While Rwanda commemorates genocide on April 7th every year, Tutsi in Runda sector that were killed and thrown in Nyabarongo and those that were thrown in the river alive are remembered on 15th April.
Runda sector residents joined genocide survivors to remember 1994 Tutsi genocide survivors to remember the victims that were thrown in Nyabarongo River during genocide.
The executive secretary of Runda sector, Christine Nyirandayisabye reveals they decided to commemorate their dead ones on April 15th because it’s when killers put Tutsi that had hid at Gihara Parish in a vehicle and killed them in Nyabarongo River.
In addition, this date will always be remembered in Runda history because all the people that worked at former commune Runda were killed that day.
Immaculee Mukagasangwa, who was thrown in the river alive and survived, testified on how she met killers in Butamwa in Kigali after coming out of the water twice but they didn’t kill her.
“I told the killers that nobody kills a person that has survived drowning, and then they let me free,” she laments.
Mukagasangwa like other genocide survivors thank the government for the financial support, education, shelter and small income generating projects that help them improve their ways of living.
The executive secretary Nyirandayisabye points out those genocide survivors will continue receiving help as a way of helping them achieve social development.