18 years after the genocide, some survivors have not buried their loved ones

April 07 is the day when Rwanda commemorates the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. This year will mark eighteen years since the tragedy that claimed over a million innocent lives as a result of ethnic hatred took place.

Almost two decades on, a big number of genocide survivors still live in a situation of despair because they have never been able to find the remains of their loved ones so they can be decently buried in the various designated memorials around the country.

In an interview, Ephraim Masengesho a resident of Kinyinya Sector in Gasabo District of Kigali City says that he has never been able to know the whereabouts of his parents and siblings who were all killed during the one hundred days of madness.

“The people who killed my family are still serving their sentences, but sbecause they denied their part in the killing, they haven’t revealed where they buried them up to now,” explains Masengesho who was seven during the genocide. His family was killed in the then Butare prefecture now Huye district in the Southern Province.

“The fact that I have not buried my family members decently is something that haunts me every single day of my life. I should at least one day be able to know where they were thrown so I can bury them,” says the visibly sorrow stricken Masengesho.

Rugero calls upon all people with information on unburied remains to have a human heart and come out to help the suffering relatives to bury their loved ones.

Jeanine Uwanyirigira 30, another genocide survivor in Remera also in gasabo district explains that when one manages to personally bury their love ones, it brings satisfaction that they know where they can even go to visit them, which is an important part of the healing process.

Many survivors believe that burying their beloved members helps them in the healing of the wounds that have eaten their hearts for almost two decades.

“I can never have peace of mind not until I fully make sure that my mother and two brothers are buried somewhere and in an honourary manner,” says Uwanyirigira.

Masengesho and Uwanyirigira are not alone in this dilemma as thousands of survivors live with this burden in their hearts. Every other day, remains are discovered around the country during various dig ups or through voluntary revelations by the culprits and re-buried.

In a recent such ceremony, Polly Rugero, an official of IBUKA an umbrella organization of Genocide survivors affirmed the prevalence of sorrow stricken members of the public who are laden by this fact.

“This phenomenon is caused by the people who know where these remains are buried but stubbornly refuses to reveal,” says Rugero.

The 18^th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi begins this Saturday spanning a week of remembrance under the theme ‘Learning from our history to build a bright future’.