This Tuesday May 28, 2024 ICT sector leaders, staff and partners visited Nyanza Genocide Memorial to honour victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi buried at Nyanza Genocide Memorial in Kicukiro. The event started at National Post Office where NPO staff and ICT sector leaders laid wreaths of flowers at the NPO monument to honour former NPO employees who were killed during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Honorable Minister of ICT and Innovation as the ICT sector leading Ministry was the guest of honour during the event.

Arriving at the memorial, ICT sector staff were welcomed by staff in charge of the memorial and they observed a minute of silence after which they laid wreaths of flowers on the mass graves. Among the victims resting at Nyanza Genocide Memorial, over 2,500 were killed by Interahamwe-militia after they were abandoned by UN peacekeepers from the Former ETO Kicukiro currently IPRC, while others were gathered from different places in Kigali including Gikondo, Gatenga, Kanombe and elsewhere.   

Speaking at the commemoration event, Jeanne D’Arc Kajangana; the witness explained how Tutsi were persecuted even before 1994 and how 1994 was a culmination of all genocide plans by the then government. She lost her parents and siblings during the genocide and thank former Inkotanyi for rescuing many and giving a safe country for Rwandans.

In her remarks, Honorable Minister of ICT and innovation Mrs. Paula Ingabire emphasized on the bravery of survivors and those who resisted the call to genocide and saved lives.

“The survivors among us, we owe you immeasurable debt of gratitude. Your strength and resilience are the bedrock upon which Rwanda was reborn. The rest of us it is our duty to remember and honour our loved ones. As we remember the lives we lost, we also honour the courage of those who resisted the call to genocide often at a great personal cost, their bravery reminds us that the foundation of everything we have achieved is unity”.  She highlighted.

Honorable Minister further emphasized on one of the mandates of ICT sector being communication and reminded the audience how mass communication was critically used during genocide to mobilize citizens in killing their fellow neighbors. She then called upon them to use communication as a tool for building unity as the foundation of Rwanda’s achievements and urged them to share the truth, to educate future generations to build a society which values human dignity.

“Each one of you to take action in your work places, communities, individually and engage in conversations about our history, challenge denial and use your platforms to promote unity and reconciliation”. She requested.

She concluded by thanking the former RPF army led by Paul Kagame who liberated the country and gave all Rwandans a place to call home. She appreciated the presence of all sector staff and partners and requested them to enforce reconciliation, renewal and resilience.