted.
“Tutsi in advanced ages in 1994 had experienced massacres and violence in the 1950s until 1960 and 1970s when they lost relatives, were deprived of land, livestock and other possessions. Such killings and violence were precursors of the execution of Genocide in 1994 that targeted one ethnic group. Tutsi. During that time, no one fled Rwanda because he/she was Hutu,” emphasized Ujeneza.
Considering the aforementioned eye witness, Ujeneza said that misinterpreting ‘Genocide against Tutsi’ as ‘Genocide in Rwanda’ is going beyond limits, undermining history which she also considers ‘an insult’.
“No one was killed for being Rwandan in 1994,” she stressed.
Rwanda is commemorating the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi for the 27th time. The commemoration began on 7th April with lighting the flame of hope at Kigali Genocide Memorial and later followed by talks held at Kigali Arena bringing together top Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda.
The commemoration that lasts 100 days is taking place for second time during Coronavirus pandemic whereby talks are delivered virtually through mainstream media including televisions and radios as well as other social media platforms.
Over the years, people have been reported and arrested for threatening genocide survivors, uprooting their crops, stabbing their livestock or destroying their houses among other violent acts during commemoration period.
Among others, it has been observed that propagandists, roaming perpetrators and their supporters often use this time to spread genocide ideology, deny and trivialize the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi which continue to pain survivors who endured with both physical and psychological trauma.
It is a worrying situation that such propagandists intend to mislead people especially the youth considered the backbone of the national development and hold back the strides Rwanda has made in unity and reconciliation.
The President reiterated the commitment yesterday as he participated in the meeting bringing together heads of state and Governments, as well as heads of different institutions and international organizations assessing how Arica can manufacture COVID-19 vaccines.
The meeting held virtually was organized by African Union (AU) in collaboration with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
In line with the agenda of increasing domestic health financing, Kagame highlighted that it is important for Africa to forge strategic public-private partnerships for vaccine manufacturing on our continent.
“Vaccine production goes hand in hand with increased investments in domestic health systems, as well as building an efficient and autonomous Africa CDC, which I think is the way we are headed. Rwanda is ready to play a role in this effort, together with other member states and partners,” he said.
Kagame further stressed that Africa needs to expand production capacity for vaccines and other essential medical products.
He said that he contacted and discussed with manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines who insisted that Africa can make it.
“In the past few weeks and months, I had the opportunity to initiate contacts with different manufacturers of vaccines, specifically focusing on the Messenger RNA (mRNA) technique used by Moderna and Pfizer. We have been involved in discussions and I have briefed a few colleagues on our continent, but we want to take this forward by discussing it with others,” he said.
“There is a company that is capable of this technique, just as Moderna and Pfizer have been doing, that is ready and willing. I will brief those responsible very soon. I am sorry that I have not done that before we had this discussion,” added Kagame.
The President stated that Africa can apply techniques of these manufacturers complementing with other ways like the adenovirus method, in the vaccines used by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.
“And therefore, for Africa to move from being very sorry for ourselves, which is the case today — and I think no one single person takes the blame for that — but we have to take the blame for that, and move from what we know has not worked well for Africa to something we can do, using the examples President Ramaphosa mentioned, by partnering with these industries,” he noted.
“The African Continental Free Trade Area makes these investments even more attractive. The Africa Medicines Agency Treaty is a critical part of the institutional framework, and I urge African member states to ratify this, as many as we can have ratify, as soon as possible,” he added.
The meeting was also attended by President of DRC Felix Tshisekedi who is the current Chairperson of AU and his counterpart of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Until today, church leaders are blamed to have played a role during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi mobilizing followers to kill fellows.
In 2016, the Catholic Church apologized on behalf of its members that participated in the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi through the statement signed by nine bishops.
“Even though the church sent no body to do harm, we, the Catholic clerics in particular, apologize, again, for some of the church members, clerics, people who dedicated themselves to serve God and Christians in general who played a role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” reads part of the statement.
In April 2016, the Association of Pentecostal Church of Rwanda (ADEPR) also apologized for complicity of its members during Genocide against Tutsi.
IGIHE has talked to church leaders including the Archbishop of Kigali Diocese, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda and the spokesperson of ADEPR, Pastor Ndayizeye Isaie to hear their message to Rwandans and hint on learned lessons and teachings churches should promote.
Cardinal Kambanda said that Genocide against Tutsi is beyond imagination considering the fact that Christians also took part of it.
“Genocide against Tutsi reflected extreme cruelty. The saddest thing is that it was perpetrated by Rwandans including Christians. This hurts us. What happened in Rwanda is beyond imagination had it not been the Mercy of God,” he said.
“That is why we take time, during this period of commemoration, to pray so that God can defeat the evil and hatred to resurrect from death to lead new life. This is what Jesus Christ came to teach us when he was oppressed and accepted to die in solidarity with all oppressed and killed over their innate personality,” added Cardinal Kambanda.
He highlighted that it is saddening for a Christian to take lives of fellows yet they are aware that ‘life’ is the greatest gift God gave people.
“The blood of victims is a tear that reaches God. During this period, we take time to comfort genocide survivors and pray for Genocide victims to continue resting in eternal peace,” said Cardinal Kambanda.
Pastor Ndayizeye Isaie genocide victims suffered a lot without anyone to comfort them.
“Survivors endured extreme sufferings during Genocide when they had no one help or comfort them. We comfort them and remind that Christ is around to comfort and soothe their hearts despite endured difficulties,” he said.
The Bishop of the Anglican Church in Kigali , Rusengo Nathan Amooti has observed that Genocide against Tutsi uncovered the status of Christianity among Rwandans noting that they turned into ‘Judas’ (Iscariot) and perpetrated killings.
“Genocide reflected the extent of Christianity among Rwandans. It weighed us, Rwandans and Christians. Rwandans became Judas, betrayed and killed fellows,” he said.
“We should admit our weakness and committed evils that also led us to killing the son of God. We offended our fellows and God,” added Rusengo.
Judas Iscariot was one of the Twelve Apostles. He is notorious for betraying Jesus by disclosing Jesus’ whereabouts for 30 pieces of silver. Judas brought men to arrest Jesus and identified him with a kiss. Jesus was then arrested, tried, and executed.
{{Promoting constructive preaching }}
Cardinal Kambanda has said that Christians should be taught to love each other and avoid whatever that could lead divide them.
“Priority teachings should mobilizing people to stand against discrimination. Our bond of unity is much valuable than differences. The difference rests in economic status but we are flowers as Mary of Kibeho told us. The beauty of flowers lies in the mix of varied of colors. This should apply to us to stand united,” he said.
“Our uniqueness is the beauty and our strength. Saint Paul says it well alluding to an example of a body composed of different parts which form its strength,” added Cardinal Kambanda.
Pastor Ndayizeye also highlighted that preachers should strive to instill good values among Christians.
“We should be careful and follow up whether our teachings transform people into Church followers or followers of Christ. This point should be given much relevance to avoid bystanders,” he said.
“It has been observed that such virtue was missing during Genocide against Tutsi. It is important to analyze the transformations brought by messages delivered nowadays bring to lives of Christians and how they can resist the evil regardless of the forces behind,” added Ndayizeye.
Bishop Rusengo also observed that Christians should repent and take on their responsibility as Christians to perceive fellows in the image of God.
In July 2019, President Paul Kagame blamed preachers who played a role to turn churches into killing fields saying that Rwandans are not short of lessons showing them how to do it because there is more strength they should use to build the Rwandan family and make a contribution on the global scale.
He made the observation in his concluding remarks following the training of leadership dubbed ‘Purpose Driven Leadership Gathering’ organized by PEACE Plan Rwanda at Kigali Convention Center (KCC).
The training was attended by close to 2,000 people from the public, private and faith based sectors for the Purpose Driven Leadership Gathering led by Pastor Rick Warren.
At the time, Kagame reflected on the country’s tragic history that led to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi taking lives of over 1 million victims saying it should leave a considerable lesson.
“You cannot call yourself a believer and behave as someone who is not a believer. I have still not understood how churches were turned into killing fields with those who taught the word of God choosing who should be killed,” said Kagame.
“It is a failure that will continue to leave a mark on our history. That is why Rwanda has to make extraordinary choices to heal from the tragedy and failures of our past,” he added.
The ceremony to remember these victims took place on Sunday at Nyanza Genocide Memorial observing COVID-19 preventive measures with few representatives of different groups.
Some mourners who spoke to IGIHE said that visiting memorials is a way to honor genocide victims.
The mayor of Kigali City, Rubingisa Prudence said that Rwanda is commemorating for the 27th time during Coronavirus pandemic but observed that honoring genocide victims should not be disregarded.
“I would like to comfort those who could not attend this ceremony because we are commemorating during unusual times preventing the spread of COVID-19. We have represented others so that we can lay wreaths, pay tribute to victims and remember Genocide against Tutsi,” he said.
Rubingisa reminded the youth to make a step forward to learn Rwanda’s history to be able to resist people denying and trivializing the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
“We still experience cases of Genocide ideology and trivialization but we won’t remain silent. We encourage the youth to visit memorials, learn history, to witness how victims were brutally killed. They should learn this truth so that they can resist people denying and misinterpreting history,” he noted.
The President of Ibuka in Kigali City, Egide Nkuranga called for intensified efforts to resist people who continue to fuel genocide ideology especially during commemoration period.
The President of Ibuka in Kigali City, Egide Nkuranga called for intensified efforts to resist people who continue to fuel genocide ideology especially during commemoration period.
“It has been 27 years since Genocide against Tutsi was stopped but we still have people denying and trivializing the Genocide especially during commemoration period. This means, there are some people with persistent and destructive ideologies and others intending to exterminate surviving Tutsi,” he said.
“It should be everyone’s responsibility to resist genocide deniers,” added Nkuranga.
Mukayiranga Spéciose, who represented families with relatives laid at Nyanza memorial in Kicukiro said that honoring victims soothes their hearts.
“We were hopeless during Genocide but we feel relieved when we visit this place. It makes us happy and soothes our hearts when we come to this place where relatives are laid to rest,” she noted.
Mukayiranga thanked the Government of Rwanda for having built memorials that helps them to remember fallen relatives.
Rwanda is commemorating for the 27th time under the them ‘ Rember-Unite-Renew’.
Nyanza-Kicukiro is distinctly known as one of the places where thousands of people were massacred a few days after the beginning of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
When the genocide began on April 7, over 3000 Tutsi from Kicukiro sought refuge at a former technical school, Ecole Technique Officielle de Kicukiro (ETO), in the belief that they would be protected by the United Nations peacekeeping forces for Rwanda (MINUAR) that was based there.
MINUAR would however desert them a few days later, despite the tension that had built up as the Interahamwe militia and government soldiers had surrounded the school.
Following the departure of the UN troops, government soldiers and Interahamwe took control of ETO Kicukiro.
In the school, Tutsi were taken by government soldiers and Interahamwe to Sonatube to be murdered there but the then mayor of the city, Lt. Col. Tharcisse Renzaho, ordered that they instead be taken to Nyanza and killed from there because Sonatube was too visible along the road to the airport.
The Tutsi were then forced to march back, all the way to Nyanza, amid a heavy downpour. Many had not eaten for a couple of days. Those too weak to walk were killed on the way. When they arrived at Nyanza, the militia asked them to present their IDs to ensure that no Hutu were among the group.
Mass killings then began and many of them were killed using machetes. The next morning, as the killers attempted to finish off those who were still alive, the Rwandan Patriotic Army soldiers arrived and rescued the few who had survived the massacre.
These abandoned Tutsi were killed on 11th April 1994.
The memorial that will feature names of Sports men killed during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi was proposed by the team that carried out research on the former Ministry of Youth and Associative Movement previously known as Ministère de la Jeunesse et du Mouvement associative (MIJEUMA).
Appearing in RTV talk show on Sunday 11th April 2021 revolving around how ‘Sports and Entertainment’ were used as a tool to prepare Genocide, Dr. Gakwenzire Philbert who conducted research on the former MIJEUMA said that 75% of Tutsi that worked with the Ministry were killed during Genocide against Tutsi.
He explained that MIJEUMA had 544 employees before Genocide of whom 49 were Tutsi equivalent to 9%. Of the 49 Tutsi, 37 (75%) were killed during Genocide while 12 survived.
After conducting the research, Dr. Gakwenzire proposed building a memorial featuring names of fallen victims that worked with the Ministry at Amahoro Stadium in Remera where it had offices.
“No memorial has been built for 37 former employees of the Ministry killed during Genocide. We proposed that the memorial with names of Genocide victims should be built at Amahoro Stadium,” he said.
“The Ministry had offices at the stadium but we are aware that it had main headquarters in Quartier Commercial (currently in Kigali city centre). We also proposed that the building should be marked with a symbol reflecting that it is among places where Genocide was planned. It is a truth well known that the dance troop dubbed Irindiro of [Simon Bikindi] used the ministry’s multipurpose hall for repetitions as well as other resources of the ministry,” he said.
Simon Bikindi was renowned for producing songs that encouraged Hutus to kill Tutsi.
The Minister of Sports, Munyangaju Aurore Mimosa who also featured in the talk show said that the memorial will be constructed after rehabilitating Amahoro Stadium and feature names of sportsmen killed during Genocide.
“It is true that the proposal was tabled. As we know, the current premises of Amahoro Stadium are set for renovation. The idea was welcomed the great idea that we want materialized. Apart from employees of MIJEUMA, sportsmen, members of different associations or partners of the then ministry whose identifications are traced will be feature on the list,” she said.
“We cannot specify the date because the activity is planned after completing renovation works,” added Munyangaju.
The political expert who once served as an advisor in the Office of the President the Republic, Paul Kagame has explained that it is the first time for a committee established by France to approve that the country supported the Government that prepared and executed Genocide noting that the gesture is a giant stride leading to the revelation of unknown realities and revitalized bilateral relations.
The report by expert commission comprised of French historians was released on 26th March 2021 and presented to French President Emmanuel Macron. The team studied French official files.
The report indicated that France bears “heavy and overwhelming responsibilities” over tragic history that led to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which took lives of over 1 million victims.
It was presented two years, after the delegation of 13 historians started reviewing archives on France, Rwanda relations between 1990 and 1994.
The report blames the then French President, François Mitterrand, for a “failure” of policy towards Rwanda in 1994. The findings were made public after years of French official secrecy over links to the Government led by Juvenal Habyarimana.
President Macron appointed the 15-member commission two years ago, giving them access to presidential, diplomatic, military and intelligence archives.
Among the archives are those of Mitterrand, who had close ties to former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana.
Dr. Kimonyo who also authored different books has told IGIHE that the relevance of the report lies in its resolutions.
He holds a PhD in Political Science obtained from Québec University in Canada.
He has so far authored two books including ‘Rwanda, un génocide populaire ‘ and ‘Rwanda demain! Une longue marche vers la transformation’.
“In fact, the gist of the report lies in its resolutions. It has two resolutions.The first states that French people had heavy and overwhelming responsibility to what happened in Rwanda between 1990 and 1994. Secondly, it is the first time an entity from France makes such a statement. That’s a great milestone,” he said.
“Taking stock of the situation in the past five years, an individual trying to ask former France officials if the country was accomplice to Habyarimana or Genocidal Government was mocked. The report clears France of complicity but asking the question also has a strong relevance,” added Dr. Kimonyo.
He explained that implications of the report proves the country’s role during Genocide particularly allies complicity of allies to the then President Mitterand even though it is not mentioned directly.
Dr. Kimonyo finds that Duclert report is a great step to restoring Rwanda, France relations considering the strong willingness of President Macron since he took office in 2017.
“The report is not the first gesture Macron demonstrates to revitalize Rwanda. France relations. As the Duclert commission was established, the country had started spotting Genocide fugitives to face justice. The situation is promising that Rwanda, France relations will continue to flourish,” he observed.
Since 1991, France embassy in Rwanda reported that preparation of Genocide to exterminate Tutsi but the Government of Mitterand kept a deaf ear as revealed by Colonel René Galinié who was the Defense Attaché to the Embassy of France in Rwanda and head of military cooperation mission (July 1991-April 1994).
The Duclert report also triggered reactions of other French soldiers who were deployed in ‘Opération Turquoise’ (a French-led military intervention in Rwanda since 1994) among other politicians who have been explaining the Government of the then French President, Mitterand disregarded for several times reports and evidences explaining that Genocide was under preparation in Rwanda.
