{{The Kwibuka Flame of Remembrance today arrives in Gicumbi District, the 20th stop on its nationwide tour. }}
The flame will return to Kigali on 7 April 2014, the start of the national mourning period and twenty years since the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
You can view an interactive map of the tour here. The flame travels next to Nyagatare District on 11 March 2014.
Today’s event is hosted by Mayor Alexandre Mvuyekure and will reflect on the events of the genocide in 1994 as well as the journey of Gicumbi and Rwanda since.
The special guest is Hon. Minister Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health. The Governor of the Northern Province, Aimé Bosenibamwe, will also speak.
The Flame of Remembrance will be received from Rulindo District by two 20-year-old students, Marie Louise Dusabe and Viateur Mbarushimana. A children’s choir will sing ‘Urumuri Rutazima’ (Never Ending Flame) to welcome the flame.
Anastase Kamizikunze (40) will speak at today’s event about how he survived the genocide in Mutete and about going back to school after the genocide.
Perpetrator Innocent Nyirigira (48) will speak about his role in the genocide and his new life after being released from prison. A song will be performed by Chantal Ndatenyirigira.
Gicumbi District is composed of former Kiyombe, Mukarange, Cyumba, Kibali, Bwisige, Kinyami, Rutare, Giti, Buyoga and Cyungo communes. Byumba in Gicumbi is among the places where Tutsi were systematically killed as early as 1990.
Some of the victims who were killed there were brought from Nyagatare and other areas in the east. The first training of the militia under what was called “civil defence” started in Byumba communes, where the distribution of guns to the civilian population began in 1991.
When the genocide began, almost half of the district was under the control of Rwandan Patriotic Army.
This prevented the killing of Tutsi throughout the whole district but wide spread killings took place in Mutete, an area under control of the government forces (FAR).
Tutsi who had assembled at Zoko were initially able to resist attacks from the Interahamwe but succumbed when reinforcements arrived on 15 April 1994.
There were 1789 victims of the genocide in Gicumbi, some of whom were killed before 1994. Among the perpetrators from the region was the influential businessman, Athanase Ntakaveve, who killed his own wife, Catherine, as an example for others to follow.
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