{"id":99307,"date":"2025-04-13T11:28:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T11:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/when-you-survive-something-like-this-everyone-buried-becomes-your-family-genocide-survivor"},"modified":"2025-04-13T11:28:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T11:28:25","slug":"when-you-survive-something-like-this-everyone-buried-becomes-your-family-genocide-survivor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/photo\/when-you-survive-something-like-this-everyone-buried-becomes-your-family-genocide-survivor","title":{"rendered":"\u2018When you survive something like this, everyone buried becomes your family\u2019 \u2013 genocide survivor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi are urging people who continue to withhold information about the whereabouts of victims of the mass massacres to come forward and help families find closure.<\/p>\n

They made this appeal during the burial ceremony for 21 newly identified genocide victims\u2019 bodies, held on April 11 at Kiziguro Genocide Memorial.<\/p>\n

The ceremony brought together survivors, their families, and government officials, at the memorial which already holds the remains of over 20,000 victims.<\/p>\n

Kiziguro, once part of the former Murambi Commune, carries a painful legacy. According to survivors, targeted killings in the region began as early as 1991, particularly in Rwankuba.<\/p>\n

By April 1994, thousands of the Tutsi who had fled to the Catholic Church in Kiziguro seeking refuge were betrayed, murdered, and their bodies dumped into a pit behind the sanctuary under the orders of Jean-Baptiste Gatete, the then mayor of Murambi.<\/p>\n

Only 11 people were rescued from the mass grave. Today, only five of those survivors are still alive, according to Jean Nepomuscene Sibomana, the President of the genocide survivors\u2019 association, Ibuka, in Gatsibo District.<\/p>\n

Francoise Uzamukunda a genocide survivor in Gatsibo district, appealed to whoever has information about unburied victims of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, to step up and help the closure with a dignified burial.<\/p>\n

Franc\u0327oise Uzamukunda, who was born in the former Murambi Commune\u2014now part of Gatsibo\u2014is among the few who lived to tell the story.<\/p>\n

After days of hiding in sorghum fields, she narrowly escaped by crawling through a pile of corpses under the cover of darkness. Bleeding and barely conscious, she reached Gikomera Parish, where the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) rebels, who had liberated the area, found her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you survive something like this,\u201d Francoise said, speaking softly, \u201ceveryone buried becomes your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cWe accepted their death, but it is heartbreaking to discover a body in someone\u2019s backyard\u2014where information was concealed for over 30 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue reconciliation with the perpetrators must be based on truth. Telling us where our relatives\u2019 [bodies] are will bring us relief, and we are ready to forgive.\u201d<\/p>\n

By April 11, the violence had spread to other parts of Eastern Province, including Muhura, Gituza, and Ngarama.<\/p>\n

The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean-Damasce\u0300ne Bizimana delivers his remarks during the commemoration event in Kiziguro on Saturday, April 12.<\/p>\n

Even as Rwanda continues to heal and rebuild, genocide denial remains a persistent threat. During the ceremony, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean-Damasce\u0300ne Bizimana, delivered a message against denial and revisionism, warning that such ideologies still thrive\u2014particularly within some religious institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenocide denial still roams in churches,\u201d he said, citing a Rwandan priest in Canada who publicly denies that the 1994 Genocide victims were Tutsi.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch individuals remain bona fide members of the church while spreading falsehoods,\u201d he added. \u201cLet us be clear\u2014the genocide did not erupt spontaneously. It was calculated, planned, and executed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also directly addressed families in the area that have ties with known genocide ideologues.<\/p>\n

\u201cJean-Baptiste Nkuriyingoma, Ali Yusufu Mugenzi, and others\u2014all originally from Gatsibo\u2014I urge their families to take heed. Rwanda stands firmly against any form of genocide denial and will never relent in combating the ideology of hate they continue to propagate.\u201d<\/p>\n

To honor the memory of victims and strengthen telling the truth, Sibomana proposed the construction of a permanent monument at Kiziguro Catholic Church. \u201cA monument in the church will remind us, and the world, that these atrocities were real,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will stand as a vow of Never Again to future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Minister of Public Service and Labour, Christine Nkurikiyinka, echoed the call to confront silence.<\/p>\n

The Minister of Public Service and Labour, Amb, Christine Nkurikiyinka addresses mourners during a decent burial of 21 bodies of the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi at Kiziguro memorial on Saturday, April 12. All photos by Emmanuel Nkangura<\/p>\n

She cited a Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) survey revealing that Eastern Province records the highest rate of people concealing information about the genocide.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne in three people admit they know something but have not come forward,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

She stressed that justice cannot exist without truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tutsi were massacred in churches, thrown into rivers, and hunted in their homes. Those who committed these atrocities must understand that genocide crimes do not age. Telling the truth is not optional\u2014it is justice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to step up. It\u2019s time to speak out. Supporting reconciliation begins with telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the 21 coffins were gently lowered into the ground, survivors wept, but they also expressed gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for the RPA, we wouldn\u2019t be here telling these stories,\u201d Uzamukunda said, her voice firm yet emotional.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe survived. Our children went to school. And now, they have hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

A total of 21 bodies were given a dignified burial at Kiziguro Genocide Memorial on Saturday.\r\n