Authorities and residents of Gicumbi district gathered on May 23, 2026, at the Nyarurama memorial in Ruvune sector to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The event paid special tribute to families that were entirely wiped out.
The memorial site, where 206 Tutsi victims rest, became a focal point of remembrance. Many of those buried there belonged to a prominent local family once known as the “Abajuju.” During the commemoration, participants observed a moment of silence and laid wreaths at the memorial. A Flame of Hope was lit, symbolizing Rwanda’s resolve to emerge from the shadows of genocide and build a brighter future.
Historical accounts from Nyarurama describe scenes of extreme brutality. Many victims were burned alive in their homes, while others were hacked to death with machetes before their bodies were thrown into the river, where currents carried them away.
Survivors, though still bearing the scars of trauma, shared stories of resilience and forgiveness. One powerful testimony came from Gatsinzi, who was just 13 years old in 1994 and survived the horrors in Ruvune Sector.
“The soldiers forced us along, while others held our parents, saying the children should be thrown into the water,” Gatsinzi recalled. “They were throwing stones at me as i ran. I survived because of a man my father had given a cow to. He hid me in the bushes. Even the dogs that passed by thought i was dead.”
He continued with heartbreaking detail:“People were begging for their lives. They took my little brother and threw him into the water. They threw me in too, but by a miracle, we survived and crossed to the other side.”
Gatsinzi expressed profound gratitude to the Inkotanyi who ended the genocide, stating that without their intervention, no one would have survived.
Kamizikunze Anastase, president of Ibuka in Gicumbi district, offered condolences to the surviving families and urged anyone with information about bodies thrown into rivers or hidden locations to come forward so the victims could receive dignified burials.
He also emphasized the importance of memory:”noting that even with the death of notorious genocide financier Félicien Kabuga, the crimes he supported must continue to be taught to prevent repetition.
District mayor, Nzabonimpa Emmanuel stressed that commemoration must go hand in hand with the fight against genocide ideology:
“We particularly commemorate the families that were entirely exterminated, while strengthening unity so that genocide never happens again,” said the mayor. “We thank the Inkotanyi who liberated the country and the survivors who chose forgiveness and national reconstruction.”
The sector of Ruvune alone lost 19 entire families to total extermination, the highest number in the district, which recorded 83 such families overall. Through remembrance and truth telling, Rwanda continues to transform pain into strength and division into shared humanity.
Naomi Irakoze Mugaragu