The campaign that
ended the genocide.
Housed inside Rwanda’s Parliament building, this museum tells the story of the RPF/RPA’s campaign to end the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
Overview
Set within Rwanda’s Parliamentary building in Kigali, the Museum for Campaign Against Genocide was inaugurated in December 2017 and tells a story distinct from the country’s memorial sites — not one of loss alone, but of the military and political campaign that brought the genocide to an end.
The building itself carries deep historical weight. Formerly known as the Conseil National de Développement, it housed Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) politicians and a 600-strong protection force from December 1993, as the country prepared for a transitional government under the Arusha Peace Accords. When the genocide began in April 1994, following the withdrawal of United Nations troops, it was this same protection force that was ordered to break out from its positions to defend and rescue Tutsi victims across Kigali — a decision that marked the beginning of the campaign the museum is named for.
What You'll Experience
The Campaign Against Genocide exhibition — A detailed account of how the RPF/RPA executed the rescue and liberation campaign following the UN withdrawal, told through artifacts, photographs and firsthand accounts.
Original wartime structures — Including the sick bay used to treat both soldiers and genocide survivors during the campaign, and a rooftop monument marking a mounted machine gun position.
Artifacts of the Arusha Accords — Documents and objects connected to the peace process that preceded the genocide.
The Parliament building itself — Bullet-scarred exterior walls remain visible, offering a striking physical reminder of the events described inside.