{"id":122275,"date":"2026-04-19T15:15:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T15:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/im-bank-honors-staff-killed-in-genocide"},"modified":"2026-04-19T15:26:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T15:26:03","slug":"im-bank-honors-staff-killed-in-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/im-bank-honors-staff-killed-in-genocide","title":{"rendered":"I&M Bank Honors Staff Killed in Genocide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>I&M Bank Rwanda Plc joined the nation in commemorating the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed more than one million lives in 100 days, by paying tribute to the victims, including its 26 former employees killed when the institution operated as Banque Commerciale du Rwanda (BCR).<\/p>\n

The event held on Friday, April 17, reflected on loss, resilience, and the Bank\u2019s continued support to survivors and their families.<\/p>\n

The commemoration brought together families of victims, survivors, staff, and officials. It began at the Bank\u2019s Kigali headquarters, where a monument honours 26 former employees killed during the Genocide\u2014a number that continues to rise as more names are identified. Wreaths and flowers were laid in their memory by members of the victims\u2019 families and the bank\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n

I&M Bank Rwanda CEO Benjamin Mutimura lays a wreath on a monument in honour of the former staff killed in the Genocide, at the bank’s headquarters in Kigali on April 17, 2026.<\/p>\n

Activities later continued to Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, where participants toured the site and paid tribute at mass graves where more than 250,000 victims are laid to rest. Testimonies and a documentary screening underscored both the scale of the tragedy and the need to prevent its recurrence.<\/p>\n

Families recall pre-Genocide persecution<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of families of former BCR employees, Vianney Nyamutera recalled the climate of fear before 1994.<\/p>\n

Vianney Nyamutera, representative of the families of fomer employees killed in the Genocide, speaks at the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would step aside and speak among themselves \u2013 about how they lived, how they suffered, how they were persecuted, and how things were getting worse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As children, he said, many did not fully understand. \u201cWe thought we were living well mostly because our parents were working, but they were always worried, visibly unsettled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt became clearer when we were denied opportunities, when you had passed your exams but were not called to continue to secondary school.\u201d<\/p>\n

I&M Bank Rwanda CEO Benjamin Mutimura signs in a memorial guest book at Kigali Genocide Memorial on April 17.<\/p>\n

Many families, he recounted, sent children to neighbouring countries for safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome lost fathers, others husbands, others siblings. Some survived, others have grown old,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nyamutera commended the bank\u2019s continued support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thank the bank for the support it has given us. Not all institutions did that,\u201d he said. \u201cYou also responded to our request to bring together families of former employees, and we appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the immediate aftermath of the Genocide, he acknowledged that many young survivors struggled with the temptation of revenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a moment when we thought about doing to others what had been done to us,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we were guided not to take that path. Looking back, we realise we could have committed further atrocities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historical context of discrimination<\/p>\n

Providing historical perspective, Senator Emmanuel Havugimana highlighted longstanding marginalisation of Tutsi before 1994.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not a matter of lacking intelligence, but of lacking opportunity,\u201d he said, citing discriminatory policies that limited access to education, employment, and governance.<\/p>\n

He noted that even quota systems that ostensibly allowed limited Tutsi participation were not respected, leaving many to rely on informal networks to access basic services.<\/p>\n

Survivor testimony<\/p>\n

A Genocide survivor and I&M Bank employee, Martine Umutoniwabo, shared her personal account of loss and survival, illustrating the human cost behind the statistics.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least 85 per cent of our family members we lost are buried here at the memorial,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis country was soaked in the blood of the Tutsi,\u201d she added. \u201cAfter the Genocide, you could see it everywhere, the land itself seemed to remember the blood that had been shed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also recounted discrimination in education and how then-Prime Minister Agatha Uwiringiyimana intervened after she raised concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough her daughter who was my friend, I wrote a note asking why my results had not been published,\u201d she said. \u201cShe intervened, and I was able to continue my studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognition of support to survivors<\/p>\n

Ibuka Vice President Christine Muhongayire praised the bank\u2019s support to survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate the way you care for survivors, whether they are descendants of your former employees or others across the country,\u201d she said. \u201cFrom repairing houses to providing livestock and other support, your role in helping survivors rebuild is visible.\u201d<\/p>\n

I&M Bank Rwanda leaders, staff and other participants pay tribute to Genocide victims at Kigali Genocide Memorial. The event was marked by laying wreaths among other activities.<\/p>\n

She warned against complacency, saying that the Genocide stemmed from prolonged hate speech and discrimination, and highlighted the role of Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) in ending the killings and rebuilding the nation.<\/p>\n

Institutional commitment and responsibility<\/p>\n

I&M Bank Rwanda CEO Benjamin Mutimura said institutions have a duty to preserve memory and support survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have heard today reminds us of the weight of our history and the responsibility we carry as Rwandans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

I&M Bank Rwanda CEO Benjamin Mutimura lays a wreath at Kigali Genocide Memorial in tribute to Genocide victims.<\/p>\n

Richard Tusabe, Independent Non-Executive Director at I&M Bank Rwanda signs in a memorial guest book at Kigali Genocide Memorial on April 17.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a one-time action; it is a responsibility embedded in our strategy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Mutimura said the bank continues to support survivors through financial assistance and livelihood programmes, and by the formation of an association bringing together survivors from families of former BCR employees, creating a platform for continued engagement<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a journey we have begun wholeheartedly, and we will continue to walk this path with you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Calling on staff, especially the youth, he underscored the need to balance remembrance with rebuilding.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemembrance is our duty, but rebuilding is our vision,\u201d he said. \u201cWe must continue to build a Rwanda founded on unity, truth, and values that reject all forms of discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n\r\n