KIGALI, Rwanda, April 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- World leaders past
and present gathered in Kigali,
Rwanda, to remember the victims of the 1994 Genocide against
the Tutsi. Over a dozen current and former Heads of State
attended. They joined President Paul
Kagame to lay wreaths and light the commemoration flame at
the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and thereafter they participated in
the national ceremony at BK Arena, marking the official start of
Kwibuka30. Kwibuka means 'to remember' in Kinyarwanda (the national
language of Rwanda).
To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/9260351-world-leaders-gather-rwanda-30th-anniversary-genocide-against-tutsi/
On 7th April 1994, a
genocide was unleashed against the Tutsi minority of Rwanda, leaving over a million dead in just
100 days, in full view of the world. A minimal United Nations
peacekeeping force stood by and watched the genocide unfold, after
a decision was made by the Security Council to withdraw most of the
peacekeepers.
Four memorials to the Genocide against the Tutsi, recently
inscribed as UNESCO world heritage sites, will be illuminated each
night for the week of commemoration. As a sign of international
solidarity, iconic monuments in cities around the world will be lit
in the colours of the Rwandan flag, as part of a joint
Rwanda-UNESCO initiative.
This year's historic anniversary is an opportunity for Rwandans
and the rest of the world to honour victims, comfort survivors, and
reflect on Rwanda's journey of
recovery, reconciliation, and resilience, with national unity at
the core of the country's stability and progress.
President Kagame, talking about Rwanda's experience said: "We have turned the
corner in Rwanda, but the same
ideology that justified the genocide against the Tutsi is still
alive and well in our region. And we see the same indifference from
the wider world as in 1994. It is as if those expensive lessons are
always lost, and we stare blindly as the same type of situation
builds up again and again."
Commemoration week will close with a ceremony at Rebero Genocide
Memorial, which honours the courageous Rwandan officials and
politicians who were killed because they opposed their government's
plan to exterminate the Tutsi population.
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