Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Dr Jean Damascene Bizimana has called for stronger collective action to combat Genocide ideology and safeguard the truth about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He made the remarks on Sunday while joining residents of Kamonyi District in commemorating the 32nd anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi at Kamonyi Memorial Site, where more than 47,000 victims are buried.
During the commemoration, Dr Bizimana comforted survivors from Kamonyi whose relatives are laid to rest at Kibuza Memorial Site, encouraging them to remain resilient as Rwanda continues efforts to preserve memory and strengthen national unity.
In his address, the minister reflected on the roots of hatred and extremism that fueled the Genocide, citing the role played by Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of Taba Commune during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Akayesu was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1998, becoming the first person in the world to be convicted of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
In a message written in the memorial site’s visitors’ book, Dr Bizimana noted that Taba Commune became internationally known because of the atrocities committed under Akayesu’s leadership.
He emphasized that the conviction remains a reminder that genocide is an international crime that must never be tolerated, urging Rwandans to remain vigilant against Genocide denial and ideology.
Dr Bizimana called on citizens to strengthen unity, preserve the country’s history, and continue building an inclusive Rwanda founded on shared responsibility and reconciliation.
