On 3rd May 2024, Ngali Group commemorated the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The group visited the Nyanza-Kicukiro Genocide Memorial, resting place of over 105,000 genocide victims where more than 2,000 were killed by the interahamwe militia after UN peacekeepers abandoned them during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.
Staff, Apollinaire Rurangwa, gave his testimony as a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. He started his testimony by sharing his experience from 1990 to 1994, the trials and tribulations that he and his family succumbed throughout the 4-year period. In 1994, he was residing in a center in Ngororero – his entire family was there. On 10th April 1994, interahamwe militia came to the center and started killing a multitude of Tutsi in the center, Apollinaire was the only survivor. The journey was long and tedious as he kept hiding and fleeing to which he later managed to escape. He concluded thanking the government of Rwanda and the RPF soldiers for all they did, “turahari turakomeye, twiteje imbere, tufite ibyiringiro byo kubaho.”
Col (Rtd) Fred Nyamurangwa was the guest of honor who enlightened the group on the history of Rwanda from the colonial period to ending the genocide. Command, control and accountability was established thanks to good leadership. “Twaharaniye uburenganzira bw’abanyarwanda no kubaho kwabo” Col (Rtd) Nyamurangwa. The motto was to stop the genocide and rescue as many people as they could. He concluded his remarks encouraging staff to love their country and each other with the following quotes – “gukunda mujyenzi wawe ukanamwitangira,” “iyo wanze igihugu n’amazi yacyo arakwanga, turi mubuyobozi bwiza busigasiye kugirango igihugu gikomeze kijye aheza.”
CEO, Ms. Diane Mugisha, gave her closing remarks reminding the group of the importance of remembering and honoring the lives lost during the genocide. “Only we as Rwandans and Africans can give full value to our lives. After all, we cannot ask others to value African lives more highly than we ourselves do. That is the root of our duty to preserve memoryland tell our history as we lived it.” H.E Paul Kagame.
