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However, there were solutions: keep the genocidal guide in quarantine for three days, escort the Tutsi on foot to the French camp in Gishyita (an hour on foot), while night was falling and the genocidaires had returned home, escorting them to Kibuye where they would have arrived at 9 p.m., leaving French soldiers on the spot until reinforcements arrived. There were solutions.

Then the second round of the Bisesero genocide will be able to be set up exactly according to the conditions which prevailed in the massacre of the fifty thousand Tutsi civilians a month and a half earlier in the same place. Once the guide has informed his hierarchy, the Interahamwe [genocidal militia formed by French soldiers of Operation Noroît in 1992 and 1993] are called from other regions (Cyangugu, Gisenyi…). As was the case a month and a half earlier, buses full of murderers are sweeping over Bisesero. As was the case on May 13, the Tutsi saw the reappearance, in the hands of the killers, of these new sharp machetes on both sides, and of which former genocidaires remember today that soldiers of Turquoise distributed them by taking them from their boxes of their Jeep then parked at Colonel Simba’s in Cyangugu.

There ends the comparison. At the end of June, the Tutsi are only two thousand. On the morning of May 13, there were fifty thousand. At the end of June, exhausted, decimated, the Tutsi could only hide. Before May 13, their courage and their intelligence had led the Interahamwe to fear these men, women and children in rags and unarmed! So why couldn’t the Tutsi have withstood the May 13 massacre? Here is the answer.

Faced with so much bravery, the genocidaires had become afraid and no longer wanted to risk their lives to exterminate them. Therefore, a solution had to be found to overcome the last pocket of resistance to the genocide. White soldiers were called in to supervise these genocidaires from everywhere and to give them courage. The scenario was simple: encirclement of the mountains by the Hutu population supervised by the Interahamwe, then opening of heavy weapon fire by the white soldiers, then machine gunning by the white and Rwandan soldiers, finally entering the scene with the Interahamwe and Hutu population finishing the fewsurvivors.

All the Tutsi, among the survivors of the May 13 massacre, did not see the Whites during this great massacre. The latter were in fact only several dozen among a crowd of thousands of Rwandan genocidaires. But they were in charge. Some Tutsi only saw them on May 12, during the preparation for the massacre, others only saw them on the 13, others on both days, others did not see them at all.

Now back to June 27. Why do those Tutsi who saw the Whites of May 13 then trust French soldiers when they come out of their hiding place? An answer is given to us by Simeon Karamaga, deputy chief of the resistance at Bisesero.

Simeon only saw them on May 12, when they gathered in Ruhuha with the Rwandan genocidaires. When asked why he discovered himself to join the French soldiers on June 27, he who had just detailed the circumstances in which he had seen Whites joining his assassins the day before the great massacre a month and a half earlier, he replied: “There they called us. Imagine yourself dying for a long time. If someone calls you to tell you they’re going to save you, you don’t hesitate. “(Interview with Simeon Karamaga: http://www.bisesero.net/pages/l-enquete/extraits-filmes-de-temoignages.html)

This is what said other Tutsi survivors who had in memory these Whites of May 13 when they decided to discover themselves. They have nothing left to lose. Besides, aren’t these white people deployed on a humanitarian mission? Why, they may legitimately wonder, would they necessarily have a link with those of May 13?

Now let’s ask ourselves. On June 27, 1994, there was an opportunity to show the press that Operation Turquoise was there to save civilians threatened with massacre. Why then deprive yourself of such a demonstration in front of the journalists then present in the convoy? The opportunity was however unexpected! Tutsi civilians being exterminated come out everywhere and ask for the protection of the French humanitarian mission, all this in front of journalists! It’s a gift for Turquoise communication! So why not take this opportunity to make the front page of all the newspapers? Why ?

This question I am asking here is one that I was once asked to take into account by Bruno Boudiguet, author of “Friday the 13th in Bisesero”. I think he had just realized the reason for Turquoise’s abandonment of the Tutsi from Bisesero on June 27, 1994.

Because the answer to the question may well be that risk should not have been taken that survivors testify to the active participation of these white soldiers (French for some witnesses) in the May 13 massacre. And then as for the demonstrations to the press of the alleged humanitarian character of Turquoise, was it not the Nyarushishi camp that had been chosen to fulfill this function?

Simeon Karamaga died last May. He is one of those rare men whom you are given to meet in your life, rare by an exceptional courage such that it would have been necessary to call on external forces with heavy weapons to overcome men and women like him, ragged civilians with sticks and stones! So let’s not be silent on the sole reason why the Tutsi of Bisesero were defeated on May 13, at the risk of depriving them of the honor they deserve.

To do this, we need to listen to all the witnesses without sticking to those who have not seen the May 13 Whites. Rwandan television viewers heard some of Bisesero’s survivors testify to the active participation of Whites in this great massacre. The fact remains that these survivors suffer from the fact that their country, with too few exceptions, relay their word insufficiently.

There is a long list of survivors who do not understand that the story they bear witness to is still not accessible in memorials. They are at their disposal. History is written slowly, but witnesses are not eternal. Today it is time to offer to the fifty thousand Tutsi who died for the most part on May 13 under the fire of heavy weapons, the one and indivisible truth for burial.

Serge Farnel is the author of Rwanda, May 13, 1994. A French massacre? (Aviso / L’esprit Frappeur-2012) and Bisesero. The Rwandan Warsaw Ghetto (Aviso-2014).

His investigation into the active participation of white soldiers in the great genocidal massacre of May 13, 1994 in Bisesero is recorded on the website: www.bisesero.net (in French) a version of which is also available in English: www.bisesero.net/en This investigation was continued by Bruno Boudiguet, author of Friday the 13th in Bisesero (Aviso-2014).

The Ministry of Local Government, on Thursday, issued new directives in line with preventing the spread of Coronavirus.

Under the new directives, the following villages in Kigali were put under lockdown for at least 15 days:

Kamabuye and Zuba villages of Nyarurama cell as well as Nyenyeri village in Bwerankori cell; all in Kigarama Sector in Kicukiro District;

Rugano village in Kanunga cell of Gikondo Sector in Kicukiro District; as well as the villages of Kadobogo and Gisenga in Kigali cell, Kigali Sector in Nyarugenge District.

Movements in these affected villages are only restricted to emergency services with civil servants and those working in private institutions residing in these areas directed to work from their respective homes.

Rwanda National Police (RNP) spokesperson, CP John Bosco Kabera advised people living in these villages to be compliant for their safety and that of others.

“There is a reason as to why these specific villages were put under lockdown, which is to ensure their safety from catching or spreading COVID-19 to their families, neighbours, the community or even to other neighbouring villages and sectors,” said CP Kabera.

“Your home is your safety and no one should force you to ensure your safety, be the first respondent to you safety.

Avoid unnecessary movements because you will be arrested and penalized accordingly; go straight back home after acquiring the essential or emergency services; visits are not allowed, practice social distancing and wear facemask whenever you go out of your home for essential services; wash or sanitize your hands regularly.”

The spokesperson further urged people neighbouring the villages placed under lockdown, to refrain from going to these villages to avoid catching and spreading the virus to other places.

Police officers, he said, have been deployed in these villages to ensure compliance.

HE Adama Dieng, UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide year marks the 26th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which near one million people were killed because of their Tutsi identity. 100 days of horrors with the aim of the perpetrators to exterminate the Tutsi as a Group. They also killed the moderate Hutu and others who opposed the genocide.

I am profoundly humbled to join you to reflect on one of the darkest chapters in human history. It is the occasion to remind ourselves of our collective failure to recognize the warning signs of impending violence, to prevent the deaths of so many, and renew our resolve to prevent such atrocities from happening again.
Remembering the heinous crimes committed in Rwanda means acknowledging the victims and calling attention to the survivors and the struggles they continue to face. We should be inspired by the survivors’ ability to show that reconciliation is possible even after a tragedy of such monumental proportions.

I often say that there is no part of the world that can consider itself immune to the risk of atrocity crimes, by which I mean genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity. All societies have risk factors related to atrocity crimes to some extent, for example divisions based on ethnicity, race, religion or other grounds, social disparities, discrimination as well as human rights violations. It is how early these risk factors are managed that will determine whether they will escalate into situations of more serious concern or not. We are therefore all responsible for contributing to prevention, whatever our roles or capacities.

Genocide is the most serious crime against the human being. The best way to honor the memory of the victims is to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. We must all be alert to the warning signs and act quickly while there is still time to do so. One of the key warning signs and a trigger to violence is the spread of hate speech in public discourse and the media that target specific communities, based on their identity, in particular, the most extreme cases of hate speech that have the potential to incite hostility and violence.

The ongoing crisis in many places around the world are a clear reminder to all of us that we are still failing to prevent atrocity crimes. Civilians, including women, children and the elderly continue to be brutally killed, raped, displaced and discriminated against on the basis of their identity. We must ensure that we act swiftly at an early stage to protect those at risk of atrocities.

Building a better society is an endeavor that requires the involvement of all segments of society, all men and women, ethnicities and religions. It requires us to work together towards a collective goal. We know all too well that without peaceful and inclusive societies, we increase the risk of crisis, violence and even atrocity crimes.

We must strive to address inequality, build cohesive society devoid of ethnic or racial divisions, promote good governance. We must also counter intolerance, hatred, and all forms of discrimination. Enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms must be guaranteed and protected. If we are short of these values in any parts of the world, then we will continue to grapple with the risk of atrocity crimes and our promise of “Never again” may remain elusive.

Rwanda teaches us this essential lesson. It is no surprise that President Kagame displayed his strong commitment to the African Union Principle of non-indifference – Article 4 of the AU Constitutive Act refers. It is no surprise that Rwanda is a Champion of RtoP …

It ranked in the top four in the Report’s political empowerment category, in recognition of the high proportion of Rwandese women lawmakers and ministers.

The country, therefore, seemed a natural fit for a 2018 pilot program of the African Development Bank’s Coding for Employment initiative, with Nigeria, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

The Coding for Employment flagship program is establishing 130 ICT centers for excellence in Africa, training 234,000 youths for employability and entrepreneurship to create over 9 million jobs.

Hendrina C. Doroba, Manager in the Education, Human Capital and Employment Division at the Bank, explains how Rwanda is empowering women in technology.

{{How has the government of Rwanda enabled women to pursue careers in technology, and STEM in general?}}

The government of Rwanda has been a foremost champion of women in ICT and in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (also known as STEM), by driving initiatives like the establishment of the Carnegie Mellon University-Africa campus, for which the Bank provided funding. Students from 17 different countries pursue highly specialized ICT skills at the Africa campus.

The country also hosts the African Institute of Mathematics (AIMS) which is now recruiting balanced cohorts of women and men. Lastly, the Bank-funded University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology has for many years produced women leaders in the ICT sector in Rwanda and globally.

Rwanda’s government also supports initiatives such as the Miss Geek Rwanda competition, an initiative of Girls in ICT Rwanda, which aims to encourage school-age girls, even those in remote areas, to develop innovative tech or business ideas and to generally immerse themselves in ICT. The Miss Geek initiative has now been rolled out in other countries in the region.

{{What role has the Bank played in supporting Rwanda’s digital strategy, especially in relation to women?}}

The strategy of the Bank’s Coding for Employment center of excellence in Rwanda has been to join forces with the Rwanda Coding Academy through a grant agreement to support the school’s activities, like ICT equipment, teacher training and career orientation. The Rwanda Coding Academy started in January 2019 and has so far enrolled one cohort, which is now going into their second year.

Besides the Rwanda Coding Academy, the Bank’s Coding for Employment program held a two-day masterclass for girls and young women entrepreneurs at the 2018 Youth Conneckt summit, where over 200 beneficiaries were trained in using digital tools to amplify their businesses.

The session was attended by women entrepreneurs as well as students from girl schools in Kigali, including those from White Dove School, which is an all-girl school fully dedicated to training in ICT. The masterclass culminated into a pitching exercise from various groups who presented their ideas to a panel of judges.

{{What lessons can other African countries learn from Rwanda’s approach to the 4IR, in particular the role of women?}}

The government of Rwanda has been a trailblazer in using innovation to improve public services across the country using the e-governance platform Irembo, to bring government services closer to citizens. In addition, the government is driving national digital skilling campaigns by championing digital ambassador programs and platforms such as Smart Africa, which has organized the annual Transform Africa summit since 2013.

Still, gender equality remains a concern, and gender gaps are evident even in schools. Rwanda’s ambitions extend to piloting the Kigali Innovation City, also Bank-funded, to serve as the country’s knowledge and innovation hub by attracting new businesses and incubating ideas.

At the same time, the country has created a business environment which is pro-entrepreneurship and welcomes global inventors to test their ideas and concepts. Zipline, a company which uses drones to deliver medical supplies in remote areas, is one example.

Lastly, Rwanda promotes women leaders in the ICT and innovation sector. The country’s Minister of ICT and Innovation is a woman, as is the CEO of the Irembo platform. Appointments such as these are helping to dispel the myth that women are not as capable as men in ICT.

{Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).}

All the suspects are members of ADEPR Church. They include 12 women and 11 men from different parts of the district, who had gathered for prayers.

They were found in the house of one Françine Mukantwari, 60, located in Kibirizi Sector, Mbuye Cell.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvestre Twajamahoro, the Southern Region Police Spokesperson said that besides disregarding the government directives, which partly prohibit mass gatherings including religious services in this period; the room where they were found is very small, they were congested and had no facemasks.

“Local residents called the Police reporting serious violations. Indeed, we found 23 people congested in a tiny room praying, with no facemasks. Some of them had traveled from the neighboring sectors.

In any case where one is infected with Coronavirus, it was very easy to infect all others who were in the same room,” said CIP Twajamahoro.

The suspects, he said, were isolated at Kibirizi Police Station for further management.

CIP Twajamahoro warned against breaching the government orders and derailing efforts to combat the pandemic of COVID-19.

“People should understand that such prohibited gatherings don’t only put their lives at stake but also those of others in their families and communities, and hampering the government efforts to combat the virus. One infected person can easily infect the whole community, these behaviors shouldn’t be tolerated and should be reported,” the spokesperson said.

CIP Twajamahoro reminded members of the public to also follow other health and hygiene guidelines put in place, especially washing hands, avoiding handshakes and wearing facemasks.

He further warned that whoever breaches the directives meant to contain the spread of COVID-19 will be brought to book.

While appearing on ‘Waramutse Rwanda’, a morning talk-show on Rwanda Television on Monday, CP Kabera observed that ‘Ntabe Ari Njye’ literally translated as ‘I shouldn’t be the one’ campaign initiated by RNP is meant to effect change in people’s thinking and actions to make safer individual choices in compliance with the recommended directives and guidelines to contain the pandemic.

“Ntabe Ari Njye campaign looks at the individual character to make a choice not be the source for COVID-19 infections where you live, walk, in the vehicle or at work.

A choice to never shake hands or hug anyone; a choice to wash your hands well as many times as possible with clean water and soap or sanitize your hands; a choice to leave enough distance between you and another person; a choice to wear a facemask well covering your mouth and nose, to prioritise movements or avoid unnecessary movements including journeys,” said CP Kabera.

Although most businesses and movements, as well as the transport sector, resumed across the country, CP Kabera said that the global pandemic is still in our midst and these safety guidelines are compulsory and must be adhered to at all times to prevent catching or spreading the virus in your home, community, at work or while on your journeys.

On Sunday, June 21, the Ministry of Health reported 26 new COVID-19 cases that were diagnosed from 3,252 tests; 18 were detected in Rusizi district, two at Rusumo and 6 cases found in Kigali. Two of the cases detected in Kigali are taxi-moto operators.

“Before you board a motorcycle or vehicle, there are compulsory precautionary measures you have to take first. You must wash or sanitize your hands, the facemask should be worn properly; a distance must be left between two passengers in the vehicle and a helmet cleaned first for those using motos, wear fabrics inside the helmet and use cashless payment. The virus can be spread through many ways and the good choice you make is your safety and the safety of others around you.”

He warned motorcyclists, who breach the directives such as cashless payment, sharing fabrics with clients, not washing or sanitizing their hands or using water as sanitizer.