Rwanda: What to Know About 21 Politicians Remembered for Opposing Genocide

13 April 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Moise M. Bahati

Every April 13, Rwanda concludes the national mourning week with a ceremony honouring politicians who were killed for opposing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In the ceremony held at Rebero Genocide Memorial, Rwandans, government officials, families of the fallen politicians, security forces, members of political parties and members of the diplomatic corps come together to pay their tribute to the men and women who chose the path of unity at a time the country faced its darkest chapter.

ALSO READ: Who are the nine politician to be honoured for their anti-genocide stand?

Until 2023, twelve politicians were laid to rest at the memorial, which is the final resting place for over 14,000 victims of the Genocide. In 2024, the names of nine more politicians were inscribed at the memorial, bring the total to 21. Some of them were killed at the onset of the Genocide that would claim over one million lives in just 100 days.

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ALSO READ: Call for non-divisive politics as Genocide commemoration week ends

Here are the names of the politicians and their activities or political parties.

  1. Joseph Kavaruganda

Joseph Kavaruganda was the President of the Constitutional Court. Kavaruganda was killed on April 7.

  1. Landouard 'Lando' Ndasingwa

Landouard Ndasingwa was the President of Liberal Party (PL). The politician fondly called Lando was killed with his wife and two children on April 7 in Remera by forces of the then Republican Guard.

  1. Andre Kameya

Andre Kameya was a member of PL and journalist. He was killed in June 1994. His wife and children had been killed in April. Kameya worked with Kinyamateka, ORINFOR and also served as the Chief Editor of the journal of the Ministry of Justice. He was murdered after launching a newspaper called Rwanda Rushya.

  1. Frederic Nzamurambaho

Frederic Nzamurambaho was the President of Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Minister of Justice. He was killed on April 7 at his home by forces of the then Republican Guard.

  1. Felicien Ngango

Felicien Ngango was the Vice President of PSD. He was among politicians to be appointed in the Government following Arusha accords.

  1. Faustin Rucogoza

Faustin Rucogoza was a member of Republican Democratic Movement (MDR) and Minister of Information. He was killed along his wife on April 7. In 1993, Rucogoza had denounced hate speeches by Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and issued a warning against the broadcaster.

  1. Venantie Kabageni

Venantie Kabageni was a member of PL party. She was killed at the beginning of Genocide against the Tutsi for her convictions that opposed bad governance of the Habyarimana regime.

  1. Jean de La Croix Rutaremara

Jean de La Croix Rutaremara was also a politician whose vision was against ethnic discrimination fuelled by the former government.

  1. Jean Baptiste Mushimiyimana

Jean Baptiste Mushimiyimana was a member of PSD party. He was killed for opposing the divisive policies of the Habyarimana regime.

  1. Charles Kayiranga

Charles Kayiranga was a politician and member of PL. He was killed in the Genocide over promoting democratic leadership.

  1. Aloys Niyoyita

Aloys Niyoyita was a politician from PL. He was killed for opposing the bad leadership of Habyarimana.

  1. Boniface Ngulinzira

Boniface Ngulinzira, the former Minister Foreign Affairs, advocated for Rwandan unity during the Arusha peace talks, which brought together the regime of Juvenal Habyarimana and the then RPF-Inkotanyi rebels. He saw the peace talks as the viable solution to not only end the war between the then government forces and RPF-Inkotanyi.

Because of his tolerant political convictions, Ngulinzira in the early 1990s defected from extremist ruling party MRND to MDR. He was killed on April 11, 1994 on the hill of Nyanza in Kicukiro where thousands died after being abandoned by Belgian troops who served under the UN mission to Rwanda (UNAMIR).

  1. Godefroid Ruzindana

Godefroid Ruzindana, the former prefect Kibungo prefecture stood against genocidal politics and he, together with his family, was killed as a result. Ruzindana hailed from the PSD party. He was killed in May 1994.

Before he was killed, he was replaced from his position by an extremist Anaclet Rudakubana who immediately rolled out the killing machine that took lives of tens of thousands in Kibungo and surrounding areas.

  1. Jean-Gualbert Rumiya

Jean-Gualbert Rumiya, who was a professor at the former National University of Rwanda, left the MRND in November 1992 in opposition to the encouragement of violence against the Tutsi.

His resignation from the extremist party stemmed from the incendiary speech made in 1992 by Leon Mugesera, who was his fellow faculty member at the university, in which he openly called for the extermination of the Tutsi. Rumiya was killed on May 4, 1994.

  1. Vincent Rwabukwisi

Vincent Rwabukwisi was a journalist and politician who used his platform, Kanguka newspaper, to promote peace and reconciliation at a time when violence and discrimination were being encouraged by the media. He founded Kanguka purposely to counter the extremist and toxic narrative.

Later, the Habyarimana regime fronted Hassan Ngeze to start Kangura newspaper to counter Kanguka which published the infamous Hutu ten commandments among other anti-Tutsi tropes. Rwabukwisi, who was also the founding president of UDPR political party, was killed on April 11, 1994.

  1. Jean-Baptiste Habyarimana

Jean-Baptiste Habyarimana was killed alongside his family. As prefect of Butare prefecture, Habyarimana dedicated his political efforts to preventing violence during the Genocide against the Tutsi.

He was a Tutsi. With him as the prefect, Tutsi killings were prevented in Butare until he was replaced with a hardliner who encouraged genocide in the prefecture.

  1. Calixte Ndagijimana

Calixte Ndagijimana was the mayor of Commune Mugina in the former Gitarama prefecture. A member of the MDR party, he was one of three mayors who fought against the genocidal killings in their communes and were killed for their convictions. He was killed on April 21, 1994.

  1. Narcisse Nyagasaza

Narcisse Nyagasaza was the mayor for Commune Ntyazo also in the former Butare prefecture. He came from the PL party.

Like Ndagijimana, Nyagasaza also opposed killings in his commune and he had to pay with his life. He was killed on 23 April 1994.

  1. Jean-Marie Vianney Gisagara

Jean-Marie Vianney Gisagara was the burgomaster of Commune Nyabisindu, also in Butare prefecture. He was a member of the PSD party.

Like Ndagijimana and Nyagasaza, Gisagara also opposed the Genocide against the Tutsi. He was killed on May 5, 1994.

  1. Dr Theoneste Gafaranga

Theoneste Gafaranga was a private medical practitioner from the PSD party. He was the second vice president of PSD. He was killed on April 16, 1994.

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