Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva has cautioned Rwandans against allowing the 32 years that have passed since the end of the Genocide against the Tutsi to breed a false sense of security that its ideology has been fully eradicated.
He made the remarks at a genocide commemoration ceremony held in Ntarama Sector, Bugesera District, in memory of former employees of what were once the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MINITRANSCO), the Ministry of Public Service (MINITRAPE), and the Ministry of Justice (MINIJUST), who perished in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Nsengiyumva told those gathered that it was important to remember that what happened during that period was planned by the state and left the country so deeply scarred that it must never be forgotten.
“I believe we have all drawn vital lessons from it, lessons that help us continue working to ensure that genocide never happens again,” he said.
He stressed that the events of that time must remain in the hearts of all Rwandans as a safeguard against their recurrence, adding that looking back, reflecting on the dark history of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and asking what Rwandans are doing to prevent it from happening again, is the most effective way to approach that goal.
“As was shown to us in the discussions, the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi did not happen by accident. It was planned by the government of the time through the actions and decisions of those in senior leadership positions such as the institutions we work in today,” he said.
However, the Prime Minister noted that today’s leaders bear the responsibility of making decisions that improve the lives of Rwandans, enhance working conditions, and uphold the values that define them.
He argued that these factors determine how Rwandans feel about themselves and how much they feel valued by their government.
Nsengiyumva warned that when leaders fail to properly fulfil their responsibilities, a vacuum emerges that breeds divisions capable of leading to genocide, as Rwanda’s own history has demonstrated.
“Each one of us therefore has a serious duty to ensure that the goal of ‘Never Again’ becomes a concrete reality through the conscientious and dignified performance of our daily work, treating every Rwandan with respect and rejecting discrimination in all its forms,” he said.
He added that this obligation falls on both leaders and ordinary citizens in defending the truth and confronting divisions that could arise among the population if left unchecked and unchallenged.
The Prime Minister commended the Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions for their work in advancing justice by ensuring that perpetrators of the genocide are prosecuted.
Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva also paid tribute to the forces of the FPR-Inkotanyi, led by President Paul Kagame, praising their bravery and sacrifice in bringing the Genocide against the Tutsi to an end in 1994.
Turning to Bugesera and Nyamata, he noted that the area is home to a retirement facility built for elderly survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi, and pledged that the government would continue to care for them and show them love for the remainder of their lives.
“The Rwanda being built today is the one they themselves dreamed of, and the one their descendants will inherit. It is a country defined by unity, peace, and development. We therefore have a duty to uphold and preserve that legacy. This is how we truly honour their sacrifice,” he concluded.
