[RSS] Rwanda marks 29 years since genocide that left hundreds of thousands dead

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[RSS] Rwanda marks 29 years since genocide that left hundreds of thousands dead

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While Christians around the world observed Good Friday, Rwanda commemorated 29 years since the 100-day-long 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority.

Known as Kwibuka, the event is commemorated every year on 7 April to remember the hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed by Hutu extremists.

While there are varying figures for the number of people killed, from 500 000 to 600 000, the Rwandan government has put the figure at one million.

It’s a dark chapter in Rwanda’s history, President Paul Kagame said when he addressed the nation on Friday.

“It’s very clear, the wounds are still deep,” but “Rwandans have refused to be defined by this tragic history.”

A week before the commemoration, Kagame softened his stance against Paul Rusesabagina, manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, which gave refuge to more than 1 000 people during the genocide.

None of the people he helped was killed.

Rusesabagina’s act inspired the 2004 Hollywood movie Hotel Rwanda. After moving to the United States, he became a harsh critic of Kagame and was linked to a terror group that operated in Rwanda.

After serving two years behind bars, he was released from his 25-year jail term and is now back in San Antonio, Texas with his family. It took negotiations involving the US and Qatar for Kagame to release him.

Kagame did not mince his words when he spoke about the genocide.

He said Rwandans were made stronger by that point in history.

“We have strength, incredible strength coming from this history that informs us, that tells us that we should never, never allow anybody else to dictate to you how you live your life,” he said.

United Nations (UN) secretary-general António Guterres said: “We must never forget what happened and ensure future generations always remember.”

Last year, the UN covered considerable ground tracking down some of the central figures in the genocide.

Through the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) the majority of the 93 accused war criminals have been indicted.

The ICTR was disbanded in 2015. What’s left is a small residue team that has been searching for the few remaining, but critical, enablers of the genocide.

Last year, it accounted for Protais Mpiranya, who was tracked to a grave in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Félicien Kabuga’s trial is underway in The Hague. He was a chief financier of the Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, which instructed people during the genocide to erect barriers and carry out searches, named people to be targeted and pointed out areas to attack.

The UN offers a reward of up to R90 million for anyone who provides leads to the arrest of other fugitives.

African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said Rwanda was a leading light for African countries on internal conflict resolution.

He said: From this point of view, Rwanda, under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, supported by a united people, a people welded together by the values of perseverance in effort and sacrifice, offers us the beautiful example of a country that has been able to transform its fragility into a powerful force for change.
Civil wars are part of the world’s biggest problems. According to the World Bank, 57% of all countries, across the globe, that suffered from one civil war between 1945 and 2009 experienced at least one conflict thereafter.

About 35% of recurring civil wars are in sub-Saharan Africa, in the poorest countries and those which have weak state leadership.

Meanwhile, this Thursday, a ceremony at the UN Office in Geneva will feature the laying of a wreath, the burning of candles, remarks from top UN officials, and stories from survivors.

On Friday, the UN Headquarters in New York will host a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the genocide.

The ceremony will include speeches from the secretary-general, the president of the UN General Assembly, other dignitaries, and a survivor of the genocide.
The post Rwanda marks 29 years since genocide that left hundreds of thousands dead appeared first on Radarr Africa.

Source: https://radarr.africa/rwanda-marks-29-y ... sands-dead
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