The Kigali Genocide Memorial center is a burial site for over 250,000 victims of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide situated in Gisozi-Kigali, Rwanda. It was started and still run by Aegis Trust, a UK based Genocide prevention on behalf of the Rwanda National commission for the fight against Genocide.

This 1994 Rwanda genocide was as a result of tribal ethnical differences between the Tsutsis and the Hutus which war went on for over 100days. In this period, a population of over 800,000-1,000,000 Rwandese became victims of this tremendous massacre. Hundreds of Rwandese were brutally killed including the UN peacekeepers that had come to stabilize the tremendous situation in Rwanda. Many families were displaced while others flew out of the country to seek refuge in the neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi.

Hundreds were thrown in water bodies where they were found floating on water and others found on the river banks. Many got no chance as they sunk and were swallowed by water man eaters like the crocodiles. Some were picked from the streets, forests where they were thrown. All these were brought together and buried in mass graves at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial exhibits Rwanda’s nightmare and a historical context of the terrible 1994 Genocide. It documents full detailed information about the victims including their names, photos, their last words and the manner in which they were killed.

The Kigali Memorial Center is facilitated with an Education center, Memorial gardens and a National documentation center. All these contribute to a meaningful tribute to the genocide victims and form a powerful education tool for the next generation. At least there is hope that this massacre won’t happen again with the new generation in Rwanda and that Tribal differences/human race can never be an issue again as far as humanity is concerned.

The putting up of the Kigali Genocide Memorial will at least make the next Rwanda’s generation and the world at large learn to have a sense of humanity when they visit this Memorial Center. Different forms of mass discrimination like Tribalism, Racism and many more among fellow humans are expected to be stopped among fellow Human beings.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is the main Memorial Center however there are as well other Memorials where the remains of other hundreds of the terrible Genocide victims were buried. These include;

Bisesero Genocide Memorial Center
Ntarama Genocide Memorial Center
Camp Kigali Belgian Monument
Murambi Genocide Memorial Center
Nyanza Genocide Memorial Center
Nyamata Genocide Memorial Center

NOTE: No visitor comes to Rwanda and leaves without spicing up ones’ Tour by visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial as it is one of the tourists’ favorite sites in Rwanda. Trust me, visiting this place won’t leave you the same. The emotion created will forever stay printed on your heart.