Karongi on 15th April 2024: IPRC Karongi commemorated the 30th anniversary of the former staff and students of schools that used to be ETO Kibuye and EAFO Nyamishaba, who were killed during the 1994 Genocide committed against the Tutsi. They also remembered the victims who were massacred at Nyamishaba while seeking refuge there.

The event brought together various individuals, including local government officials, staff and students of IPRC Karongi, representatives of former students of the late EAFO Nyamishaba, as well as residents of the schools' neighborhood, among others.

It began with laying flowers on the memorial plaque at the IPRC Karongi Head Office in honor of the students and staff of the Ex-ETO Kibuye who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The participants also took part in a remembrance walk that started from the Headquarters to the Nyamishaba memorial site. Additionally, they laid flowers at the Nyamishaba Memorial site and Lake Kivu to honor more than 3,500 victims who rest there, as well as all those who were killed and thrown into Lake Kivu.

In her welcome speech, the Principal of IPRC Karongi extended heartfelt condolences and wished comfort and strength to all those who participated in the ceremony, as well as to the survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly the families of those we remember today.

In his speech, Mr. Lambert Dushimimana, who was also the guest of honor at the event, particularly acknowledged the survivors' strength in facing the wounds left by the Genocide and overcoming grief.

He said, “We are thankful to them for their exceptional power to forgive those who did horrible things to them. They overlooked all they have gone through and accept the new policy of Rwandans unity adopted by the Government.”

"I urge all present here to actively contribute to the strategies established by our government aimed at fostering Rwandan unity and combating the ideology of genocide. Let our families become the cornerstone for instilling the values of Rwandan unity," added the Governor.

The Governor further emphasized the importance for youth to actively participate in the reconstruction of Rwanda, urging them to familiarize themselves with the tragic history of our country. By understanding this history, they can contribute to shaping a brighter future while unequivocally condemning all forms of wrongdoing.

Addressing the participants, Mrs. Valentine Mukase, the Mayor of Karongi District, depreciated those who planned and perpetrated the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, despite being intellectuals to whom the country looked for a bright future.

"We strongly condemn those who proclaimed themselves intelligent, yet the country invested so much in them, only for their actions to result in the planning and perpetration of the Genocide, which claimed the lives of over one million Rwandans," said the Mayor.

On behalf of IBUKA, Mr. Jean Laurent Ntukanyagwe, the vice president of the foundation, has requested the local government authorities to continue supporting genocide survivors, as many still reside in old houses and require economic assistance to improve their living conditions.

Throughout these 100 days of commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, IPRC Karongi will support 20 families of disadvantaged genocide survivors in accessing electricity for their homes.

The participants took part in a remembrance walk that started from the Headquarters to the Nyamishaba memorial site.

The staff, students, and residents of the schools' neighborhood honored the lives of the Tutsi who were killed in the 1994 Genocide.