2,000 genocide victims receive dignified burial in Rwanda

The remains of 2,073 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda were accorded a befitting burial on Tuesday in Ngoma Genocide Memorial in Southern Province, reported Xinhua.

The remains were retrieved from mass graves in Ngoma village following a tip-off from a construction worker in October last year.

"I thank the security agencies, the Ngoma sector local leaders, the representatives of the umbrella body of genocide survivors' organizations, and all others who participated in the difficult task lasting for five months in searching for the remains of genocide victims," said Ange Sebutege, mayor of Huye district in the province, at the burial ceremony.

Speaking at the event, Jean Damascene Bizimana, minister of national unity and civic engagement, provided a chronology of events that led to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, focusing particularly on the Huye district.

He conveyed messages of condolences to genocide survivors, relatives and friends of the victims whose remains received dignified burials.

Rwanda on April 7 commenced a week of national mourning and 100 days of commemoration to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, under the theme "Remember-Unite-Renew."

The commemorative activities will continue until July 4, marking the 100-day calamity during which more than one million people, mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutus, were killed.