Alphonse

REMEMBERING AS WE REBUILD By Kayihura M. Didas We thank you all for taking your time to join us in this 32nd commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi. This UR Huye Campus memorial site is the final resting place of 563 victims, although only 429 are identified by name. They were all innocent people killed in a hateful and inhuman political campaign that targeted Tutsi for extermination. Students, lecturers, and staff of the National University of Rwanda who were killed and laid to rest here remain a lasting source of strength for our country in the fight against the ideology of division that led to the Genocide. As educators of Rwanda’s largely young population, we reflect on the fact that many young people in 1994 were drawn into the killings as Interahamwe, manipulated by leaders and politicians who planned and directed the Genocide. In contrast, the youth we educate today are guided to embrace unity, love, and national cohesion — values that reject division and destruction. This direction comes from the leadership of the Inkotanyi, who stopped the Genocide, saved lives, and set Rwanda on a path of rebuilding that we all continue to follow. This is a path that is clear and accessible to all who choose to walk it with sincerity. However, it is still rejected by those who hold on to the hatred inherited from genocidal forces. We remain committed to fighting that ideology forever. As we honor those who were killed simply for who they were, as created by God, we also extend our deepest condolences to all survivors across Rwanda — especially the families present here today, and those who could not be with us. History shows that by April 19, 1994, the Genocide had not yet fully taken hold in Butare Prefecture. It took the intervention of top leaders of the genocidal government, including Théodore Sindikubwabo and Jean Kambanda, who came to incite and accelerate the killings. Their aim was to ensure that Butare followed the same deadly path as other regions. They may have thought they succeeded, but their so-called “final solution” did not achieve its full intent. The proof lies in the survivors among us today and many others across Rwanda whose lives stand as testimony to resilience. In closing, I once again thank you all for your continued commitment, guided by the leadership of His Excellency Paul Kagame. As the leadership of the University of Rwanda, we reaffirm our dedication to educating the nation along this path and to shaping a generation that reflects the Rwanda we aspire to build. Once again, you are all welcome. Let us remember, and rebuild together.

A DUTY TO REMEMBER, A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE FUTURE At Kwibuka 32 at UR Huye Campus, Philbert Gakwerere reflected on the painful truth that, despite the presence of United Nations troops at the onset of the Genocide against the Tutsi, their withdrawal — and the lack of mandate for those who remained — left a nation unprotected. He noted that decisive international will could have saved countless lives, before the Rwandan Patriotic Front finally stopped the Genocide — after over a million had been lost. In just one hundred days, Rwanda’s long history was scarred. Yet the country chose a new path — unity over division, dignity over discrimination. He emphasized that Rwanda’s history belongs to all Rwandans, and so does the responsibility to tell it truthfully and relentlessly. While the past cannot be changed, it must guide transformation and shape a better future. Through powerful testimonies like those of Nsengimana and Numukobwa, survivors continue to bear witness. They are living messengers of history — yet they carry a deep concern: when they are gone, will the ideology that fueled the Genocide resurface? It is a question that calls for vigilance, unity, and an unending commitment to remembrance.