In Rwanda, new mass graves reveal cracks in reconciliation efforts 30 years after genocide
- It is a criminal offence to withhold information about a previously unknown mass grave in Rwanda, though they are still mostly found by accident
- As more mass graves are discovered, Tutsi survivors ‘start to doubt’ the good intentions of their Hutu neighbours
The diggers’ hoes scrape the brown soil, looking for – and often finding – human bone fragments. The women then wipe the bone pieces with their hands as others watch in solemn silence.
The digging goes on, a scene that is become all too familiar in a verdant area of rural southern Rwanda, where the discovery in October of human remains at the site of a house under construction triggered another search for new mass graves believed to hold victims of the 1994 genocide against Rwanda’s Tutsi.
In the months since, Rwandan authorities say the remains of at least 1,000 people have been found in this farming community in the district of Huye, a surprisingly high number after three decades of government efforts to give genocide victims dignified burials.
As Rwanda prepares to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide next week, continuing discoveries of mass graves are a stark reminder not only of the country’s determination to reconcile with its grim past but also of the challenges it faces in aiming for lasting peace.
Speaking to The Associated Press, the head of a prominent genocide survivors’ group and several other Rwandans said the discoveries underscore that more needs to be done for true reconciliation.