{"id":2000108303,"date":"2026-04-11T14:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T12:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000108303"},"modified":"2026-04-11T12:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T10:35:24","slug":"dr-bizimana-reveals-how-kantano-used-his-popularity-linked-to-rayon-sports-to-incite-killings-of-tutsi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/dr-bizimana-reveals-how-kantano-used-his-popularity-linked-to-rayon-sports-to-incite-killings-of-tutsi\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Bizimana reveals how Kantano used his popularity linked to Rayon Sports to incite killings of Tutsi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rwanda, alongside the international community, is currently marking the 32nd commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi, during which more than one million people were killed in just 100 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at an event held on April 10, 2026, in remembrance of journalists who were killed during the Genocide, Dr. Bizimana highlighted the critical role played by the media in fueling the violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that several high-ranking government officials were actively involved in the leadership of RTLM while still serving in state institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among them was Donath Hakizimana, then Secretary General of the National Intelligence Service, who was responsible for supplying RTLM with information and recruiting loyal, hardline journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaspard Musabyimana, now living in Belgium where he operates Radio Inkingi an outlet that continues to promote genocide ideology was in charge of programming and coordination with intelligence networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also involved was Ferdinand Nahimana, one of the principal ideologues of the Genocide, who authored propaganda encouraging Hutu unity against Tutsis under what was called the \u201ccivil self-defense\u201d (Auto-d\u00e9fense civile) campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These individuals, along with others, formed influential committees that recruited skilled and trusted journalists, many drawn from ORINFOR and used them to orchestrate propaganda campaigns that encouraged the killing  of Tutsis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those recruited included Noheli Hitimana, Joel Hakizimana, Ananiya Nkurunziza, Georges Ruggiu, Val\u00e9rie Bemeriki, Joseph Gatsikira, and others known for their engaging and persuasive broadcasting style, often centered on music, sports, and general entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Bizimana emphasized that Habimana Kantano stood out as one of RTLM\u2019s most influential figures. He cleverly used his popularity as a passionate fan of Rayon Sports to mobilize members of the Interahamwe militia and incite them to commit killings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted:\u201cKantano was widely recognized as a devoted Rayon Sports supporter. He often wore the club\u2019s attire and carried a drum wherever he went. He was highly popular, and whenever he spoke on RTLM, many young people listened closely because of his influence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RTLM broadcasts frequently included explicit hate speech, such as: \u201cTutsis, you cockroaches, we will kill you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RTLM began broadcasting on July 8, 1993, and quickly became popular, particularly among young audiences, due to its modern and engaging programming. The station aired a wide range of music, including Zouk, Rumba, American genres, gospel songs, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its large audience enabled it to spread hatred and extremist propaganda with alarming ease, significantly contributing to the rapid escalation and widespread nature of the killings during the Genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ferdinand Nahimana was the Director of RTLM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Habimana Kantano used his association with Rayon Sports to incite Hutu youth to kill Tutsis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean Damasc\u00e8ne Bizimana, has detailed how Habimana Kantano, a journalist at the infamous RTLM (Radio T\u00e9l\u00e9vision Libre des Mille Collines), used his public image as a devoted supporter of Rayon Sports to influence and incite young people to participate in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000108304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000108303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000108304,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maxresdefault_2_-8-78231.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":600,"height":518,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maxresdefault_2_-8-78231.jpg","width":150,"height":130},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maxresdefault_2_-8-78231.jpg","width":300,"height":259},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maxresdefault_2_-8-78231.jpg","width":600,"height":518},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maxresdefault_2_-8-78231.jpg","width":600,"height":518},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maxresdefault_2_-8-78231.jpg","width":600,"height":518}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000108303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000108303"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000108303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000108345,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000108303\/revisions\/2000108345"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000108304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000108303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000108303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000108303"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000108303"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000108303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}