Along with their S6 and S5 classmates, the student heroes stood up to hatred and division, with seven of them paying the ultimate price.

Nestled in the heart of one of Rwanda’s most mountainous regions, in Ngororero District, Ecole Secondaire de Nyange represents the worst and best of Rwanda.

It was the scene of the deadly attack by the defunct FAR soldiers and the genocidal Interahamwe militia on the night of March 18, 1997.

Mujawamahoro and Ndemeye died on the spot during the cold-blooded attack, along with five other students [Sylvestre Bizimana (S6), Beatrice Mukambaraga (S6), Séraphine Mukarutwaza (S5), and Hélène Benimana, who was in S5].

The students were killed when the abacengezi (infiltrators) opened fire and hurled grenades into students after the latter famously refused to separate themselves along ethnic lines.

The death toll from the incident would rise to seven three years later when Ferdinand Niyongira succumbed to internal wounds caused by grenade explosions. He was in S5 at the time of the attack.

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