On Friday, April 10, Ashesi University unveiled a monument on campus in memory of the victims of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda and in honor of the Ghanaian peacekeepers who stayed to save lives during the genocide. The memorial is the first on an African university campus outside Rwanda, and the first monument dedicated to the Ghanaian soldiers who remained in Kigali when much of the world withdrew.

The unveiling ceremony was part of this year’s Kwibuka, which is the annual commemoration of the genocide. It brought together members of the Rwandan community in Ghana, military officers from the Ghana Armed Forces Corps of Signals, and family and friends of Major General Henry Kwami Anyidoho (RTD), Deputy Force Commander of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) who led the Ghanaian peacekeeping contingent in 1994.

University President Patrick Awuah noted that the genocide had a profound influence on his decision to return to Africa. Witnessing the tragedy and seeing efforts by colleagues to rally support for victims, while living in the US, made him realize the need for Africans to play an active role in changing negative narratives about the continent. He further encouraged Ghanaians to do more to tell their own stories, particularly those that highlight courageous leadership.

A Moment of Complete Surprise
Speaking at the event, Major General Anyidoho offered a firsthand account of the decision to retain a Ghanaian residual force in Rwanda as the UN considered withdrawing its mission entirely. Drawing from his book Guns Over Kigali, he described the streets of Kigali at the height of the genocide, and the conviction that drove him to seek approval from the Government of Ghana to stay.

“The militia went on the rampage and massacred in the hundreds and killed in the thousands,” he told the gathering, quoting from his memoir Guns Over Kigali. “That was the period that the Rwandese needed us most. With the help of God, we saved as many lives as possible and created humanitarian corridors.“