The Rwandan community living in China, Chinese Government officials, diplomatic corps and friends of Rwanda on Sunday gathered for the 30th commemoration of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi which claimed over a million lives.
“Today, we held the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi where we were joined by the Rwandan community living in China, Chinese Government officials, diplomatic corps and friends of Rwanda,” The Rwandan embassy in China said.
Meanwhile, back home in Rwanda, several leaders from different parts of the world have gathered in the capital Kigali to honour the victims of the genocide against Tutsi.
President Kagame, First Lady Jeannette Kagame and visiting Heads of State and their spouses laid wreaths and observed a moment of silence at the final resting place of over 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi.
The Flame of Remembrance that was lit, will burn for the next 100 days in commemoration of those lost.
In his speech, President Kagame emphasised, ‘We chose to think beyond the horizon of tragedy and become a people with a future!’
The Rwandan leader called upon Western countries hosting perpetrators of Genocide to cooperate and bring them to justice.
He hinted at one genocider without mentioning the name, a former staff of UNDP Rwanda who seized control of UNDP’s assets like Motorola radio handsets, and more than 25 U.N. vehicles and gave them to killers to hunt down Tutsi.
However, records show this was Callixte Mbarushimana who later became Executive Secretary of FDLR a terrorist organisation largely comprised of perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.
Mbarushimana still lives freely in France a country that became a haven for hundreds of other Génocidaires who fled after their defeat in Rwanda in 1994.
The FDLR has recently teamed up with the DRC army and Burundi and other SADC countries under the guise of fighting the M23 rebels in DRC.
“We see too many actors, even some from Africa, getting directly involved as tribal politics is given renewed prominence and ethnic cleansing is prepared and practised. What has happened to us? Is this the Africa we want to live in?” Kagame said in his speech on Sunday.
Kagame has also warned against such alliances and that Rwanda will not seek permission to respond to such threats; “Never ask for permission to do what is right to protect people.”
“Some must be joking when they are threatening us with all kinds of things. They don’t know what they are talking about,” he noted.
Kagame also expressed concern about the growing trend of blaming the victims.
“Even at this time of Commemoration, to see some in the media of the “powerful” one will still see those who still want to paint the victims as villains and criminals… the hypocrisy even at this time. We’ll Ignore the Insult.”
