Kwibuka 31: WASAC Group and REG remember former ELECTROGAZ employees’ victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi

The event took place at REG Headquarters and brought together families and friends of the victims, staff, officials, and partners of both REG and WASAC Group to pay tribute and remember the lives lost during the genocide. It was commenced with a moment of silence and the laying of wreaths at the memorial site located at the REG Headquarters in the city of Kigali.

One of the highlights of the commemoration was a heartfelt testimony by Rwagasana Erneste, a former ELECTROGAZ employee who served the institution from 1980 to 1994. He recounted harrowing experiences of discrimination, intimidation, and how ELECTROGAZ, at the time, became complicit in spreading genocidal ideology and persecuting Tutsi employees.

"At work, we were constantly threatened, called cockroaches, and warned that we would be killed. Many of us were unjustly imprisoned on accusations of being RPA collaborators simply because we were Tutsi," Erneste shared. He also revealed that ELECTROGAZ had provided financial support to the Hutu Power movement, further facilitating the spread of extremist ideology that led to the genocide. Erneste, who survived the genocide while abroad on study leave, expressed deep gratitude to the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), led by President Paul Kagame, for halting the Genocide against the Tutsi and saving countless lives.

Abimana Fidele, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure urged participants and all Rwandans to promote resilience, unity, and vigilance against genocide ideology and denial. “The rise of genocide ideology, particularly on social media and beyond our borders, is alarming. It is especially important for the youth to stand firm against it,” he emphasized.

In his opening address, Prof. Omar Munyaneza, CEO of WASAC Group, extended his condolences to the families of the victims and encouraged REG and WASAC Group staff to embody values of unity, human dignity, and cooperation. He called on everyone to ensure that the horrors of the past are never repeated.