Huye, Rwanda — April 23, 2026 Supreme Court President and Chief Justice Domitilla Mukantaganzwa has condemned the role of educated elites in planning and executing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, stressing that education without moral values can become destructive.
Speaking at the University of Rwanda’s Huye campus during the 32nd commemoration ceremony, Mukantaganzwa reflected on the tragedy that claimed more than one million lives, including 563 students, faculty, and staff now laid to rest at the campus memorial.
“Having knowledge without humanity is meaningless,” she said, urging universities to strengthen research on genocide history and confront denial and distortion.
The Chief Justice emphasized that divisions introduced during colonial rule and perpetuated by successive governments culminated in the genocide, with many perpetrators being highly educated individuals.
University leaders echoed her call. Vice Chancellor Prof. Didas Muganga Kayihura highlighted the institution’s responsibility to instill both knowledge and values, shaping citizens who reject hatred and division. “As educators, we must raise a generation that embraces unity and ethical leadership,” he said.
The ceremony brought together government officials, survivors, and students. Ambassador Joseph Nsengimana, a former student, shared a testimony recalling discrimination against Tutsi students in the 1970s, when many were expelled and attacked on campus. He linked these events to colonial policies that entrenched ethnic divisions.
Ibuka President Philbert Gakwenzire reminded attendees that Rwanda had long been a structured nation before colonial interference. He urged Rwandans to face history with courage: “Our history should be a key that opens the future, not a chain that locks us in the past.”
Students also pledged to fight genocide ideology in the digital space. Paula Kundwa Ineza stressed the responsibility of youth to challenge denial, while Levy Gasana noted that misinformation online must be countered with facts and historical truth.
The commemoration concluded with wreath-laying at the Huye Campus Genocide Memorial, honoring the victims and reaffirming Rwanda’s commitment to memory, unity, and vigilance against divisionism.
