News and press interest – 14th August 2009
Inforce carries out assessment and conducts research at the site of Rwandan massacre The Inforce Foundation, in conjunction with the Cranfield University Forensic Institute, has carried out stage one of a two stage program in Rwanda to preserve the remains of victims of the genocide at the Murambi site where 40,000 people were slaughtered in three days during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.In total, an estimated 1,000,000 people were killed in 100 days during the 1994 genocide following the death of the Rwandan President. Two postgraduate students from Cranfield’s MSc in Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology: Amanda Roberts and Deborah Harrison and one ex-student, Inforce Research Associate, Tanya Leakey, travelled to Rwanda in May. The team spent three weeks on site and examined in excess of 300 sets of mummified remains that had been preserved in lime. From these they collected scientific data on twenty sets of remains of men, women and children. The remains selected exhibited blunt and sharp object trauma. Back in the UK, the team is developing a proposal for the long-term preservation of the selected remains and provide the main focus for a memorial. This follows a request from the Executive Director of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide of Rwanda, Mucyo Jean de Dieu, for the team to make recommendations on the preservation and conservation of the site and remains. Dr Andrew Shortland, Senior Lecturer and Head of Cranfield University’s Centre for Archeology and Forensic Analysis, said: “The opportunity to involve our post graduate students in hands-on field work such as this is invaluable and we hope to send further postgraduate students next year. Being able to combine research with assisting Rwanda build capacity and expertise is an important part of the Forensic Institute here at Cranfield.” Commenting on stage two of the programme which, if approved by the Rwandan authorities, will be led by Alan McClue, Inforce’s Development Director and Fellow of the Cranfield Forensic Institute, “ We look forward to working with our colleagues in Rwanda on creating a memorial that is respectful to both the victims of the genocide and their living relatives. We will be approaching a number of UK industrial companies which we believe may have expertise that will assist us”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR: The Inforce Foundation is a UK-based, international and independent charity specialising in the forensic investigation of crimes of genocide.It was established in 2001 and aims to provide the forensic expertise necessary for the scientific location, recovery and identification of the victims of mass fatality incidents and such crimes as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Inforce adopts a human rights-based approach to the application of forensic sciences in the aftermath of atrocity crimes and mass fatality incidents. For more information visit www.inforce.org.uk
Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution with a worldwide reputation for excellence and expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water, health, management and manufacturing. The University is made up of the following Schools: Cranfield Health, School of Management, School of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering, and Cranfield Defence and Security at Shrivenham. For further information please contact Alan McClue, Director of Development, Inforce at amcclue@inforce.org.uk
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