Rwanda is commemorating the 29th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide in 1994. This morning, as it does every year, an official ceremony at Kigali’s Gisozi National Memorial marks the start of the 100-day commemoration. “I thank all of you for refusing to be defined by this tragic history” says the President Paul Kagamé, who speaks at the event.
The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide had hinted ahead of 7 April, the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, that history shows that hate speech can be a precursor to the commission of atrocity crimes, as happened in the Holocaust and the genocides against the Tutsi in Rwanda. As a result, it should be avoided.
“Today, we gather to honour the continued sacrifice of survivors and remember all those we lost during the genocide against the Tutsi.”
On the sidelines, France announced Friday that it will construct a memorial to the victims of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, as Kigali marks the 29th anniversary of the slaughter.
The announcement comes after President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in 2021 that his country was responsible for the deaths of 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis between April and July 1994.