Senior Reporter
Rwandans residing in Uganda, along with their allies and a delegation from Rwanda, gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi at the Ggolo Genocide Memorial Site in Mpigi District.
The event, graced by various dignitaries, including diplomatic representatives, saw Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Huda Abason Oleru, serving as the guest of honor yesterday.
The Ggolo Genocide Memorial Site, which serves as the final resting place for 4,771 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, holds significance as it received victims who were washed into Uganda by tributaries of Lake Victoria, such as the Kagera and River Nyabarongo, before being discarded by perpetrators.
Alongside Ggolo, Uganda is home to two other memorial sites: Kasensero in Rakai district and Lambu in Masaka. During the ceremony, Rwandan High Commissioner to Uganda, Joseph Rutabana, stressed the importance of accurately portraying the events of the 1994 genocide, urging the international community to combat any distortion of facts surrounding that tragic period.
Rutabana further underscored that presenting an inaccurate narrative of the 1994 genocide provides perpetrators with an opportunity to promote denial.
Minister Oleru highlighted the significance of commemorating this period as a reminder for the world to remain vigilant against genocidal agendas.
A testimony from one of the survivors, Marie Solange, illuminated the atrocities endured during the 100-day genocide.
The genocide targeting the Tutsi in Rwanda began on the night of April 6th, 1994, lasting for 100 days, during which over a million innocent individuals, including children, women, youth, and the elderly, were brutally exterminated due to their ethnicity.
The Rwandan Patriotic Army, led by President Paul Kagame, intervened in the conflict against the genocidal government, successfully ending the violence and rescuing survivors. Many victims’ remains were disposed of in rivers, including the Nyabarongo and Akagera rivers, tributaries of Lake Victoria, where the currents carried thousands of bodies upstream within weeks.
