Nyamata Genocide Memorial Centre

Nyamata Genocide Memorial

Nyamata Church Genocide Memorial

Location within Rwanda

UNESCO World Heritage Site

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Part of| Memorial sites of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Criteria| Cultural: vi
Reference| 1586-001
Inscription| 2023 (45th Session)
Coordinates| 2°08′56″S 30°05′38″E﻿ / ﻿2.149°S 30.094°E﻿ / -2.149; 30.094

The Nyamata Genocide Memorial is based around a former church 30 km (19 mi) south of Kigali in Rwanda, which commemorates the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda. The remains of 50,000 people are buried here.[1][2]

## Location

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The memorial is based around a former church which is about 30 km (19 mi) south of Kigali in Rwanda, which commemorates the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.[1][3] This memorial is one of six national memorial sites in Rwanda that commemorate the Rwanda Genocide. The others are the Murambi Memorial Centre, Bisesero Genocide Memorial Centre, Ntarama Genocide Memorial Centre, Kigali Genocide Memorial, and Nyarubuye Memorial.[4] There are over 250 registered memorial sites that commemorate genocide in Rwanda.

## History

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Human skulls at the Nyamata Genocide Memorial

The Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda began in April 1994. Many Tutsi people gathered here as churches were considered a place of safety. About 10,000 people gathered here and the people locked themselves in. The church walls today show how the perpetrators made holes in the walls of the church so that grenades could be thrown into the church. After this the people inside were shot or killed with machetes. The ceiling of the church shows the bullet holes and the altar cloth is still stained with blood of the people that were murdered. Most of the remains have been buried but clothing and identity cards are left.[5] The identity cards were what identified people as either Tutsi or Hutu.

People in the surrounding area were also killed after the massacre at the church. The remains of 50,000 people are buried here.[1]

## See also

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* Nyamata

## References

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1. ^ a b c Nyamata church, Lonely Planet, Retrieved 4 March 2016
2. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
3. ^ Unesco (2023). "Memorial sites of the Genocide: Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero".
4. ^ Sites mémoriaux du génocide : Nyamata, Murambi, Bisesero et Gisozi, UNESCO, Retrieved 4 March 2015
5. ^ Genocide Archive of Rwanda

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nyamata Memorial Site.

* Nyamata Liberation day, panoramic tour in 2014, The Guardian
* Genocide Archive of Rwanda

* v
* t
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Rwandan genocide

Background|

* History of Rwanda
* Origins of Hutu, Tutsi and Twa
* Kingdom of Rwanda
* Belgian colonial empire
* Rwandan Revolution
* Hutu Power
* Rwandan Civil War
* Arusha Accords
* Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira

Events|

* Initial events
* Chronology
* Massacres
* Gikondo
* Musha Church
* Nyarubuye
* Rape

Perpetrators|

* People indicted by the ICTR
* Genocidaires
* Akazu
* Impuzamugambi
* Interahamwe
* Kangura
* Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines

Response|

* Rwandan Patriotic Front
* International response
* France
* Opération Turquoise
* United States
* Operation Support Hope
* UNAMIR
* UNSC Resolution 935

Aftermath|

* Great Lakes refugee crisis
* Kibeho massacre
* First Congo War
* Massacres of Hutus
* Second Congo War
* Rwandan genocide denial
* Gacaca court
* International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
* National Unity and Reconciliation Commission

Commemoration|

* Genocide memorials
* Bisesero
* Kigali
* Murambi
* Ntarama
* Nyamata
* Kwibuka T20 Tournament
* Survivors Fund

Historigraphy|

* Double genocide theory

* Bibliography
* Filmography

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