A quarter century after the genocide in Rwanda where 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and Hutus were killed, a valley dam that could contain around 30,000 bodies has been uncovered by the authorities. On April 7, Tuesday, it will be 26 years since the genocide took place.
As the coronavirus lockdown weighs down the country, the authorities are trying to unearth the bodies from the mass grave. So far around 50 bodies have been uncovered. Since the country is in lockdown, the residents' will observe the genocide day through activities on television and social media.
People convicted during the genocide are being released from prisons and secrets pertaining to the mass graves are tumbling out revealing several truths about the genocide. Even nearby residents of the valley dam are revealing information about the mass grave. The valley is located in the eastern part of the country outside Kigali.
Graves of genocide victims discovered every now and then
The authorities said the newly discovered grave came to light years before the genocide. The dam was built for rice farming. Every now and then mass graves are discovered in the country, revealing the scale of the horror. The perpetrators of the genocide are said to be still concealing information about the genocide. Some of the survivors are questioning the act of secrecy by the perpetrators.
Exhuming the bodies during the pandemic situation is challenging because of the lockdown and social distancing. The authorities believe that the bodies should be given proper burial hence, exhuming the bodies even now is necessary.
The authorities said that they face the challenge of the dam containing water. But they are persistent in draining it out while extracting the bodies.
The genocide took place in 1994 and there have been only very a few survivors. The spring of 1994 saw the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. Members of the Hutu majority murdered as many as 800,000 people, mainly of the Tutsi minority.
The government has invested a large amount of money to ensure the safety of society as well as peace in the country. One of the major investments has gone into the education sector. The government has been trying to teach the youth in the country about the dangers of ethnic differences and other practices that are inhumane that can hopefully prevent any future clashes. Schools have genocide studies to educate children about the history and the events that occurred in the country.
