KINAZI, Rwanda – In a somber ceremony marked by tears, song, and the heavy silence of remembrance, the remains of 35 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi were given a dignified burial on Sunday at the Kinazi Genocide Memorial Site in Ruhango District, southern Rwanda.
The interment, held on the 32nd anniversary of the genocide, brought together hundreds of residents from the Ntongwe and Kinazi sectors, along with senior government officials, survivors, and members of the national genocide survivors’ organization, Ibuka. For decades, the remains had lain in unmarked graves, mass pits, and forgotten corners of the Amayaga region—a painful testament to the scale of the atrocities.
A solemn “Walk to Remember” from the Rutabo area to the memorial site preceded the burial, with mourners carrying wreaths and portraits of the deceased. Many collapsed in grief as the 35 wooden coffins, draped in purple cloth, were lowered into the earth.
A Region Marked by Extreme Brutality
The Amayaga area, formerly part of Ntongue Commune, holds a uniquely tragic chapter in Rwanda’s genocide history. Local officials and survivors recounted how the killings there were not carried out solely by Rwandan Interahamwe militias. Burundian refugees, who had fled ethnic violence in Burundi in the early 1990s, actively participated in the slaughter of Tutsi in Ntongue—acting with the explicit support of the then-Burgomaster (mayor), Charles Kagabo.
Innocent Munyawera, now 40, stood before the memorial as the sole survivor of his eight siblings. He was just eight years old when the genocide began.
“The cruelty was beyond imagination,” Munyawera told the gathering. “The Interahamwe, together with the Burundians, would cut the tendons of their victims so they could not run. They wanted to watch them suffer before dying.”
Munyawera survived only because a man named Kabanda hid him in a safe place until the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) arrived to rescue them. He called for the names of Burundian perpetrators who operated in Ntongue to be permanently documented and exposed.
‘Black Chamber’ Museum to Name Masterminds
At the Kinazi Genocide Memorial site, a new museum is under construction. Officials revealed that it will feature a special room called the “Chambre Noire” (Black Chamber), dedicated specifically to exposing the masterminds, planners, and foreign actors who facilitated the 1994 genocide.
Senator Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, speaking at the ceremony, pointedly accused the current government of Burundi of maintaining a “hostile stance” toward Rwanda, rooted in the same anti-Tutsi ideology that fueled the genocide.
“When they target Rwanda, their intention reflects the same ideology they had when killing the Tutsi,” Senator Dusingizemungu said. He noted that some of the Burundians who fled to Rwanda before 1994 had already participated in earlier massacres in Burundi, including the Ntega and Marangara killings.
Evode Munyurangabo, president of the Amayaga Genocide Survivors Foundation, revealed a chilling detail: a notorious Interahamwe leader named Jacques Nsabimana had dug a large pit under the pretext of building a student facility. In reality, the pit was used as a dumping ground for Tutsi bodies. During the genocide, locals grimly nicknamed the pit “CND,” a reference to the former Rwandan parliament building where RPF Inkotanyi soldiers were stationed.
A Call for Continued Vigilance
Aline Bénigne Mpinganzima, speaking on behalf of Ibuka, praised the Tutsi of Ntongwe for their resistance during the genocide, noting that many fought back rather than passively accepting death. She urged anyone with knowledge of other mass graves or dumping sites in the area to come forward so that all victims can receive a proper burial.
The guest of honor, Minister of Public Service and Labour Ambassador Christine Nkulikiyinka, emphasized that commemoration is not only about mourning but also about education.
“We must teach young people the horrors of the genocide,” Minister Nkulikiyinka said. “Only by remembering honestly—by naming the killers, the accomplices, and the foreign actors—can we ensure that such atrocities never happen again, in Rwanda or anywhere else.”
As the sun set over the new graves at Kinazi, survivors lit candles and sang funeral dirges. For 35 souls, after 32 years, there was finally peace. But for Rwanda, the work of justice and memory continues.
