He was speaking at the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, held in Kibeho, Nyaruguru District, on April 14, 2025.
The commemoration focused on the events of April 14, 1994, when thousands of Tutsi who had fled to Kibeho Parish from the former communes of Mubuga, Rwamiko, and Kivu were brutally attacked.
Interahamwe militias, supported by soldiers and gendarmes, attacked and set fire to the church, resulting in the deaths of over 30,000 people.
The atmosphere of ethnic hostility in Kibeho prior to the genocide was described by Marc Manirakiza, a genocide survivor from Nyange Cell, Kibeho Sector.
Manirakiza recounted an incident in 1992 where he was subjected to ethnic insults while working at his brother's restaurant, being told that Tutsi had no right to conduct business there.
He also recalled a disturbing event at GS Marie Merci, where students staged a mock funeral for their Tutsi headteacher, symbolically burying bundles in a gesture of hate.
Manirakiza's testimony directly addressed the role of the clergy during the genocide. He stated that on April 14, 1994, "the killers did not spare the church, and the clergy did nothing to help."
He further accused the clergy of actively collaborating with the perpetrators, revealing, 'The clergy in Kibeho, who were not being targeted, collaborated with killers. They held meetings with Munini Sub-Prefect Damien Biniga, ignored our cries for food and water, and instead prepared the massacre of Tutsi at Kibeho.'
Following his escape from Kibeho, Manirakiza fled to Karama in Huye, then to Nyumba Parish, and eventually sought refuge in Burundi, where he later joined the RPF liberation forces.
Christine Muhongayire, First Vice President of Ibuka, highlighted the prolonged duration of the genocide in Nyaruguru, attributing it to the presence of 'Zone Turquoise,' the French-declared zone that provided a safe haven for genocidaires.
Muhongayire stressed the importance of remembrance as a tool for educating the youth and urged individuals with firsthand knowledge of the genocide to share their testimonies or document their experiences.
In his address, Minister Bizimana expressed his deep sorrow over the transformation of Kibeho, a place once considered holy, into a site of immense suffering.
"Kibeho Parish was established in 1934, and by the time the genocide happened, teachings had been delivered there for 60 years. It was a parish known for having many clergy members, which should have helped those who sought refuge there to surviveâ€"but that's not what happened," he lamented.
"Take for example Father Emmanuel Uwayezu, who had students from GS Marie Merci killed and even encouraged other children to kill their fellow students. All of this was the result of hateful ideology that had spread throughout the country, including among members of the clergy," added Dr. Bizimana.
To illustrate the pervasiveness of hate propaganda, Minister Bizimana referenced an article in Issue 70 of the Urunana newspaper, published at Nyakibanda Major Seminary in October 1990.
The article contained a seminarian's description of the RPF (Inkotanyi) as 'anti-Rwandan,' demonstrating how deeply ingrained divisive ideologies had become within religious institutions.
IGIHE
