Nyanza Genocide Memorial Site in Rwanda-Rwanda Safaris News

During the initial stages of the Rwanda genocide in month of April year 1994, an estimated total number of over 2,000 Tutsis took refuge in one of the local schools in Rwanda called ETO school located on the outskirts of Kigali city, which was at that time protected by the United Nations Peace Keeping force. Following the removal of the UN Troops, refugees were forced to move to Nyanza where they were all killed. Currently Nyanza memorial site is marked by simple wooden crosses which symbolize the abandonment of Rwanda by the International Community. Each and every year on the month of April 11th, a memorial ceremony event is held on the site where different Tutsis refugees where mercilessly killed in the cold blood war. Today many travelers, government dignitaries from different countries in Africa and all over the world take safaris in Rwanda to go and be part of the memorial ceremony in Nyanza.
In the morning of 7th, April, 1994, Tutsis Refugee started arriving at the school called École Technique Officielle (ETO) which was located in  the environ of Kigali town, in a place called Kicukiro where 90 Belgian UN peacekeepers were stationed . At the first sight when the Belgians saw the Tutsis Refugees, they reacted by informing them to vacate the place next morning, but later the UN soldiers who were peacekeepers backpedaled and allowed the Refugees to occupy the free grounds in the ETO school. On day of 11 April 1994, the Belgian troops vacated École Technique Officielle School in Kicukiro. The Tutsi refugees realized their lives were now in danger and they pleaded by kneeling in front of the vehicles transferring troops but they replied by shooting bullets on air and they continued their way. Immediately  after like one hour, Rwandan merciless soldiers and militia attacked the school grounds and forced the innocent Tutsis Refugees to proceed with them through a marrum dirt road to a nearby Nyanza area were the refugees where all murdered including even an approximated number of 400children.
Kicukiro District in Rwanda has total of six genocide memorials sites and among these include Nyanza ya Kicukiro where the unprivileged Tutsi Refugees who were left by UN troops were killed and buried. In this site there are an estimated total number of 11,000 Tutsi victims who have been laid to rest in this place and today the place is frequented by tourists on their safaris in Rwanda to pay tribute to the relatives of the victims who were killed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. At the prominent Rebero Genocide Memorial almost 14,000 victims are buried including even the politicians who were murdered during the 1994 genocide that fell the land of thousand hills.
Rwanda Safaris/Rwanda Safari News
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