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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Persons with disabilities have condemned those who took part in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, who killed with the intention of extermination, carrying out acts of extreme cruelty without sparing or showing compassion even to fellow human beings living with disabilities.
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, persons with disabilities commemorated their peers who were killed during the Genocide against the Tutsi at the Rubavu District Genocide Memorial, commonly known as Komine Rouge, where more than 5,000 victims are buried.
The commemoration, organized by the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) and its partners, began with a remembrance walk.
Ndayisaba Emmanuel, Executive Secretary of the NCPD, noted that the perpetrators of the genocide acted with cruelty, without any regard even for persons with disabilities, some of whom unknowingly approached the killers without realizing who they were.
He said, “A person with a disability could not know what was happening. For example, someone who is blind or deaf could have walked straight into the killers without realizing it. They could neither defend themselves nor fight back.”
He urged genocide survivors, including those who were left with disabilities as a result, not to be trapped by those painful memories but to continue rebuilding their lives.
Gerard Mbarushimana, President of IBUKA in Rubavu District, said that killing persons with disabilities was an act of extreme cowardice and inhumanity.
He stated: “It is the act of wild beasts to kill persons with disabilities. It is cowardly. It is an act of extreme cruelty to kill someone who cannot fight back.”
Mbarushimana explained that the area, which was part of the former Gisenyi Prefecture, had produced influential politicians who played key roles in executing the Genocide against the Tutsi and inciting others to join.
Among these leaders were former President Juvénal Habyarimana; Léon Mugesera, who made a notorious speech in Kabaya promoting intense anti-Tutsi hatred and asserting they should not exist; and Colonel Théoneste Bagosora, who openly declared his plans to prepare the “final solution” for the Tutsi, along with other prominent figures of the time.
Persons with disabilities recalled the brutal killing of students at Gatagara School, where they were stripped naked and hacked to death.
They expressed deep sorrow over the consequences of the genocide, noting that some survivors acquired disabilities while fighting to stop the Genocide against the Tutsi and liberate Rwanda.
Jean Baptiste Neretse, who was at Gatagara during the genocide, said:
“The Tutsis at Gatagara were rounded up, taken to a place where they were stripped of their clothes, and thrown into a pit the perpetrators had dug. If someone cannot even run, and you dare to attack them, can you call that human?”
Gato Hamis, who has a physical disability affecting his legs, added:
“Those who committed these acts had the heart of a wild animal. No Rwandan with a sound mind should ever have joined them.”
They affirmed that despite the dark history, there is now hope for life, thanks to a good government that supports everyone without discrimination.
They expressed gratitude to the government for helping them reintegrate into society, ensuring they are no longer excluded from activities or demeaned because of their condition.
They also emphasized that they are now fully aware and will never associate with those who promote genocide ideology or fuel hatred.
